The Theosophists

Born in Croatia in 1861, Rudolf Steiner came from a humble background and had to abandon his studies in mathematics and natural sciences in 1883 for financial reasons. This was followed by a post as a tutor and then – as in many similar cases at a time when the person concerned had neither the actual qualification nor the necessary maturity – we see a premature career jump:

On the recommendation of his Viennese professor of German philology Karl Julius Schröer , in 1884, at the age of 23, he became the publisher of the scientific writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Karl Julius Schröer co-founded the “Wiener Goetheverein” in 1878 and published a two-volume Faust edition as well as six volumes of Goethe’s dramas.

Steiner’s first two issues of Goethe appeared in the German National Literature of Joseph Kürschner , who had been appointed professor by Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (whom we already know from Karl Marx and David Urquhart) and from 1886 also the ” Richard Wagner Yearbook “published. From 1890 Steiner is an employee of the newly founded Goethe and Schiller Archive in Weimar. Wikipedia says:

However, he had to make a living until 1890 mainly as an educator and tutor of the four sons of a Jewish merchant. Only when he was appointed to the Weimar Archive did he find a modest livelihood as a Goethe scholar.

Wiki: Rudolf Steiner

Presumably, it does not only seem strange to me that Professor Schroer should have used his relationships to make Steiner the publisher of the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but at the same time let him finance his living as a tutor. Thus, the Schroer’s interest in Rudolf Steiner does not seem to have been great, and someone must have advanced and harnessed the professor to Steiner’s career. His real employer as an educator and tutor until 1890?

The suspicion reinforced that Steiner in Vienna – probably mediated by his employer – maintained contact with the esoteric Friedrich Eckstein , a temporary collaborator and close friend of Sigmund Freud , who taught Sigmund Freud about yoga and Rudolf Steiner acquainted with the theories of Helena Blavatsky , Eckstein received in June 1886 a foundation deed signed by Blavatsky for the Viennese Lodge of the Theosophical Society, founded in 1887, of which he became president.

With his Goetheanum Rudolf Steiner himself has surpassed the Bavarian King Ludwig II. It was only a question of money and Rudolf Steiner obviously had enormous resources at his disposal. We are not interested in philosophy, which is to be expressed in architecture , but in the origin of these means, which, according to official accounts, were freely donated by enthusiastic listeners of this General Schwabler.

This is reminiscent of the financing of another great speaker in Munich, where Steiner was still Johannesburg at that timefirst wanted to realize this project on a large property in Schwabing. Only in 1913 and probably in the safe knowledge of the coming war, the planning was canceled in Munich and realized the construction in Switzerland.

The property is located in the traditional town of Dornach, 10 km southeast of Basel, and was owned by the Paris-born Emil Grosheintz, a Basel dentist and supporter of Theosophy, who in 1906 co-founded the “Paracelsus branch” in Basel and later Steiner on many Accompanied lectures. Exactly on the selected for the central construction “Bluthügel” and in his circle had the Swiss in the Battle of Dornach in 1499 destroyed the Swabian League.

To expand the grounds of Grosheintz still surrounding areas were purchased, especially with the support of Marie Hirter-Weber , since 1906 a member of the Theosophists and with Johann Daniel Hirterwas married, from 1906-23 President of the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank (pdf) ;

Other financiers were Prof. Alfred Gysi, co-founder of the dental institute of the University of Zurich, and Maria Schieb-Schwenter, who ran a luxury hotel in Montreux with her husband. The purchase of the additional building land was done professionally, keeping the planned project secret, in order to avoid the feared increase in building land prices.

Until December 1914, when the construction had come to a standstill due to the war, 2.6 million Swiss francs could be spent on the Goetheanum (excluding the plots valued at just 218,000 francs). To get an idea of ​​the size of this sum for our time today, one would have to multiply the 2.6 million Swiss francs of 1914 by at least 10 or more. When the central building was destroyed by arson on New Year’s Eve 1922/23, he was insured alone with 3,183,000 francs.

When in the First World War for financial reasons threatened a freeze, Marie Hirter-Weber is said to have made an additional one million francs available. As the lady before her wedding had been a very poor bitch, the money came of course from the President of the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank and probably even without the knowledge of his wife of its backers (we are not discussing the issue of women and money, but always the background of monetary policy).

After the death of her husband in 1926, Marie Hirter-Weber moved with her stepdaughter to Dornach and devoted himself to anthroposophy. At the outbreak of the war in 1939, she took up the widow and estate of Rudolf Steiner in her chalet in Beatenberg and lived there until her death in 1946 together with Marie Steiner in a house community.

The first Goetheanum, which was mainly made of wood and plaster, burnt down on New Year’s Eve 1922/23. The arsonist had gotten on very well with the building, and at one point between the south wing and the main building, where a ladder had been installed, the roof was opened and the combustible material was filled between the interior walls.

The first Goetheanum was also due to the completion in wartime and of course because of the lack of experience of the builders rather as a mishap to consider, so that the erupted during an event fire, which could never be resolved, the funds earmarked for a much better new building. As early as June 1923, the sum insured of 3.2 million Swiss francs was disbursed. A call for donations had brought almost a million francs and Rudolf Steiner planned a new building for 4 to 5 million francs.

The Anthroposophists had at that time about 10,000 members, especially in Germany, where most citizens were completely impoverished by inflation and the workers only enough to starve. At a delegates’ meeting of his Anthroposophical Society, Rudolf Steiner welcomed around 1,000 representatives from 15 countries who, despite the adverse circumstances of the time, apparently were able to pay for or paid for their trip to Switzerland. where most citizens were completely impoverished by inflation and the workers were only starving to pay.

At a delegates’ meeting of his Anthroposophical Society, Rudolf Steiner welcomed around 1,000 representatives from 15 countries who, despite the adverse circumstances of the time, apparently were able to pay for or paid for their trip to Switzerland. where most citizens were completely impoverished by inflation and the workers were only starving to pay. At a delegates’ meeting of his Anthroposophical Society, Rudolf Steiner welcomed around 1,000 representatives from 15 countries who, despite the adverse circumstances of the time, apparently were able to pay for or paid for their trip to Switzerland.