Institutum Herderianum Rigense:

Herder Institute in Riga as a science network in the European Science Network (HeInRi)

The educational center and scientific institution “Herder Institute in Riga” (HI) was a university whose history (1921-1939) and contribution to the genesis of modern science have an important place in the context of Latvia, Europe and the world. HeInRi is a project focusing on HI in the European Science Network.

Spengler’s correspondence in the context of Riga II

April 10, 2021
9:27 pm

The Baltic region was not unknown to Oswald Spengler long before his trip in 1924 through the Baltic States: while studying in Halle there were two students from Tallinn in his fried cycle; at the beginning of the First world war his sister’s husband Fritz Konhard, shortly after conscription in the army, serves in Riga (later, at the end of the war, he dies in the Western Front).

At the end of October, 1924 Spengler leaves for a six-week-long trip in the Baltics. The fate of the cultures is the central theme of his lectures. On the 30^th of October Spengler gives a speech in Lunda about “The Beginning of the Great Cultures” and the day after at the same place – about “The History of Language and the History of the Development of the Thought”. It is followed by speeches in Stockholm, Turku and Helsinki (Anton M. Koktanek, Oswald Spengler in seiner Zeit. München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 1968, 369-370). In Scandinavia, his lectures and personality receive a lot of recognition, but there are some critical voices as well. In the conversations and interviews, Spengler emphasizes his vocation as a historian and politician. He plans to return to this region, though the planned trip to the Northern Countries didn’t happen.

Spengler concludes his lecture cycle through the Baltic Sea countries in Estonia and Latvia. Lectures in the Houses of Blackheads in Tallinn and Riga gain attention especially among the German Baltics, whose political and social situation generates questions about the future perspectives of Europe in the context of German politics. In the correspondence that has been published (Briefe. 1913-1936. In Zusammenarbeit mit Manfred Schröter hrsg. von Anton Mirko Koktanek. München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 1963), Spengler has very briefly commented his visit. In the letter of the 9^th of January, 1925 Spengler writes to businessman and politician Roderich Slubach: “Unfortunately, it seems that your letter in October is lost. If it would not be like that, maybe we would have agreed on a date when, after returning from Riga and Tallinn, I could visit you, because there are a lot of topics that I would like to discuss with you”, but in the letter to Friedrich Nietzsche’s sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche in the 13th of December, 1924, Spengler writes: “Dear friend, now I have again returned from the trip to the Baltic Sea countries (…) During the Christmas time I will be in Blankenburg and, when going back, I can make a short stop in Weimar, if you like. I wanted to say that during the trip I have read all of Nietzsche’s texts and again they greatly moved me. Something like that in the field of knowing oneself in the German literature has not occurred!”. Materials in the HI archive allows us to paint a more accurate picture of Spengler’s visit to Riga. They reveal the context of the time and allow to draw the portraits and aspirations of the intellectuals at that time.

*Image sources

The images used to design the page bring into the world of HI. Their use in some sections of the page is for illustrative purposes only. The documents shown in the pictures from the State Historical Archive of Latvia will be precisely described and, in accordance with legal and research, and technical requirements, placed in the DIGITIZATION section of the page, adding metadata. There is also Images used from the publication: Deutsche Herderhochschule zu Riga. Institutum Herderianum Rigense. Private deutsche Hochschule. Hrsg. of the Public Administration of the Institute of the Library in Riga in Lübeck Lübeck, 1939.

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Contacts

University of Latvia
Department of Philosophy and Ethics
Aspazijas 5, Riga LV-1050, room 229

raivis.bicevskis@lu.lv

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1980-1991. – Ērgļi primary school and high school
1992-1997. – Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of Latvia, Faculty of History and Philosophy (LU VFF)
1997-1999 – Master’s studies in philosophy at LU VFF
1999/2000 – Philosophy and recent history studies at the University of Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) within the framework of the ERASMUS program; study mentor: Head of Kant Research Center, Member of the Board of Kant Society, t. s. Förder- und Forschungsgemeinschaft Friedrich Nietzsche e.V. (later Nietzsche Society) co-founder prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Gerlach (1940-2011)
1999-2003 – Doctor of Philosophy studies at LU VFF
2001/2002 – Philosophy studies at the University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) with a Rotary Club Münster-Rüschhaus scholarship, mentor Prof. Dr. Ruth-Elisabeth Mohrmann (1945-2015)
2003-2004 – LU Faculty of History and Philosophy, Department of History of Philosophy, Assistant (Prof. Dr. Rihards Kūlis)
2005 – LU VFF Department of Philosophy History lecturer
2005 – Dr. phil. (Doctoral Thesis “Truth and Factuality. Martin Heidegger’s Early Philosophical Search 1909-1923.”)
From 2005 – Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology (FSI)
From 2005 – Member of the Philosophy Terminology Subcommittee of the LAS Terminology Commission
2006 – LU VFF Department of Philosophy History, Assistant Professor
From 2006 – Member of the Martin-Heidegger-Gesellschaft (Messkirch)
2007-2011 – LU VFF Bachelor of Philosophy academic study program director
2007-2011 – Member of LU VFF Council
September 2008 – internship at the University of Regensburg (UR) with the leader of the long-standing international Haman colloquium (since 1975) in the latest German literature Prof. Dr. Bernhard Gajek (* 1929)
From October 2008 – Latvian Science Council (LZP) expert in the Philosophy of Humanities and Social Sciences sub-branch
From May 2009 – FSI Leading Researcher
February 2010 – exchange of experience of study program directors at the University of Tübingen (cooperation partner Prof. Dr. Michael Heidelberger)
2010/2011 – Acting Head of the Department of History of Philosophy, LU VFF
2011 – repeated internship at RU with Prof. Dr. Bernhard Gajek at the University of Regensburg
From June 2010 – Member of the LU VFF Philosophy Promotion Council
From June 2010 – Scientific Secretary of the LU VFF Philosophy Promotion Council
From 2012 – LU VFF Philosophy study program council member
From October 2014 – freelance methodologist of the State Education Content Center of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia
From March 2015 – LU VFF Associate Professor of the History of Philosophy
2015 – repeated internship at RU with Prof. Dr. Bernhard Gajek at the University of Regensburg
From 2017 – LU Deputy Vice-Rector for Humanities and Education in the Council of Humanities and Education
2017 – Member of the Publications Policy Commission of the University of Latvia
From 2017 – repeatedly a member of the LU VFF Council
From 2017 – Member of the Scientific Council of the University of Latvia FSI
From 2017 – LU VFF Philosophy and Ethics Department (FĒN) head
November 2017 – Conducting lectures and seminars organized by the Training Unit of the European Parliament’s Directorate-General for Translation “Philosophers Europes: political development of Europe and related terminology from a philosophical perspective” (European Parliament, Luxembourg)
April 2018 – Visiting Professor at the University of Potsdam (PU): Block seminar “Heidegger in Riga and Seine Herder-Auslegung” / Blockseminar an Universität Potsdam, Professur Kulturen der Aufklärung / DAAD-Zentraleinrichtung Bonn finanziertes ERASMUS+ Projekt “Medienpraktiken der Aufklärung”
2018. november – Visiting Proffesor Université Bordeaux Montaigne / Hamann und Aufklärung / Blockseminar Universität Bordeaux / DAAD-Zentraleinrichtung Bonn finanziertes ERASMUS+ Projekt “Medienpraktiken der Aufklärung”, Prof. Dr. Tristan Coignard
From 2018 – Member of the Doctoral Council of History of the University of Latvia
From January 1, 2019 – co-founder and president of Martin Heidegger Society in Latvia (MHBL)
November 2019 – Visiting Professor Universität Innsbruck (UI), Institute of Philosophy / Sinnlichkeit – Kreis – Verweigerung: Hamann – Herder – Heidegger (cooperation partner: Prof. Dr. Paola-Ludovika Coriando)
From 2019 – Member of the Klages-Gesellschaft Marbach e.V.
From 2019 – Deputy Chairman of the LZP Humanities and Arts Sciences Experts Commission
From 2019 – Member of the Board of the Central and East European Society for Phenomenology (CEESP)
From 2019 – Member of the FORTHEM University Network Committee
From 2019 – Chairman of the LU Philosophy Promotion Council
From 2020 – Member of the History Promotion Council of the University of Latvia
From 2020 – Member of the LZP Advisory Council
From 2020 – Member of the Scientific Council of the International Society of Heidegger (Martin-Heidegger-Gesellschaft Messkirch)
From 2020 – Corresponding member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS)
From 2020 – Member of the Humanities and Social Sciences Council of the University of Latvia
From 2020 – Member of the Ethics Commission of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Latvia

Works

Bičevskis, R. / Brombach, B. Kulturpolitik und Wissenstransfer am Herderinstitut zu Riga? Ein Beitrag zur intellektuellen Geschichte des Baltikums in den 1920er und 1930er Jahren. In: Forschungen zur Baltischen Geschichte Nr. 14 (2019), S. 136-156.
Bičevskis, R. Johann Georg Hamann zwischen der Bildung der Handelsrepublik und der Bildung des Nichtwissens. In: Baltisch-deutsche Kulturbeziehungen vom 16. bis 19. Jahrhundert. Medien – Institutionen – Akteure. Hrsg. von Raivis Bičevskis, Jost Eickmeyer, Andris Levans, Anu Schaper, Björn Spiekermann, Inga Walter. Band 2: Zwischen Aufklärung und nationalem Erwachen. Heidelberg: Winter-Verlag, 2019. S. 235-258.
Bičevskis, R., Eickmeyer, J., Levans, A., Schaper, A., Spiekermann, B., Walter, I., Einleitung. In: Baltisch-deutsche Kulturbeziehungen vom 16. bis 19. Jahrhundert. Medien – Institutionen – Akteure. Band 2: Zwischen Aufklärung und nationalem Erwachen. Heidelberg: Winter-Verlag, 2019. S. 1-19.
Bičevskis, R. “Wunder von ferne oder traum/Bracht ich an meines landes saum”. Heideggers Beziehungen zu Riga und seine Herder-Auslegung im Seminar des Sommersemesters 1939 “Zur Wesung des Wortes”. In: Language and Thinking in a Post-Metaphysical Age: Plato, Aristotle, Husserl, and the Unthought Question of Ethics and Politics. Hrsg. von Parvis Emad, Friedrich-Wilhelm von Herrmann, Paola-Ludovika Coriando, Frank Schalow, Pascal David, Ingeborg Schüßler (Heidegger Studies=Heidegger Studien=Etudes Heideggeriennes Vol. 34). Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2018. S. 17-41.
Bičevskis, R. Heidegger in Riga. Biographische Skizze und Anmerkungen zu Heideggers Herder-Rezeption. In: Triangulum: Germanistisches Jahrbuch 2016 für Estland, Lettland und Litauen. 22. Folge. Bonn, 2017. S. 29-44.
Bičevskis, R. Der Realismus Oswald Külpes im Kontext der erkenntnistheoretischen und ontologischen Versuche des jungen Martin Heidegger. In: Raivis Bičevskis. Discipline Filosofiche Vol. 27, N 2: Rivista fondata da Enzo Melandri. Periodicità semestrale (2017), S. 81-105.
Bičevskis, R. Unity and Difference: Johann Gottfried Herders Philosophy. In: Vienotība un atšķirība: Johana Gotfrīda Herdera filozofija. Rīga: Filozofijas un socioloģijas institūts, 2017. P. 449-453.
Bičevskis, R. Erica Sehl: A brief Biography from 1902-1934. In: Рустик: The Early Russian and Baltic Phenomenology Working Group 2016 (Aug 17). URL: rustik.ophen.org
Bičevskis, R. Seelenmanumission. Bemerkungen zur Hamann-Forschung in Riga. In: Hamanns Briefwechsel: Acta des Zehnten Internationalen Hamann-Kolloquiums an der Martin Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg 2010. (Hamann-Studien, Bd.1). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016. S. 347-358.
Bičevskis, R. Kant, Heidegger and Lebenswelt. In: Kants, Heidegers un dzīvespasaule Riga: FSI, 2015. P. 559-561.
Bičevskis, R. The Magus of the North. Johann Georg Hamann. In: Ziemeļu mags. Johans Georgs Hāmanis. Riga: FSI, 2014. P. 395-398.
Bičevskis, R. / Taimina, A. Johann Georg Hamanns kameralwissenschaftliche Studien und Johann Christoph Berens‘ Vision von Riga: ein utopisches Projekt aus der zweiten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts. In: Forschungen zur baltischen Geschichte Bd. 8 (2013). Tartu: Akadeemiline Ajalooselts, 2013. S. 127-144.
Bičevskis, R. Rigaer Herbst Heideggers: zwischen Natur und Heimat, und der philosophischen Landschaft in Lettland. In: Heidegera Rīgas rudens. Martins Heidegers Rīgā. Riga: LU Filozofijas un socioloģijas institūts, 2011. S. 363-380.
Bičevskis, R. Kommentar zu Paul Jurevičs „Begegnung mit Martin Heidegger und seiner Philosophie. In: Heidegger und Nationalsozialismus I: Dokumente. Hrsg. von Alfred Denker, Holger Zaborowski. München: Verlag Karl Alber Freiburg, 2010. S. 264-267.
Bičevskis, R. 18th-19th century German philosophy in Latvia within the context of European philosophical and theological tradition: Hamann and Herder. In: Humanities and Social Sciences. Latvia. Nr. 2: The European connection: Baltic intellectuals and the history of Western philosophy and theology (2006). P. 4-26.
Bičevskis, R. Die “Phänomene von dem funesto veterno des Weltalters”: Johann Georg Hamanns Kritik von Kants “Kritik der reinen Vernunft” im Kontext der Lebensphilosophie und der Phänomenologie-Debatte. In: Phenomenology and Aesthetics: 3rd Conference on Traditions and Perspectives of the Phenomenological Movement in Central and Eastern Europe, 29 June -1 July, 2017. Riga, 2017. P. 4.
Bičevskis, R. Johann Georg Hamann zwischen der Bildung der Handelsrepublik und der Bildung des Nichtwissens. In: Baltic Educational Histories: Interdisciplinary conference, 19-22 September 2016, University of Tartu. Tartu, 2016. P.15-16.
Bičevskis, R. Johann Georg Hamanns sinnliche Sprache der Natur im Kontext der Muendlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit in der Kultur. In: Suuline ja kirjalik kultuuris: põimumised ja põrkumised. Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum. Eesti-uuringute Tippkeskus Tartu: EKM Teaduskirjastus, 2016. S.13.