Book: Horst Bosetzky Turnvater Jahn: A Biographical Novel

As "Turnvater Jahn," Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852) became a German legend. Both energetic and eccentric, he dedicated his life to the fight against the Napoleonic occupation and the idea of a German nation state. When he opened Germany's first public gymnastics center in Berlin's Hasenheide in 1811, no one could have imagined that his ideas would be echoed in sports throughout Europe into the 21st century.
Horst Bosetzky portrays the equally contradictory and fascinating personality of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in dazzling colors. He skilfully traces his eventful life from young rebel to pioneer of the gymnastics movement to deputy in the Frankfurt National Assembly. At the same time, the author creates an impressive panorama of that turbulent time in which a national consciousness emerged in Germany.