Curriculum Vitae

2. Jan 1889

Albert Breyer is born in Żyrardow, Kreis Blonie as son of Gustav Ferdinand Breyer and his wife Berta Schön (according to the russian calendar russian documents give the date as 21 December 1888).

Breyer went to the Volksschule in Żyrardow.

till 1905

Breyer attends and finishes the Zirklersche Handelsschule in Łódź.

1906

He passes the exam for teachers at elementary schools (Volksschullehrer) at the Alexanderschule in Tomaszew.

Then follow several occupations as teacher and Kantor in the German villages near Łódź.

1906 - 1908

Occupation as a teacher at a private school in Koluszki.

1909 - 1910

Teacher at the private school in Łódź that was founded by K. Weigelt.

1911 - 1913

Teacher at the public village school in Leosin, Kreis Brzeziny.

About 1912 Albert Breyer finishes the 'Deutsches Lehrerseminar'.

His father, Gustav Ferdinand, rewards the successful exam with a journey to the Krim peninsula. Albert Breyer makes the trip together with his future brother-in-law Julius Raths.

1914

Albert Breyer is drafted to join the czarist army. He trains to become an officer at the military institute in St. Petersburg.

1915 - 1916

Occupation at the school of the deutsch-evangelische Gemeinde in St. Petersburg.

1916

Marriage of Albert Breyer and Adele Raths at St. Petersburg.

till 1917

Breyer finishes the German Lehrerinstitut in St. Petersburger and gets a degree to teach at secondary schools (Mittelschule).

Breyer's first of three children is born in St. Petersburg.

Russian friends help Albert Breyer to prevent an action at the front as a Russian soldier in WWI.

One of these Russian friends takes Albert Breyer on a trip to Arkangelsk at the White Sea. There they contact members of the Russian movement of the Narodniks, a kind of social revolutionary movement. Russian intellectuals of this movement leave the cities for the villages. They go "among the people" and try to live like Russian peasants and to learn the peasant's native culture.

During his stay in St. Petersburg Breyer gets in contact with the ideas of the German activists of Łódź through the monthly paper "Geistiges Leben" published by Adolf Eichler. [1]

1917 - 1918

During the Russian revolution Albert Breyer and his family stay at Chakow.

1918 - 1919

After his return to Poland Breyer takes up an occupation at the Volksschule in Brzeziny, which belonged to the "deutsch-evangelischer Landesschulverband in Polen".

1918

Breyer gets in contact with Adolf Eichler, who gains strong influence on Breyer's political involvment and research work.

Breyer becomes a member of the "Deutsche Lehrerverein" and is active for keeping up the German Landesschulverband in Łódź.

1920

During the Polish-Sovjet war about the eastern border line of Poland Breyer volunteers to serve in the Polish army.

1919 - 1925

Occupation at the secondary school of the Deutsche Gymnasial-Schulverein in Zgierz near Łódź. Breyer teaches the subjects nature study, geography, introduction to the methods of physics, chemistry and drawing art.

After the closing down of Eichler's German "Schulverband" and the "Deutscher Verein" by the now Polish authorities Breyer stays in contact with Adolf Eichler. Eichler is now active in East-Prussia but keeps up his influence on the German movements in Poland. Through this guidance Breyer "stimulates the camouflaged German movement which still had it's center in Lodz" [2].

Breyer is involved in the founding of the "Deutscher Volksverband" and contributes to the founding and publishing of the periodical "Volksfreund".[3]

During this time Breyer publishes numerous articles in the periodical "Volksfreund" and the daily newspaper "Lodzer freie Presse".

Breyer is involved in the attempts of founding a Lutheran free church (evangelisch-lutherische Freikirche). This movement wants to create a more German alternative for the Augsburgian Lutheran Church in Poland.

1925

These exposed political activities are the cause for Breyer's loosing of his occupation at the school in Zgierz.

1926 - 1934

Occupation at the "Deutschen Schule für Knaben und Mädchen Emil Kaschubes" in Sompolno, Kreis Koło. This school also contains a student's hostel run by Pastor Bierschenk. The school is considered as "a leading intellectual center of the German movement" [4] in Poland.

Breyer's research of local history "soon attracts the attention of the experts of the German Reich" [5].

In 1927 Breyer has first publications in the periodical "Deutsche Blätter in Polen", a supplement of the periodical "Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Polen" published by Hermann Rauschning and Alfred Lattermann.

1928 - 1929

Breyer passes university exams in Krakau and Warschau and qualifies for teaching at high school (Gymnasium).

1928

Breyer meets Walter Kuhn, who is at that time researching the Germans of Volhynia. The meeting results in an active exchange between the two "Volkstumforscher".

after 1929

During his time in Sompolno Breyer developes vast hiking activities that lead him through the Dobriner Land, the Vistula valley, the Kujawische Seenplatte, the area around Kalisch, the Warthebruch and the industrial areas of Łódźer up to Petrikau.

On these travels Breyer collects information for his studies by talking to pastors, teachers and the rural inhabitants. He also takes notes of the content of church books and the "Schulzenladen". Later he is able to complete this information by researching the archives at Warszawa.

Completed by observations of nature and geography, settlement and housing characteristics as well as ethnic habits Breyer's multi layered works about the origin of the ethnic Germans in Central Poland make good progress

From 1930 on Albert Breyer is also published in the periodical "Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Polen".

From 1934 on larger articles appear in the periodical "Deutsche Monatshefte in Polen" published by Alfred Lattermann and Viktor Kauder.

1934

The Gymnasium in Sompolno is transformed into a private German Volksschule by the Polish authorities. Albert Breyer becomes the principal of the school.

In this year the book "Deutsche Aufbaukräfte in der Entwicklung Polens" by Kurt Lück is published. A faint keeps Kurt Lück from completing this book and some other researchers are recruited for helping out. Albert Breyer has a decisive role in creating the chapter "Die Entstehung der deutschen Industrie in Polen, vor allem in Kongresspolen".

During his occupation in Sompolno Breyer again gets involved in the arguments about the evang.-augsburgisch Church in Poland and about the new church law.

Breyer has to appear in court. He is accused of "making fun" of the new church law. The trial ends with the verdict of not guilty.

1937

Breyer looses his occupation as principal of the Sompolno school. The Polish authorities accuse him of political untrustworthyness and withdraw his teaching permission.

After his dismissal in Sompolno the "Deutsches Auslands-Institut" in Stuttgart awards Breyer with the Silver Medal.

Oct 1938

After unsuccessful attempts to gain back his teaching permission Breyer moves to Posen, to take up an occupation at the "Deutsche Bücherei" directed by Kurt Lück.

During the years 1938 and 1939 numerous articles and book reviews by Albert Breyer are published in the "Deutsche Monatshefte in Polen" and in the "Deutsche wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Polen". The history of Sompolno and the surrounding areas is published as an edition of "Unsere Heimat", a series published by Alfred Lattermann and Kurt Lück.

Sep 1939

As a reserve officer of the Polish army Albert Breyer becomes a draftee at the beginning of WWII. Breyer is wounded and dies in a military hospital at Warszawa on 11 September 1939.

1940

Albert Breyer is posthumous awarded with the Copernicus-Preis of the J.W. Goethe-Stiftung.

The prize money of 5000 RM should "be used by the oldes son Breyer's, Richard Breyer, to make it possible for him to study and to make use of his father's unpublished works"[6].