Illness and Death
In 1753 Knobelsdorff's long-time liver disease became more troublesome. A journey to the Belgian therapeutic baths at Spa brought no relief. On September 7, 1753, only a short while before his death, Knobelsdorff wrote to the king, "when the pain briefly stopped". He thanked him "for all the kindness and all the benefits Your Majesty has showered on me during my lifetime". At the same time he requested that his two daughters be recognized as his legal heirs. That was problematic because the girls came from a liaison not befitting his social class. The long-time bachelor Knobelsdorff had entered into a relationship with the "middle class" daughter of the Charlottenburg sacristan, Schöne, in 1746, thereby earning the disapproval of court society. Frederick II agreed to his request, however with the restriction that his title of nobility not be bequeathed.
Knobelsdorff died on September 16, 1753. Two days later the Berlinische Nachrichten reported, "On the 16th of this month the honorable gentleman, Mr. George Wentzel, Baron of Knobelsdorff, artistic director of all royal palaces, houses and gardens, director-in-chief of all construction in all provinces, as well as finance, war and domain councillor, departed this life after a prolonged illness in the 53rd year of his renowned existence." On September 18 he was buried in the vault of the German Church on Gendarmenmarkt. Four years later his friend Antoine Pesne was buried next to him. When the church was rebuilt in 1881 these mortal remains were transferred to one of the cemeteries at Hallisches Tor; his grave was marked with a marble slab and a putto. This gravesite was destroyed by a bomb in World War II. Today a simple white marble memorial on an honorary grave of the State of Berlin in Cemetery No. 1 of the Jerusalem and New Church congregation brings to mind Knobelsdorff and Pesne.
Read more about this topic: Georg Wenzeslaus Von Knobelsdorff
Famous quotes containing the words illness and, illness and/or death:
“... how I understand that love of living, of being in this wonderful, astounding world even if one can look at it only through the prison bars of illness and suffering! Plus je vois, the more I am thrilled by the spectacle.”
—Edith Wharton (1862–1937)
“Men have their own questions, and they differ from those of mothers. New mothers are more interested in nutrition and vulnerability to illness while fathers tend to ask about when they can take their babies out of the house or how much sleep babies really need.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)
“Families suffered badly under industrialization, but they survived, and the lives of men, women, and children improved. Children, once marginal and exploited figures, have moved to a position of greater protection and respect,... The historic decline in the overall death rates for children is an astonishing social fact, notwithstanding the disgraceful infant mortality figures for the poor and minorities. Like the decline in death from childbirth for women, this is a stunning achievement.”
—Joseph Featherstone (20th century)