bavarikon4UThe estate of Melchior Meyr (1810–1871) – Meyriana
Melchior Meyr (1810–1871) was a philosopher and poet. He was born in Ehringen near Wallerstein as the son of wealthy farmers. After enrolling at the University of Munich in 1929, he moved to Heidelberg, where Meyr began reading law. In 1936, he moved briefly to Erlangen, where he became acquainted with the writer Friedrich Rückert (1788–1866) and the philosopher’s son Paul Schelling.
From 1840–1852 Meyr lived in Berlin. At the outbreak of the March 1848 revolution, Meyr, who had financial problems, was able to make a name for himself as an author of political writings. From 1855, Meyr settled once more in Munich. This era marked the beginning of a phase of increased production as author: Meyr wrote his "Erzählungen aus dem Ries" (Tales from the [meteoric crater of the] Ries) and other works. In addition, he was a member of the "Krokodile" (Crocodiles), a circle of poets in Munich, which existed between 1856 and 1883 and had dedicated itself to classicist-idealistic poetry, as well as of the “Zwanglose Gesellschaft” (Informal Society), a gentlemen’s club supposedly founded for the fostering of literature and the exchange amongst the members in a sociable setting.
Melchior Meyr's estate consists of six large and two small boxes. Biographical documents include a large number of Meyr’s diaries from 1827–1852 and from 1859–1870 as well as 40 smaller volumes from 1852–1864, manuscripts of literary works and essays.
Parts of the estate have been digitised for bavarikon and are available here:
>> This estate belongs to the collection of estates from the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library).