Colmar Grünhagen

right|thumbColmar Grünhagen (2 April 1828 - 27 July 1911) was a German archivist and historian. Almost all of his considerable published output concerns the History of Silesia.

Life and works Colmar Grünhagen was born in Trebnitz and grew up in Breslau. His father was an apothecary. Between 1841 and 1847 he was a pupil initially at Breslau's St. Maria Magdalena Gymnasium (secondary school) and then at the Elizabeth Gymnasium (secondary school). On completing his schooling he moved on to study Classical Philology and History at the University of Jena. He moved again to pursue his studies at Berlin where he was influenced by Leopold von Ranke.

In March 1851 Grünhagen passed his secondary school teaching exams ("Oberlehrerexamen") in Breslau. At Easter 1853 he began work as a teaching assistant at the Friedrichs-Gymnasium (secondary school) in the city, becoming a full teacher there a few months later. Following his Habilitation from the University of Breslau in 1855, he took a university position as a History teacher ("...als Privatdozent"). The prestigious titles dated back to the late medieval period, but the core responsibilities of the head of the archives department appear to have remained broadly constant. He combined this and other positions with the editorship of the journal of the Silesian Historical Association ("Verein für Geschichte und Alterthum Schlesiens") between 1863 and 1905. He also became an honorary member of the Silesian Society for Homeland Culture and, in 1868, a board member with the Silesian Museum for Arts and Antiquities, which he later chaired.

Works As editor, Grünhagen contributed extensively to the journal of the Silesian Historical Association. He was also a regular contributor to the Feuilleton (arts and literature) section of the Breslaauer Zeitung, the Preußische Jahrbücher, the Zeitschrift für Preußische Geschichte und Landeskunde and other historical periodicals.

Published output (selection)