Gertrud Schwend-Uexküll

Gertrud Schwend-Uexküll (born "Gertrud, Baronesse von Uexküll-Gyllenband": 17 May 1867 – 15 January 1901) was a pioneer of girls' education. In 1899 she founded the "Mädchengymnasium" (secondary school for girls) in Stuttgart. It was the first such institution in the Kingdom of Württemberg and only the second anywhere in Germany.

Life Early years Gertrud Baronesse Uexküll-Gyllenband was born into a well-established family at Fortress Dünamünde, a manor house on the grounds formerly occupied by a stronghold built by the Teutonic Knights, just outside Riga, a multicultural city which at that time found itself positioned on the outer fringes of the Russian Empire. She was born, the fifth of her parents' recorded children, into the German-speaking community which for historical reasons constituted the traditional land-owning ruling class in the region. Her father, Georg Reinhold Baron von Uexküll (1825-1890), was an army officer with specialities as an engineer. Gertrud attended a "Töchterschule" (girls' school) in Riga and then completed her schooling at a nearby boys' school where, unusually, she sat and passed the exams necessary to qualify her for work as a secondary school teacher. By that time her mother, born Marie von Boehtlingk (1830-1881), had died. Gertrud had been just 14 at the time, and was able to continue with her education. That was no longer the case in 1890 when her father also died. By this time, however, she was 23. Riga was experiencing rapid shifts in its ethnic population mix, driven by rapid urbanisation and the appearance of migrants from the Russian heartlands, generating potentially disruptive and dangerous inter-ethnic tensions: Gertrud set out on her travels while her elder brothers and sisters appear to have remained in what is now known as Latvia.

Meanwhile on 30 July 1899, some ten weeks after the Stuttgart school opened, Gertrud Schwend-Üxküll married Dr. Friedrich Schwend (1871-1934), who by this time had become the school's Geography teacher.

Women's movement During her all too brief time in Stuttgart, Gertrud Schwend-Üxküll's hands-on commitment to improving opportunities for women extended far beyond her teaching work and the founding of a game-changing school. She opened the way for the launch of Stuttgart branch of Hedwig Dohm's "Women's Education and Study Association" ("Verein Frauenbildung–Frauenstudium") with an article she contributed to the 7 July 1900 edition of the magazine "Der Frauenberuf". She used this opportunity to set out the organisation's objectives and the nationwide character of its activities. She concluded her piece with some reflections on the desirability of establishing a Stuttgart branch: "Both in Stuttgart and in other towns and cities in Württemberg, there are already a number of members [of the Berlin-based national association] who do not currently have any links to a local branch. And yet, particularly in Württemberg, where the founding of a "Mädchengymnasium" (girls' secondary school) has already taken place, marking an important step in the development of a schooling system that makes provision for girls ... it would be of particular value if a branch of this association were to be established, providing a forum through which all those who care passionately about girls' education - including, especially, those who are not actively engaged in the teaching profession - could share their experiences and opinions". The article was followed by an editorial note, in which it was spelled out that in order to establish a Stuttgart branch of the "Women's Education and Study Association" it would be necessary to find at least 25 members. The note also informed readers, helpfully, that Mrs. Schwend-Üxküll would be available to provide further information for an hour each day between 14.00 and 15.00 at Alleenstraße 29.

On 14 November 1900 the time came for the founding meeting of the Stuttgart branch of the "Women's Education and Study Association" ("Verein Frauenbildung–Frauenstudium"). Initially there were between 80 and 100 members. Gertrud Schwend-Üxküll was at once elected to chair the Stuttgart association which, as she had foreseen, provided valuable support for the "Mädchengymnasium". For instance backed the first girls who had successfully completed the school final exams in their successful application for admission to the hitherto "men only" University of Tübingen. In the announcement of the establishment of the association journal, "Der Frauenberuf", which appeared on 17 November 1900, Gertrud Schwend-Üxküll summarized the association's objectives: "The task [of the Stuttgart branch] should be to unite educated men and women in order to give good advice on how the educational opportunities available to women can be aligned with the many disparate requirements that modern life places on them."

Death Two months after that inaugural meeting, on 15 January 1901, Gertrud Schwend-Üxküll died. Her death was the result of complications associated with her long-standing coronary illness. Those who mourned her early death also found much to celebrate in the achievements of her short life.