Region. Dürnau near Bad Boll and Stuttgart are rarely mentioned in the same breath. That this is the case is thanks to the former Dürnau pastor Johann Gottlieb Steeb. The Swabian Heimatbund dedicated an extensive article to the unusual pastor in volume 4 of “Swabian Homeland” in 2020. The author Wolfgang Schöllkopf has given his research the title “On Dung and Education”.
Steeb’s life’s work received a lot of attention. He became known through his works “On the Improvement of Culture on the Alp” and “About the Education of a Farmer”. Steeb also had the idea of a main agricultural festival where experiences could be exchanged. Steeb did not experience the first festival in 1818. He died of a stroke in 1799 at the age of 57. He was born in Nürtingen in 1742. He studied biology, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and theology in Tübingen and was shaped by the Enlightenment and Pietism: “Steeb was able to use his scientific knowledge and his piety for the welfare and well-being of the people.” He got a pastor’s position in Dürnau and married. After 20 years he moved to Grabenstetten. That
If the pastor was also interested in agriculture, in the author’s opinion there were practical reasons: The pastor’s office was an important source of income for the pastor and also “the little tithe of autumn fruits. . . was yield-dependent. “
From Dürnau to Grabenstetten
Admittedly, the committed pastor did not run into open doors everywhere with his reform proposals. “It is sad how stubbornly the adherence to traditional customs shows itself in the use of maternal earth,” he complained. It probably gave him satisfaction when an old farmer had to admit that it could have been easier – if he had listened to the pastor.
Despite all the enthusiasm for agriculture: Steeb remained a pastor. This was also confirmed by the visitation authority. He “carries out his office punctually in all parts, has an exemplary way of life; has a peaceful marriage; diligently visits the sick; is a man learned in his field, his private study of agriculture has already won several ducal colleges with rewarding approval. “
Dürnau has erected a memorial to its well-known citizen and named a small path after him: Margit Haas
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