Franz Seraph von Pfistermeister


Franz Seraph von Pfistermeister, was the court secretary and State Council of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Pfistermeister entered history not only in the domain of politics but also in the domain of music, when in his first official administrative function he was ordered by King Ludwig II to find the composer Richard Wagner and bring him to Munich.

Life and work

Franz Seraph Freiherr von Pfistermeister was born on 14 December 1820 in Amberg, Germany. After attending the gymnasium in Amberg, Franz Pfistermeister began his career in the Royal Bavarian governmental service as military fiscal adjunct. In 1849 he was appointed to the Court Office in Munich, and by the year 1866 he then began working as Cabinet Secretary to Kings Maximilian II and Ludwig II.
Because of his opposition to Richard Wagner, and his costly promotion by King Ludwig II in 1866, his dismissal from the 1866 service was "the highest immediate service". From 1864 to 1895 he served as State Council of the Kingdom of Bavaria. He died on the 2 March 1912 in his home on Knöbelstraße, Munich, where he lived from 1881. His grave with a landmarked bust is located in the old south cemetery in Munich.

Additional information