Reinhold Trautmann


Reinhold Trautmann was a German Slavist. He is best known for his translations of the works of Slavic literature, such as his 1931 translation of the Primary Chronicle into German. He also conducted research of Slavic languages spoken in Germany.

Biography

He was born in Königsberg. Since 1910 he worked at the Universities in Prague, Königsberg, Leipzig and Jena. He became known for his work on Balto-Slavic philology and Slavic folk poetry. In 1928-1931 he was a member of the German Democratic Party.
In November 1933 he was one of the signatories of the Commitment of the German professors to Adolf Hitler. In 1937 he became a member of the Nazi Party. In 1939 his treatise Die wendischen Ortsnamen Ostholsteins, Lübecks, Lauenburgs und Mecklenburgs was banned for political reasons. From 1940 until his death he was a member of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig.
After 1945 he supported the cultural orientation of the Soviet occupation zone and the East Germany towards the Soviet Union.

Works