“Downstream” and “Upstream”: When was the “Hero of His Time’ German Historian Hermann Heimpel?

Abstract. The article analyzes the main stages of the life and creative path of the famous German historian in Medieval studies Hermann Heimpel (1901–1988). Born in a Protestant family and brought up in a conservative spirit, he belonged to a generation that did not participate in the First World War, but at a fairly conscious age survived both military and revolutionary upheavals. Although he was not formally a member of the National Socialist Party (NSDAP), his scientific and administrative activities in the 1930s were “consistent” with the nationalist worldview that prevailed in the Third Reich. This is evidenced by the proposal of the authorities to occupy a chair in the Strasbourg conquered by Germany, which was accepted by H. Heimpel. Such facts testify to the fact that until the mid-40s, Heimpel’s activity was typical of the conservative majority of German intellectuals, who adopted, albeit with reservations, the “national revolution” in Germany. But after 1945 H. Heimpel, unlike many of his colleagues, was already “floating against the tide”. After the process of “denationalization”, he became a professor after the war, and then (since 1953) rector of the University of Göttingen. Despite his high positions, the scientist urged his colleagues to reflect on, condemn the National Socialist era, and put forward the concept of “overcoming the past”. At the end of the 1950s, he did not agree to run as a candidate for president of Germany. The author of the article asks the question: when was Hermann Heimpel a “hero of his time”? When did he act in accordance with his social and professional practices, or when he called on compatriots who did not want to admit their guilt for what they had done to repent and “overcome the past”?

Keywords: Hero of our time, Hermann Heimpel, historical studies in Germany, the ideology of National Socialism, the concept of “overcoming the past”.