Yorck von Wartenburg

The Yorck von Wartenburg family was noted in Germany history due to my great, great grandfather Field Marshall Johann David Graf Yorck von Wartenburg, 1759-1830, Prussian army officer. He commanded the Prussian auxiliary corps that had been sent to aid in the campaign of the French emperor Napoleon I against Russia (1812). When he realized that the expedition was doomed to failure he withdrew on his own responsibility from the fighting and concluded the Convention of Tauroggen with the Russians. His action was lauded by the nationalistic Prussians, desirous of escaping from their virtual vassalage to France, which had been imposed by the treaty of Tilsit in 1807 following Prussia's defeat by France. King Frederick William III of Prussia subsequently approved his act, and Prussia entered the coalition against Napoleon. Yorck defeated (1813) a French force at Wartenburg in Saxony, thus earning his title.



This is a picture of Yorck at the signing of the Convention of Tauroggen with Russian General Hans-Karl v Diebitsch in 1812.


This painting displays the uniforms of Yorck's armies.


I have recently discovered from a contact in Wittenburg, Germany, that there is a memorial for the Field Marshall in the town of Wartenburg, Germany. Every two years there is a reenactment of the battle.


For his efforts, the Field Marshall was given properties and the estate of Kleinoels, which is located south of former Breslau. Kleinoels is called Olesnica Mala now, and is part of Poland. I visited the former estate in 1998.


The Yorck crest and our motto "nec cupias nec metuas" which translates, "neither be fearful nor wanting".




On Unter Den Linden, by the Opera House, there is a statue of the field marshal.



His statue is next to those of Blucher and Gneisenau, other famous Prussian generals during the Napoleonic Wars.


One morning while walking to the Brandenburg Gate, I noticed the Yorck statue inside a store. This is a fold-up exact size replica of the real statue. This was the headquarters of the Historical Berlin Society, which is attempting to have the statutes of the three generals moved back to their original spot right on Unter Den Linden. Presently, they are located in the Princess Garden, back and somewhat out of sight from the road.



As there is also a street in Berlin called Yorckstrasse, named after the Field Marshall, I had to see it for myself. Here are an array of signs along this street in the Kreuzburg section of Berlin.