Reinhard Bitter
Reinhard Bitter (* March 24, 1967, in Cologne) is a German author, poet, and educator. His literary work includes poetry, essays, and contributions to local history. He is a co-initiator of the virtual museum Museum Bitter and has also made a name for himself as a curator for archaeological exhibitions.
Background[edit]
Reinhard Bitter, born on March 24, 1967, is the son of Hans-Jürgen Bitter (* August 2, 1930; † September 18, 2004), who taught for decades at the Gymnasium Odenkirchen in Mönchengladbach-Odenkirchen. Hans-Jürgen Bitter gained regional recognition as an archaeologist and local historian, having amassed around 30,000 Neolithic artifacts over 40 years, one of Germany's largest private collections in this field. Selected pieces from the Bitter collection were displayed in four Mönchengladbach exhibitions, including one at Schloss Rheydt (catalog: "Aus der Erde geborgen II"), between 1981 and 2011. Reinhard Bitter curated three of these exhibitions featuring pieces from his father's collection, who passed away in 2004. Bitter’s mother, Ursula, née Krusch, who passed away in 2013, came from the Odenkirchen textile manufacturer families Lenßen-Lange-Schmitz.
Reinhard Bitter is a great-grandson of Bruno Krusch, a director of the State Archives and head of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica project, and a great-nephew of Paul Krusch, president of the Prussian Geological Survey. Through his great-grandmother Johanna Bramer, the wife of Bruno Krusch, Bitter is also a descendant of fortress architect and mathematician Benjamin Bramer. His great-great-great-grandfather was Heinrich Ludwig Michael Henkel, a jurist, member of the Frankfurt National Assembly of 1848/49, and honorary citizen of Kassel and Marburg.
Reinhard Bitter’s family patriarch was Gerlach Bitter. The name "Bitter" derives from "bit-heri," meaning "army petitioner," denoting a person tasked with rallying troops in the early Middle Ages. Gerlach Bitter, the first to bear this name, appeared in records around 1177 near Münster. A noble knight, he served the Counts of Ravensberg[1] at Ravensberg Castle. His grandson Bernhard Bitter established a branch of the Bitter family in Kamen. The noble Bitter family of Ravensberg became extinct in 1389, transitioning into agricultural families. The Kamener Bitter branch emerged as patricians in Dortmund by 1302, eventually spreading as administrators and farmers across Berg and the Rhineland.
This family history instilled a strong sense of history and local attachment in Reinhard Bitter, repeatedly drawing him back to Odenkirchen, where his parents are buried alongside other ancestors. His great-great-grandmother Bertha Lenßen, originating from the Lenßen-Hof, married brickmaker Carl Schmitz. Their son Carl-Arthur Schmitz, Bitter's great-granduncle, served as Odenkirchen mayor from 1915 to 1920.
In 2021, following his father's 90th birthday, Reinhard Bitter curated a display at the Mönchengladbach Neolithic Museum, located in the Rheindahlen Water Tower, featuring his father's artifacts, complementing existing Paleolithic and Mesolithic exhibits.
In 2022, together with computer scientists Julian and Marvin Kamphausen, he launched the Ministry of Homeland-funded virtual museum Museum Bitter[2], showcasing artifacts collected by Hans-Jürgen and Ursula Bitter. One highlight is a jadeite axe made from Alpine materials, unique to the Mönchengladbach region.
Career[edit]
After attending the Burgbongert Primary School (Mönchengladbach-Odenkirchen) and the Gymnasium Odenkirchen, Reinhard Bitter embarked on a study tour through the U.S. South in 1988. In 1989, he began an apprenticeship as a publishing clerk at Econ Verlag in Düsseldorf. He later studied German and History at the University of Cologne and San Francisco State University.
During his studies, he joined RTL Television in 1995 as part of the editorial team for Explosiv. After completing his studies in 1997, he transitioned to RTL's public relations department, where he worked until 2006. Concurrently, he created corporate films such as Veni, Vidi, Dixi – World Youth Day 2000 in Rome for ToiToi/Dixi.
In 2001 and 2006, Bitter participated in German parliamentary internships, working in the offices of Green Party MP Rita Grießhaber and SPD parliamentary secretary Iris Gleicke. During these stints, he contributed to speeches and statements.
From 2007 to 2009, he completed his teaching traineeship at the Hugo-Junkers-Gymnasium in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt. He later worked at the Carl-Bosch-Schule[3] in Heidelberg from 2009 to 2015. While there, he was seconded to the Regional Education Office for six months to gain administrative experience. From 2015 to 2018, he taught at the German School in Porto. Returning to Mönchengladbach in 2018, he resumed teaching and began contributing local history articles to regional media.
In 2024, Reinhard Bitter and artist Gregor Strunk[4] released the Odenkirchener Elegien[5], accompanied by an introduction from Ralf Georg Czapla.
Works[edit]
Reinhard Bitter has published over 50 poems, essays, and articles on local history. Highlights of his work include:
Selected Publications[edit]
- Odenkirchener Elegien – Poetry and Art. With Gregor Strunk. Hardcover. Druckbar Lüdecke. Schwalmtal 2024.
- Dichter Leifhelm: Remembered 75 Years Later. Rheinische Post. March 21, 2023.
- Poetica Pandemica. Lorbeer Verlag. Bielefeld 2020.
External Links[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Counts of Ravensberg haller-zeitraeume.de. Retrieved December 11, 2024
- ↑ Museum Bitter museum-bitter.de. Retrieved December 11, 2024
- ↑ Carl-Bosch-Schule Heidelberg cbs-heidelberg.de. Retrieved December 11, 2024
- ↑ Gregor Strunk – Painter gregor-strunk.de. Retrieved December 11, 2024
- ↑ Odenkirchener Elegien North Rhine-Westphalian Bibliography. Retrieved December 11, 2024
