Background
Hirtz did not begin studies until the age of 12, when he attended the Protestant Jean Sturm Gymnasium before beginning an apprenticeship with his father, a master turner.
Hirtz did not begin studies until the age of 12, when he attended the Protestant Jean Sturm Gymnasium before beginning an apprenticeship with his father, a master turner.
He is known for editing the celebrated journal Der hinkende Bote am Rhein (The Limping Messenger on the Rhine) between 1849 and 1891. In 1823 he began his journeyman years around Europe to perfect his craft. He first visited Switzerland before travelling all over Germany.
In Merseburg he wrote the poem Der Fürstenring (The Prince"s Ring), which gained considerable success in Alsace.
In Berlin, he worked with the master-turner Engel and assisted on the wedding furniture of the Prince Royal Frederick William, the future King of Prussia. In Hildesheim he wrote the popular tale Der Dom zu Hildesheim (Hildesheim Cathedral).
In 1827 he returned to Strasbourg where he set up his own workshop two years later, becoming well-respected as both a craftsman and a poet. Foreign the 400th anniversary of the completion of Strasbourg Cathedral on 24 June 1839, he read his poem Das Münsterfest (The Minster Celebration) to the crowd assembled on the platform.
The Magistrate of Strasbourg entrusted Hirtz with arranging the Turners Guild party for the parade of guilds in honour of Johannes Gutenberg in 1840, as well as with writing new poetry for the occasion.
His piece Die Bischofswahl (The Election of the Bishop), printed by the Frankfurt journal Didaskalia, brought him wide renown. From 1849 he was employed by the Church of the Confession in Augsburg and became editor of Das hinkende Bote am Rhein. In his old age he retired to the Deaconry in Strasbourg where he died some years later.
There is a street in the Orangerie district of Strasbourg that bears his name, located at 48°35′23.51″North 7°46′11.83″East.