OTTO GUERICKE 55 



the Thirty Years War then raging, also dealt with war 

 material. Snell might also have been his teacher there.^ 

 A journey to England and France followed, and he finally 

 returned to his birthplace at the age of 23. Here he soon 

 married, and began to give valuable service in matters con- 

 nected with the town during these difficult war periods. 



During the siege of Magdeburg (i 631) he acted as Senator, 

 'Defence or War-Lord' of the town, and did his duty to 

 the utmost in fortifying and defending it. But its resistance 

 was broken by the superior force of Tilly, and Magdeburg 

 was completely destroyed and burnt, whereby Guericke lost 

 all his property and nearly his life. Having lost even his 

 clothes, all that remained of the rich possessions of the family 

 was a book of family memoirs, which happened at the time 

 to have been sent away on loan. But he was fortunate in 

 being able to save his family by sacrificing his property, for he 

 and they were imprisoned for some time, until he was able to 

 obtain ransom, probably through the Swedish and Protestant 

 friends of Magdeburg. He was now penniless; having en- 

 tered the service of Gustavus Adolphus, who intended to 

 relieve Magdeburg, he became his quartermaster-general 

 until Magdeburg, after Tilly had been driven off, finally came 

 under Swedish protection and could gradually be rebuilt. 

 Guericke then returned there. He again rendered great 

 services to the town, both as engineer in the building of 

 bridges and fortifications, and also in negotiation, for the 

 confusion of the war continued. He also became an agri- 

 culturist and brewer; the completely impoverished town 

 was not even able to secure his means of livelihood either at 

 the time, or in all the years following, as a reward for his con- 

 tinual unselfish services. 



In the year 1646 he was made Burgomaster; from that time 



1 In the only detailed biography of Guericke, which is derived from 

 original sources, and written by F. W. Hoffmann (Magdeburg 1874), 

 there is no statement of this. 



