Thomas Jeschner 1967–2024

Quiet irony in his chatter and the utmost seriousness in the matter: Thomas Jeschner always took his conversation partners appropriately seriously. The Battle of Welfesholz (1115) inspired him just as much as the knotting techniques of carpets, the guitar noise of the Velvet Underground or the beak shape of songbirds. You could call it eclectic - or universal. It was probably an elegant mixture of both.

As a Mansfeld resident in a neighboring country, Jeschner's constant change of perspective seems downright logical in retrospect. This is also why he was neither an author nor a manager, neither a historian nor an ornithologist, neither a Germanist nor a musicologist - but the best dilettante (from Italian dilettante, present participle of dilettarsi, like Italian dilettare, "to delight someone; to love", from Latin delectari "to delight", "to enjoy") of them all.

Thomas rarely laughed, but his knowing smile will be remembered forever by all who knew him. He has passed away.

More than 250 years ago, the german poet Barthold Hinrich Brockes wrote a few lines just for Thomas:

Zwitschern, seuftzen, lachen, singen,
Girren, stöhnen, gurgeln, klingen,
Locken, schmeicheln, pfeifen, zucken,
Flöthen, schlagen, zischen, glucken
Ist der holden Nachtigall
Wunderbar gemischter Schall.