Emil Frommel

Born in Karlsruhe in 1828, Emil Frommel studied theology at Halle, Erlangen, and Heidelberg. He went on to serve in several pastorates and became known both as a clergyman and as a writer whose work reached a broad public.

During the Franco-German War of 1870–1871, he served as an army chaplain. In 1872 he was appointed court preacher in Berlin and pastor of the garrison there, roles that made him a prominent religious figure in imperial Germany.

Alongside his church career, Frommel wrote stories, sermons, and popular religious works. He is often remembered as a pastor-author who aimed to speak plainly and vividly to ordinary readers, and he remained active until late in life before his death in 1896.