Editing Leopold Schefer (section)

==Biography==
Leopold Schefer was educated, privately, by his parents, later on by the principal of the Muskau primary school, ''Andreas Tamm'', afterwards in a small private school of the former [[Hofmeister (office)|hofmeister]] of the local Earl of Callenberg, ''Johann Justus Röhde''. From 1799 up to 1805 he attended the secondary school (“Gymnasium”) at [[Bautzen]]. During this time he started  writing diaries, poems, and compositions, the last under the influence of his teacher ''Johann Samuel Petri''. After that he returned to Muskau, helping his widowed mother, while writing and composing.

During [[Napoleon]]'s failed campaign in Russia in 1812, Schefer was appointed manager of the big estates of his newly-won friend, [[Hermann von Pückler-Muskau|Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau]], doing well under hard circumstances until 1816. The prince, recognizing the literary abilities of his friend, encouraged his early poetical efforts. Having visited England together with Pückler for studying landscape gardens (and being deeply impressed by [[Eliza O'Neill]] on the stage), Schefer studied composition under [[Antonio Salieri]] in [[Vienna]] from 1816–17, and travelled to Italy, [[Greece]], Egypt, [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], and [[Turkey]]. Schefer returned in 1819 to Muskau, where he remained for all his life, married, fathering one son and four daughters, due to his literary success in easy - after the lost [[Revolutions of 1848 in Germany|German revolution 1848/49]] in poor - circumstances, following his literary pursuits until his death in 1862.<ref>See Bettina and Lars Clausen: ''Zu allem fähig'', 2 vols., Bangert & Metzler, Frankfurt on Main 1985.</ref>