Hans von und zu Aufseß
Hans Philipp Werner, Freiherr von und zu Aufseß (1801–1872) was a German baron, antiquarian and lead founder of the Germanisches Museum in Nuremberg.

Born at Castle Unteraufseß into the Aufseß noble family, he studied law at Erlangen and was employed at the courts at Bayreuth and Gräfenberg. He received his doctorate in law in 1822 and left public service, dedicating himself to the administration of the family estate and to the study of German antiquity. He accumulated a substantial library and art collection. His genealogical research into his family's history was published in 1838.

His antiquarian studies were influenced by the ideals of Romanticism and nascent German nationalism of the time.
From 1832, he co-edited the journal Anzeiger für Kunde der deutschen Vorzeit.
From 1846, von Aufseß dedicated himself to the creation of a museum for German antiquity. He moved to Nuremberg in 1848 and worked towards this goal for a number of years, leading up to the foundation of the Germanic Museum (Germanisches Museum) in 1852, for which he served as director until 1862. At this point he retired and spent his final years on an estate in  Kressbronn am Bodensee. He died in Münsterlingen, Thurgau, succumbing to injuries he received from a mob of angry students when he visited the opening ceremony of Strasbourg University due to a case of mistaken identity, being taken for a "Francophile".

A great-nephew,  (1906–1993), also known as Baron von Aufsess, was Chief Civil Administrator of Jersey, during the German occupation of the Channel Islands (1942–1945).

References 

 
 
 
 Hans Max von Aufseß: Des Reiches erster Konservator. Hans von Aufseß, der Gründer des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, 7. 9.  1801–1806. 5. 1872. Erlangen: Fränkische Bibliophilengesellschaft, 1971.
 Bernward Deneke und Rainer Kahsnitz (eds.): Das Germanische Nationalmuseum. Nürnberg 1852–1977. Beiträge zu seiner Geschichte, München/Berlin 1978.

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1801 births
1872 deaths
Barons of Germany
German antiquarians
German male non-fiction writers