Jahn, Friedrich Ludwig, << yahn, FREE drihkh LOOT vihkh >> (1778-1852), a German teacher, was a founder of the gymnastics movement in Germany. He built the first modern gymnastics equipment in the early 1800’s. His followers organized clubs known as Turnvereins, which were popular from about 1840 until 1914. They held many large festivals and contests, including a national Turnfeste.
Jahn was a teacher in Berlin in 1810 when he began to take his pupils to an open field to exercise and play games. He built crude devices that became models for equipment now used throughout the world. His books were used as guides for physical-education programs, and he lectured extensively on the subject. His liberal political views caused his arrest in 1819, but by 1840 Jahn was a national hero. He was born in Lanz, northwest of Stendal.
