Münchhausen, Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von

Autor: Münchhausen, Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von
Rok: 1720-1797

Baron Munchausen /ˈmʌn.tʃaʊ.zən/ is a fictional German nobleman in literature and film, loosely based on a real baron, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen (German pronunciation: [ˈmʏnç(h)aʊzən]; 11 May 1720 – 22 February 1797).The real-life Münchhausen became a minor celebrity for telling outrageous tall tales based on his military service in the Russo-Turkish War. After hearing some of Münchhausen's stories, the writer Rudolf Erich Raspe adapted them anonymously into literary form, first as German magazine pieces and later in an English-language volume about a fictional "Baron Munchausen". The book was soon translated into German and expanded by the poet Gottfried August Bürger. The real-life Münchhausen was deeply upset at the development of a fictional character bearing his name.The fictional Baron's exploits, narrated by himself, focus on his impossible achievements as a sportsman, soldier, and traveler, such as riding on a cannonball and traveling to the Moon. Raspe's book was a major international success, and versions of the fictional Baron have appeared on stage, screen, radio, and television; though the Baron Munchausen stories are no longer well-known in English-speaking countries, they are still popular in continental Europe. The character has inspired numerous memorials, and several medical conditions and other concepts are named after him, including Munchausen syndrome, the Münchhausen trilemma, and Munchausen numbers.