Hans Franck, born on July 30, 1879, in Wittenburg as the son of a master roofer, passed away on April 11, 1964, at the Lung Clinic in Schwerin. As per his wish, he was initially buried on his estate Frankenhorst at Ziegelaußensee. However, in 1967, the SED authorities had his urn reinterred to the Old Cemetery. The party elite had chosen Frankenhorst as a holiday home, and the memory of controversial men like Hans Franck seemed to be disturbing there.

After completing his training at the teacher's seminary in Neukloster, Franck worked as a primary school teacher in Hamburg. He later took on dramaturgical tasks at the city theater in Düsseldorf, lectured at the local Academy of Dramatic Arts, and eventually became its director. As a tirelessly creative individual, he quickly made a name for himself as an author of dramas and novels, while also engaging in criticism himself. His extensive literary oeuvre comprises over 100 book titles, although his work was not embraced by all critics. Many of his prose texts were critical of the aristocracy and the power ambitions of the clergy in Mecklenburg. Hans Franck saw himself as a critical Protestant.

His biographical novels impress with their empathetic portrayal and deeply internalized emotions, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. This is particularly true for the novels about Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Goethe, and Johann Sebastian and Friedemann Bach. His own serious illness and the death of his first child prompted Hans Franck to return to Schwerin in 1921 and settle again on his estate Frankenhorst, where he dedicated himself to literary work alongside agriculture. Although he enjoyed conversing, especially with young people, and was an interested interlocutor, he remained somewhat reserved. Hans Franck was an enthusiastic lover of music, particularly Bach, and never missed a day to rejuvenate himself at the piano after a taxing day's work.