Militant League for German Culture
He was born the son of a rector in Stettin in what was then northwest Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) and went to school in the town of Anklam. After gaining his Abitur (school leaving certificate) he studied mathematics and physics at Göttingen University, where he was influenced by the philosopher Herman Nohl. Bollnow received a doctorate in physics in 1925 and successfully completed his habilitation with Georg Misch at Göttingen in 1931. He taught at Göttingen for some years without being appointed to the faculty. Bollnow was a member of the Militant League for German Culture.