Carl Diercke

Carl Diercke ( born September 15, 1842 in Kyritz, Ostprignitz; † March 7, 1913 in ( Berlin ) Wilmersdorf; Complete name Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Diercke ) was a German educator and cartographer. From him comes the well-known Diercke school atlas, which was first carried on by his son Paul Diercke and today printing and publishing group appears as Diercke World Atlas in the Westermann, Braunschweig.

Life

Carl Diercke was born the son of the innkeeper and brewery owner Carl Friedrich Daniel Diercke and Louise Dorothee Müller born. After the early death of the father, the mother married a former teacher. As the family moved often, the boy attended schools in Kyritz, Salzwedel and Berlin.

After high school, graduated Diercke 1860-1863 teacher training in Berlin, where he passed his exams 1863-1865 for authorization to teach the subjects of chemistry, French, Geography, Geometry, Latin, Natural History, Pedagogy and arithmetic. His professional career began in 1865 as a private teacher in Riga, then part of the Russian Empire. He remained there until 1869, when he was appointed in 1870 as a seminary teacher to Berlin.

In Berlin he met Hermione Marie Ottilie Lucas, whom he married in 1871. From this connection, eight children were born, including the son of Paul Diercke. 1873 Diercke added as a seminary teacher to Stade and appointed director of the Royal Seminary teacher for elementary school teachers a year later. His interest and favorite school subject was geography and here he began to draw their own maps, which were clear and clutter-free and therefore particularly suitable for children.

The success Dierckes led in 1885 to a vocation as a director at the teacher training college in Osnabrück. In addition, he was named the Prussian Ministry of the spiritual, educational and medical Alan opportunities for government and school board. From 1899 to 1908 he held the office of school director in Schleswig, in 1904 was appointed a Privy Councillor.

In 1907 his wife died Ottilie and was buried in Schleswig. 1908 Carl Diercke retired and got this occasion given the Hohenzollern House Order 3rd class. In the same year he moved to the then independent town Wilmersdorf, where he died at 70 years old. At his request, he was buried in Schleswig -Friedrich Berg on March 11, 1913.

One of his descendants are still alive today is Arnold Willemer.

Publication of a first German school atlas and the consequences

He won in 1875 the publisher Georg Westermann of Braunschweig for the printing of an appropriate textbook. Because Diercke had already taken some time with the idea to develop a suitable for classroom Atlas. In addition, so he got in touch with the Leipzig cartographer Eduard Gaebler, the countries charted and everything transposed accurately over several years. So finally succeeded in 1883 to leave the school atlas appear on all parts of the earth. However, the plant was large and by its square format, it did not fit in the satchel then usual. An intensive review of the new school book eventually led from the 1890s to the amendment in a portrait format with the dimensions 23 × 36 inches. Generations of school children availed themselves in 1895 in geography lessons of the Great Diercke.

How many interests and open to new discoveries was Diercke, 1882 shows his creation of a Natural Sciences and Geography Association in Stade.

From 1893 until his death in was Diercke Editor of all atlases and map program of Westermann publishing house, including the first Diercke wall maps Brandenburg and Palestine, which had originated in 1903.

For the 125th anniversary of the first edition was published in 2008 a complete revision of the Diercke world atlas, the first time supplemented by a digital atlas on the Internet as well as an on-line globe.

Dierckes Atlas 1883 to today

Dierckes Atlas learned several revisions until today, the pads count was, however, while maintaining at least until the 189th edition (1975). In addition, special editions, such as of regional concern known.

• Carl Diercke: School Atlas for institutions of higher learning. 1st edition, Westermann, Braunschweig 1883.

• Carl Diercke (Ed. ): Long - Diercke elementary school atlas. Output for the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Georg Westermann, Braunschweig 1906.

• Paul Diercke (Ed. ): Diercke Atlas for institutions of higher learning. 48, revised edition, Westermann, Braunschweig 1911.

• Richard Dehmel (Ed. ): Diercke world atlas. 83, revised edition, Georg Westermann Verlag, Braunschweig 1950.

• Ferdinand Mayer (Ed. ): Diercke world atlas. 185, revised edition, Georg Westermann Verlag, Braunschweig, 1974, ISBN 3-14-100500-1.
• Diercke World Atlas. Westermann educational publisher, Braunschweig 2008, ISBN 978-3-14-100700-8.