Friedrich Hermann Wölfert

Hermann Wölfert ( born November 17 1850 in Riethnordhausen, Circle Sangerhausen, † June 12, 1897 in Tempelhof in Berlin) was a German publisher and pioneer of airships.

Life

Wölfert studied from 1870 at the University of Leipzig Evangelical theology and philosophy. In 1871, he became active in the Corps Plavia. He left his studies and founded in 1874 in Leipzig, a publishing firm. He moved more than 50 book titles and magazines, partly from his own pen. In the same year he married Christiane Trautmann, with whom he had two daughters.

When he 1879 Georg Baumgarten met and began to get excited for the airship, he helped Baumgarten financially and personally in the development of airships. But he neglected his publishing house, which in 1881 bought up by another publisher. He led by Baumgarten's death (1884 ) continued his work and built seven airships. In 1887 he met Gottlieb Daimler know. Powered by a gasoline engine developed by him, the so-called "grandfather clock", Wölferts put airship on 10 August of the Three Emperors year at 10 kilometers from Cannstatt to Aldingen ( Remseck ) back. On May 20, 1896, he established the first altitude record for airships with 1,940 meters.

Wölfert died in the crash of his new airship Germany on 12 June 1897 the Tempelhof field in Berlin. Not far from the crash site is named after him since August 4, 1930, the Wölfertstraße.