Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe

Hermann ( Franz Joseph Hubertus Maria) Anschuetz (* October 3, 1872 in Zweibrücken, † May 6, 1931 in Munich) was a German scientist and inventor of the gyro.

Life and work

Anschütz - fighting was the son of the Munich mathematics and physics teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Anschütz and his wife Johanna Maria Schuler, who came from a manufacturing family in Zweibrücken. His grandfather was the painter and professor Franz Hermann Anschütz. After his father's death he was adopted by the Austrian art historian fights.

Anschuetz studied at the University of Innsbruck first medicine but did not lead this study to the end, then studied art history and received his doctorate in this subject as well as PhD. As a student he was a member of the GAB Tirolia, which now belongs to ÖKV.

After finishing his studies and several trips to the Mediterranean and the Arctic Anschuetz settled in Vienna and worked as an inventor. He worked intensively with the plan to reach the North Pole in a submarine. To this end, however, the then- navigation technology was not yet sufficiently developed. Anschuetz made ​​to important technical inventions and constructed ( in 1902 as a model ) 1907 the first Einkreiselkompass, which was first used in 1908 on the German battleship SMS Germany. Reliable but worked in 1912, built by him More gyrocompass, which was tested on the German battlecruiser Moltke. In 1913, the first use was on a merchant ship, the German passenger ship " Imperator".

Anschuetz 1915 won a patent dispute for Elmer Ambrose Sperry gyrocompass against, in which he met Albert Einstein, when he was called in 1914 as a consultant. It began a long friendship with Einstein, which meant that the latter many calculations performed for the gyrocompass Anschuetz and for many years visited him in the summer holidays in Kiel. It succeeded Anschütz almost to convey Einstein a chair at Kiel Christian -Albrechts- University, which ultimately failed at the beginning of the 30s to the anti-Semitic professors.

Named after him " Anschütz - twin-rotor ball compass " developed Anschuetz 1927. This compass was the basis of today's gyrocompass systems. The three gyro compass goes back to working with his cousin Maximilian Schuler.

In Kiel, Hermann Anschütz - fights founded on 23 September 1905, the company Anschütz & Co, which he headed until 1930, then he transferred his shares of the Carl- Zeiss -Stiftung.

In addition to gyros, the company introduced as early as 1911, the first semi-automatic and automatic coupling later tables here, the combined, indicating the data of compasses with the values ​​of the airspeed indicator system on a nautical chart.

Anschuetz was childless married three times. Since he was very wealthy because of his inventions, he promoted and supported generously science and technology. In 1919 he founded with a capital of 1 million marks the foundation for physics, chemistry and natural sciences. The University of Munich he made large gifts. In 1922 he acquired the castle in Lautrach Lautrach / Unterallgäu, had renovated it and then set it as a convalescent home for professors and students. He stopped here with selected scientists from him called " faculty meetings " from, such as with Karl von Frisch, Wilhelm Wien, Richard Willstätter, Albrecht Kossel, Arnold Sommerfeld and Albert Einstein.

Among the prominent citizens, which in Munich called the Bavarian riding AG launched in September 1927 was also Anschuetz, which in 1931 all shares of AG acquired, to then donate the University with the purpose of promoting student riding.

Anschuetz still interested also strong for art, painted watercolors and entered as an art collector in appearance.

Anschuetz had donated a park as a sports venue for students during their visit he died. His grave is located in Munich at the Forest Cemetery Old Part 178 - W - 23

Honors

• Situated in Munich's Berg am Laim a road to Anschuetz and in Erlangen is named the Anschütz road.
• In Kiel, Lorentzendamm 43, a memorial plaque to the founder of the company Anschütz & Co.
• Honorary citizen and honorary doctor of the University of Munich

Writings

• The submarine in the service of Polar Research ( 1902). Lecture held in January 1902 in the Imperial and Royal Geographical Society of Vienna
• The gyro as a guide on earth with particular attention to its usability on ships ( Yearbook of shipbuilding technical society Bd.10/1909 )