Adolphe Merkle

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Adolphe Merkle (born October 5, 1924 in Düdingen , Canton of Friborg ; † February 22, 2012 in Friborg ) was a Swiss entrepreneur and patron .

Career

Merkle graduated from the University of Friborg (Switzerland) with a degree in economics in 1948 and obtained his doctorate in 1950 with Josef Schwarzfischer . At the age of 27, he became involved in the real estate business and in 1952 discovered the VibroMeter company in Villars-sur-Glâne , which manufactured measuring and control instruments. He became the sole shareholder and head of the company that had been manufacturing specialized instruments for the vehicle and aviation industries with great success since the 1960s, and in 1990 also for the Ariane 5 launcher . In 1991 Merkle sold the majority of VibroMeter to Elektrowatt and withdrew from the management of the company in 1998 after the sale to British investors.

In 2007 Merkle donated 100 million Swiss francs to the University of Freiburg to set up an institute for nanotechnology and materials science. He later donated a further 10 million francs to convert the former Garcia Clinic for the institute that bears his name today. The donation, which is exceptional for Swiss standards, was the highest private donation to a Swiss university to date. The Adolphe Merkle Foundation he founded is involved in the management of the institute and is involved in other areas such as supporting the institute for multilingualism or awarding prizes. In 2003 Merkle received an honorary doctorate from the University of Friborg for his life's work, and in 2007, together with his wife Simone, he received an honorary citizenship of the Canton of Friborg.

Merkle was married and the father of a son who died in a car accident at a young age.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Guido Bielmann: In memory. In: pfarrei-duedingen.ch of March 12, 2012 (PDF file, pp. 13-14; 3.0 MB). ( Archive version) ( Memento from April 24, 2012 on WebCite )
  2. ↑ Merkle died according to the parish of Düdingen in the Friborg Cantonal Hospital.
  3. ^ Adolphe Merkle. In: University of Freiburg, accessed on March 2, 2012 (PDF file; 324 kB)
  4. ^ Adolphe Merkle: la mort d'un visionnaire ( Memento of February 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) , La Liberté , accessed on February 24, 2012
  5. ↑ a b Hans Ulrich Schaad: A visionary has died , Berner Zeitung , accessed on February 24, 2012
  6. ↑ Donor entrepreneur: Adolphe Merkle died , Neue Zürcher Zeitung of February 24, 2012, p. 10
  7. ↑ Décès de l'industriel et mécène fribourgeois Adolphe Merkle , Swiss Dispatch Agency , accessed on February 24, 2012
  8. ^ Adolphe Merkle Institute: Adolphe Merkle Foundation , accessed on February 24, 2012
personal data
SURNAME Merkle, Adolphe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss entrepreneur and patron
DATE OF BIRTH October 5, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Düdingen , Canton of Friborg
DATE OF DEATH February 22, 2012
Place of death Freiburg