Albert Brahms

Albert Brahms (born October 24, 1692 in Sanderahm near Sande , Friesland , † August 3, 1758 in Neu-Oberahmergroden near Sande) was a farmer, dike judge and an important German dike construction pioneer .

In 1754 and 1757 Brahms published the two-volume work Beginnings of Dyke and Hydraulic Engineering, which is still largely valid today .

Albert Brahms had actually been chosen by his father Harm Brahms to succeed his father's farm in Sanderahm, but after he married Eyle Catharine Meinen († 1770) in Sande on June 14, 1716, he took over the management until his death own farm in Neu-Oberahmergroden. His marriage resulted in three children - a son and two daughters - who died in infancy or early childhood.

His aptitude for mathematics became apparent at an early age, because even in his youth on his father's farm he dealt with complex mathematical tasks and tried his general knowledge by studying the books of his younger brother Renke, who was sent by his father to the Latin school in Jever to expand. As a self-employed farmer, only one year after his marriage, he experienced the devastating Christmas flood of 1717, which also devastated his lands. In 1718 he was appointed dike and sewage judge in the Sander parish. He had known for a long time the inadequate quality of the dikes of that time, and he never tired of pointing out the imminent danger of neglecting the dikes to his compatriots. Under the direction of the Jever dike count August Garlich , he was involved in the creation of his “dyke tape” (1730). After he had exercised the office of sewer and dike judge for 34 years, he resigned this in 1752 after previous disputes. As a result, he dealt with the writing of his experiences and developed technical aspects in dyke construction, which were completely new for the times. For his great contribution to dyke safety, the “pioneer of dyke construction”, as he is rightly called, was named “Princely Geometer” by the Princely House of Anhalt-Zerbst, who ruled Jeverland at that time .

Literature / sources

• Brahms, Albert: Initial reasons for dyke and water architecture, or thorough instructions on how to build efficient, durable dams against the violence of the greatest sea floods, and how to preserve them at any time in an undiminished state, so that the land can be protected against perishable intrusions and Floods are kept safe. 2 volumes, Tapper, Aurich 1754 and 1757. Unchanged reprint 1767 and 1773, published by the Marschenrat . Digitized reprint: Verlag Schuster, Leer 1989, ISBN 3-7963-0273-4 .
• Hafemann, Klaus: Albert Brahms 1692–1758. A life for the dykes. Jeverland dyke and sewage judge, founder of coastal engineering. Edited by Heimatverein Gödens-Sande eV, Neustadtgödens 1987
• Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 (online) . Letter B: PDF

Web links

• Regional Association of the East Frisian Landscape
• The beginnings of dyke and water art on Google Books