Eduard Wiedemann
Eduard Wiedemann (born May 3, 1907 in Duisburg , † July 17, 1947 in Wuppertal ) was a German biologist and director of the Duisburg Zoo (today Duisburg Zoo).
Life
With a doctorate in biology, Wiedemann was appointed zoological director of the newly opened Duisburg zoo after the founding of the Duisburg-Hamborner Tierparkverein in 1934. By the end of the opening year, Wiedemann established around 500 animals of 280 different species on the zoo grounds, initially only about 4 hectares in size, which already attracted 300,000 visitors in the first year. Were shown, among other lions and bears , monkeys , deer , birds of prey , small birds and various types of water fowl . As an aquarist, Wiedemann also built his first aquarium in a simple log house style with numerous fish , invertebrates , amphibians and reptiles . Only a little later, this first makeshift aquarium made way for a new building known as the House of a Thousand Fish , which is still considered the zoo's oldest surviving building.
By the outbreak of the Second World War , Wiedemann succeeded in expanding the zoo area to 8 hectares, including with outdoor facilities for bison and camels , the basic structure of which is still there today, the forest tavern, which today serves as the zoo's main restaurant after several renovations significant host animals such as elephants and a manatee .
During the war years, Wiedemann was drafted into the Wehrmacht . In 1943 he moved to the Wuppertal Zoo to take on the position of zoo director, as the city-run zoo in Wuppertal could offer greater security of supply than the Duisburg zoo, which is run by an association. Shortly after the end of the war, at the age of 40, Wiedemann died of a stroke in 1947 .
literature
- Achim Winkler: 75 years of the Kaiserberg Zoo. From Duisburg Zoo to Duisburg Zoo. Schüling Verlag, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-86523-140-6 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Eduard Wiedemann in the bibliographic database WorldCat
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wiedemann, Eduard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German biologist and zoo director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 3, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Duisburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 17, 1947 |
| Place of death | Wuppertal |