Elise Koenigs

Elise Koenigs (born October 30, 1848 ; † 1932 ) was a German patron and was the first woman to receive the Leibniz Medal .

Activity in science

Elise Koenigs came from a respected family of Rhenish manufacturers. She moved to Berlin, where women in the German Empire had a particularly large amount of freedom and opportunities for further training. She used the opportunity to do research in the capital. She was the first woman to join the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science .

As a patron, she took care of numerous major scientific projects and made generous funding possible. For example, it made around 200,000 marks available for the text-critical new edition of the New Testament in the Empire.

It was Adolf von Harnack who suggested that she be awarded the Golden Leibniz Medal. "Miss. For more than 16 years, Königs has proven to be a true patroness and patron of science. Her work is so unselfish and selfless that she always remains in the background and wants to be talked about as little as possible about her large donations, ”wrote Harnack. "Only a few men can be put by her side." In 1912 she was presented with the medal.

family

Elise Koenig's father was Franz Wilhelm Koenig's commercial advisor (May 8, 1819–1882), her mother Wilhelmine nee. Mevissen (1809–1873), sister of the politician and businessman Gustav Mevissen . In October 1856 the family moved to Cologne with six children.

Family tomb of Koenig

Elise's siblings were:

Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Koenigs (June 15, 1843– July 24, 1904), banker
Gustav Koenigs (January 11, 1845-1896)
Felix Koenigs (May 18, 1846–1900), he began an apprenticeship at the Delbrück bank in 1866 , where he became an authorized signatory and from 1878 to 1901 a partner.
Wilhelm Koenigs (April 22, 1851–1906), he studied chemistry with Emil Fischer under Adolf von Baeyer in Munich.
Richard Koenigs (March 28, 1856–1921)

Individual evidence

↑ Petra Hoffmann: Female working environments in science. Women at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin 1890–1945. Berlin 2008, p. 51.
↑ Annette Vogt: From the exception to normality? Scientists in academies and in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. In: Theresa Robbe (ed.): Between the front stage and back stage. Bielefeld 2003, pp. 159–190, here p. 164 f.
↑ Petra Hoffmann: Female working environments in science. Women at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin 1890–1945. Berlin 2008, p. 51.

personal data
SURNAME	Koenigs, Elise
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German patroness
DATE OF BIRTH	October 30, 1848
DATE OF DEATH	1932

[1] Petra Hoffmann: Female working environments in science. Women at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin 1890–1945. Berlin 2008, p. 51.

[2] Annette Vogt: From the exception to normality? Scientists in academies and in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. In: Theresa Robbe (ed.): Between the front stage and back stage. Bielefeld 2003, pp. 159–190, here p. 164 f.

[3] Petra Hoffmann: Female working environments in science. Women at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin 1890–1945. Berlin 2008, p. 51.