Erich Brenner

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Erich Brenner (* January 1930 in Vienna ; † February 19, 1995 there ) was an Austrian public educator , aquarist and from 1980 until his death in 1995 director of the House of the Sea in Vienna.

life and career

Erich Brenner was born in January 1930 as the son of a Siemens technician in Vienna. He had his love for aquaristics from his mother, who had an aquarium at home even before he was born. She bought the fish from a Mr. Hiedler in Sievering , who for decades was the only professional tropical fish farmer in Vienna. In his childhood, Brenner provided for Hiedler, who once worked as a seaman in the Austro-Hungarian Navy before he was the train driver of the Imperial and Royal Court Salon Train , feed animals for his fish farm, which was set up in glass houses. At the age of eight, a school friend gave Brenner his own aquarium, and at the age of 20 he enrolled in the Vienna-Währing aquarium club . At that time he already owned a large number of heated pools, but never got the idea to work full-time with fish farming. He then graduated from the Vienna University of Technology and, like his father, found a job at Siemens. After three and a half years, he ended his commitment there and then worked in social services and earned his living as a car seller. In 1958 he set out as a car rental company independently . Now that he was independent, he was able to devote himself to his fishing on the one hand and to his still-running role in the Vienna Volksbildungswerk , where he was the deputy chairman of the natural science section. In 1973 he rose to the position of president of the umbrella association of Viennese aquarists and only resigned from this position in 1987 after 15 years. He was also the longstanding President of the Federal Association of Aquarists.

Managing Director / Director of the House of the Sea

Because of his work as a public educator and aquarist, the Haus des Meeres , which was still run as an association at that time, became aware of him, whereupon he was co-opted into the board in 1978 and he was offered the post of managing director in 1979. His predecessor Emmerich Schlosser announced in August 1979 that he wanted to return to Australia or New Guinea , whereupon the search for a suitable successor began. By the Scientific Committee and its spokesman Elmar Birch Meier was with Rainer Fesser a zoologist stepped up; the Wiener Volksbildungswerk proposed a second candidate in Erich Brenner. After a hearing at the Volksbildungswerk, a secret election took place among the board members. After two ballots that ended in a tie, Brenner was only elected 3-2 in the third ballot and thus a narrow majority was elected as the new managing director of the Haus des Meeres.His early days were considered turbulent, especially since no joint management came about in the first few weeks and afterwards Anger on the part of zoology at the University of Vienna, the Scientific Advisory Board resigned. Including Elmar Birkenmeier, who had previously worked very actively in the association as a spokesman and who had suggested Brenner as scientific director while he wanted to take over commercial management. Through the mediation of the university professor Ferdinand Starmühlner , it was still possible to put together a new advisory board (with Alfred Radda as spokesman). The House of the Sea Vivarium Vienna , which was largely endangered under the castle , experienced a boom after the takeover of Brenners. Brenner used the subsidies from the City of Vienna for the expansion and innovations and brought a considerable boost to modernization and expansion.

On March 3, 1981, the Yugoslav Kamenko Boharević (* 1957) began working in the house and subsequently became Brenner's right-hand man. In the same year, the renovation and expansion of the fourth floor of the flak tower began ; Brenner also campaigned for the repair or renewal of the elevator, which had been stuck between the fourth and fifth floors since the end of the Second World War and had tons of rubble on its roof. This debris from World War II, which was found in many areas of the flak tower, occupied Brenner during the first years of his work as director. In 1982 the most modern venomous strike show in Europe took place under Brenner's direction; this took place in the recently established poisonous snake department. This was part of a concept that had the general renovation of the entire house by the 30th anniversary in 1988 as the goal. Brenner was only given the professional title of Director retrospectively on January 1, 1983. At this point in time, the money earned from the admissions already covered 80 percent of the expenses; the rest came about through subsidies. At the time of the takeover of Brenners, the Haus des Meeres - Vivarium Wien still owed half a million schillings .

Until then, he was solely responsible for the exhibitions in the house. In 1984, a colleague from Meidlinger Manfred Pelko was made available to Brenner . He was previously active as a competitor in Meidling, but had to find permanent quarters for his animals after his tenancy there ended and thus came into contact with the Haus des Meeres. In 1984, in his function as President of the Austrian Association for Vivaristics and Ecology (ÖVVÖ), a Russian delegation presented him with a high distinction at the symposium. In the same year, on May 30th, he received the silver medal of merit of the Republic of Austria for his achievements in the "Natural Science Section" of the Vienna Volksbildungswerk . Also in 1984 he was awarded a Decoration of Honor from the City of Vienna. In the mid-1980s, there was tension between Brenner and the board of directors, as Brenner said that the animals donated by other zoos were his private property. After the situation eased, Brenner donated the animals, which he believed were his property, to the House of the Sea free of charge. In the years that followed, numerous innovations were developed under Brenner's direction; including a large piranha tank in 1991. After he returned from a business trip from Japan in 1992 , he was soon diagnosed with cancer .

In 1994, Brenner was absent for some time due to illness, after which his right-hand man Kamenko Boharević took over the business temporarily. On February 19, 1995, Brenner, who was already severely affected by his illness and was once referred to by Konrad Lorenz as the “Viennese head aquarist”, succumbed to cancer. He left behind his wife Csilla, who was also employed for a short time in the 1990s, as well as their daughter Kerstin with her husband and five grandchildren. Shortly before his death, he was awarded the Mariahilfer Badge of Honor by the Mariahilfer district chairman Kurt Pint for his meritorious work for the 6th district of Vienna . In his last ten years as director, he was able to help the house increase visitor numbers by 40 percent and played a key role in the expansion and modernization of the institution. The previous terrarium curator and Brenner's right-hand man Kamenko Boharević took over the management after his death. One year after his death, a bronze bust of Brenners created by an artist commissioned by the Wiener Volksbildungswerk was installed next to the newly created shark tank, which Brenner did not see to open.

Awards and honors (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alles neu ... , accessed on May 15, 2018
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Erich Brenner 1979/80 , accessed on May 15, 2018
  3. ↑ a b Expansion 4th floor - entry Boharević , accessed on May 15, 2018
  4. ↑ disposal of Kamenko Boharević , accessed on May 15, 2018
  5. ^ Venomous snakes , accessed May 15, 2018
  6. ↑ a b c d Aim of the general renovation , accessed on May 15, 2018
  7. ↑ Amphibians + Reptiles , accessed on May 15, 2018
  8. ↑ a b Order for Erich Brenner , accessed on May 15, 2018
  9. ^ Decoration of Honor Vienna , accessed on May 15, 2018
  10. ↑ Krokitaufe , accessed on May 15, 2018
  11. ↑ Upward trend , accessed on May 15, 2018
  12. ^ Mediterranean Section , accessed May 15, 2018
  13. ↑ Sponsors wanted , accessed on May 15, 2018
  14. ↑ a b c Erich Brenner passed away , accessed on May 15, 2018
  15. ↑ Insectarium opened , accessed on May 15, 2018
  16. ↑ The new team , accessed May 15, 2018
  17. ↑ In memorial Erich Brenner , accessed on May 15, 2018
personal data
SURNAME Brenner, Erich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian public educator, aquarist and director of the House of the Sea in Vienna
DATE OF BIRTH January 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna , Austria
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 1995
Place of death Vienna , Austria