Erich Kling

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erich Kling

Erich Kling (born June 26, 1854 in Torgau , † September 15, 1892 in Berlin ) was a German officer and explorer.

Life

Monument to Erich Kling at the Columbiadamm cemetery in Berlin
The fetish priest of King Takadu von Kpandu with a pompous sword and fetish stick (drawing: Erwin Kling, 1891)

Erich Kling was born in Torgau, the son of the royal provisions Master Robert Kling and spent his early youth in Neisse , where he high school and later the Municipal Grammar School attended. On 1 October 1873 he joined the Army of Württemberg and rose to captain of the Field Artillery - Regiment . No. 29. The establishment of German colonies in Africa sparked his interest in this continent. He studied the available literature and was trained in astronomical positioning and meteorology . To this end, he worked for half a year at the Royal Observatory in Bogenhausen. In 1886 he applied to the Foreign Office for service in Africa. In 1888 he took part in an expedition led by Ludwig Wolf to the hinterland of the German colony of Togo . After Wolf's death in 1889, Kling succeeded him as head of the Bismarckburg station , which he fortified and expanded. Until 1890 it was the starting point for several of Kling's expeditions to explore the hinterland and to expand German influence in the area. After briefly returning to his regiment, Kling took over the management of a research expedition himself in 1891, which again took him far into the West African interior. He toured areas in northern Togo and northwestern Dahomey . The latter was later added to French West Africa, contrary to his efforts . During his grueling travels, Kling fell ill with dysentery and died shortly after returning home in Berlin.

Kling was buried in the New Garrison Cemetery , today Columbiadamm Cemetery , where a memorial was erected for him in 1894.

He left travel and diary notes, drawings, photographs and maps of the areas visited. His collected and preserved animals were sighted by Ferdinand Karsch and Hermann Julius Kolbe (insects) and Paul Matschie (mammals, reptiles, amphibians). Artifacts brought along, such as musical instruments and everyday objects, are now in the collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.

Erich Kling is the translator of Boots and Saddles , the memory book Elizabeth Custers (1842–1933) to her husband George Armstrong Custer , which appeared in Germany in 1887 under the title Close to the enemy .

Awards

Erich Kling received the following medals:

Fonts (selection)

  • Report by the Premier Lieutenant Kling on his Kebu and Aposso trip from July 15 to August 1, 1888 . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 2, 1889, pp. 70-75 ( digitized version ).
  • Report by the Premier Lieutenant Kling on his trip from Bismarckburg to Klein-Popo and back from February 12 to April 8, 1888 . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 2, 1889, pp. 76-81 ( digitized version ).
  • Report by the Premier Lieutenant Kling on a trip from Wo to Sebbe and from here to Agome . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 2, 1889, pp. 123-126 ( digitized version ).
  • Report by Premier Lieutenant Kling on the Bismarckburg station . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 2, 1889, pp. 191-194 ( digitized version ).
  • Report of the Premier Lieutenant Kling on his trip to Dutukpenne from July 29th to August 6th of this year . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 2, 1889, pp. 194-199 ( digitized version ).
  • The animal world of Togo . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 3, 1890, pp. 56-70 ( digitized version ).
  • Captain Kling's report on his last voyage from Lome via Kpanfu, Salaga and Naparri to Bismarckburg . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 3, 1890, pp. 137-164 ( digitized version ).
  • The journey of Captain Kling from Lome via Salaga to Bismarckburg in the summer of 1891 . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 5, 1892, pp. 1-6 ( digitized version ).
  • E. Kling, R. Büttner: Results of the research trips in the hinterland of Togo 1890-1892 . In: Messages from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas . Volume 6, 1893, pp. 105-254 ( digitized version ).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 35. Report of the scientific society “Philomathie” in Neisse from October 1908 to October 1910 . Josef Graveurs Verlag, Neisse 1910, p. 35 ( PDF ; 8.57 MB).
  2. ^ Rochus Schmidt : Germany's colonies . Volume 2, Verlag des Verein der Buchfreunde Schall & Grund, Berlin 1898, p. 192 f. (Reprint by Weltbild Verlag. Augsburg 1998).
  3. ↑ Ferdinand Karsch: The insects of the Adeli mountain landscape in the hinterland of Togo (West Africa) according to that of Captain Eugen Kling (1888 and 1889) and Dr. Richard Büttner (1890 and 1891) collected material. Spring locusts - Orthoptera Saltatoria - by Adeli . I. Division: Apterygota, Odonata, Orthoptera Saltatoria, Lepidoptera Rhopalocera . In: Berlin Entomological Journal . Volume 38, 1893, pp. 1-266 ( digitized version ).
  4. ↑ Hermann Julius Kolbe: About the von Hauptmann Kling and Dr. R. Büttner in Togo (Upper Guinea) collected melitiphilic Lamellicornier . In: Entomological Newspaper . Volume 53, 1892, pp. 125-142 ( https://archive.org/stream/entomologischeze531892ento#page/124/mode/2up digitalisat).
  5. ^ Paul Matschie: The mammals of the Togo region . In: Berlin Entomological Journal . Volume 38, 1893, pp. 162-180 ( digitized version ), The reptiles and amphibians of the Togo region . ibid, pp. 207-114 ( digitized version ).
  6. Jump up ↑ Close to Enemies at WorldCat, accessed July 17, 2018

Remarks

  1. ↑ Kling's first name is occasionally given as Eugen , as is the case in the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kling, Erich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer and explorer
DATE OF BIRTH June 26, 1854
PLACE OF BIRTH Torgau
DATE OF DEATH September 15, 1892
Place of death Berlin