Ernst Wilfer

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Ernst Wilfer (* February 1923 in Asch , Czechoslovakia ; † September 10, 2014 ) was a German engineer and inventor who made a name for himself in the design, construction management and operation of cable cars .

Life

Ernst Wilfer was born in the town of Asch in the Egerland . He studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Prague , was drafted into military service in 1942, served in the German-Soviet War and was seriously wounded in Russia. He was affected by the expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia and after the Second World War he worked as a draftsman in a Sonthofen design office from 1946 . Later as a designer, he built several chairlifts , and he was the site manager for over ten of them.

Cable car construction at Weigmann

At the Weigmann company in Oberstdorf im Allgäu, he was involved as a designer and site manager in the implementation of two chairlifts that are still in operation today on the Wupper (Burg an der Wupper cable car ) and Mittelrhein ( Assmannshausen cable car ). Weigmann built several fixed chairlifts in the 1950s during the economic boom after the Second World War. The two mentioned railways in Assmannshausen on the Rhine and in Burg an der Wupper (Remscheid-Solingen) have been in operation for over 50 years because of their robustness and material quality, only with the replacement of some wearing parts in their original condition. The small company built ski lifts and single and double chairlifts in the 1950s. The heavy steel structures were considered to be almost indestructible and expensive. In addition to the two mentioned double chairlifts, the Koblatlift on the Nebelhorn and various ski lifts in the Black Forest are Weigmann references. After the early death of the owner Herbert Weigmann in 1956, the company dissolved and was finally transferred to Hermann Heuss GmbH in Geretsried.

The first double chairlift in Germany , built in 1952 in Burg an der Wupper (near Remscheid , city area Solingen ) under the direction of Ernst Wilfer, was already an attraction back then and is now a nostalgic tourist attraction.

  • Map of Burg an der Wupper

  • Entrance sign

  • Access with a view upwards

  • Deflection pulley in the valley station

  • View to the valley station

  • upper section

  • near the mountain station

  • Intermediate views

  • Mountain station with drive

  • back down

  • Information board

Hochgratbahn near Steibis

Under his direction, the first chairlift, the Koblatlift, was built on the Nebelhorn plateau near Oberstdorf in the Allgäu Alps . It was replaced in 1996 by a four-seater chairlift (4-CLF) from the Leitner company.

Karwendelbahn and avalanche blasting railway

In 1967, after a second project start with the support of Wilfer, the aerial tramway from Mittenwald to the Karwendelkar below the western Karwendelspitze went into operation (so-called Karwendelbahn ). It opened up the famous Dammkar ski area in Mittenwald . He then worked at the Karwendelbahn as operations manager.

His most spectacular project, a functional ropeway for avalanche explosions in the Dammkar ski area, which he designed and built himself, also fell during this period. The explosives were attached to the track and then lowered over the affected area. Since the existence of the avalanche detonation cable car , no one has had to go to endangered areas in order to put an avalanche there at risk in a controlled manner. The method also had advantages over the use of helicopters, which was emerging at the time. On the one hand, it was ready for operation in all weathers; on the other hand, it was blasted over the snow cover, which meant that significantly larger areas could be solved. However, at first they didn't want to trust the concept. Only the trade supervisory office in Munich was convinced of Wilfer's idea.

It was not until years later that Ernst Wilfer was recognized for his invention and in 1983 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon and the Bavarian State Medal .

Hochgratbahn

In 1970/1971, Wilfer was involved in the construction of the Hochgrat cable car as a designer. He then worked there as operations manager for 23 years until his retirement.

Publications

  • Ernst Wilfer: The new Karwendelbahn in Mittenwald , article in the magazine Verkehr und Technik , 1966, issue 1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Notice of death in the information sheet of the market town of Weiler-Simmerberg
  2. ^ A b Westallgäuer Zeitung: Regina and Ernst Wilfer from Simmerberg .
  3. ^ Westallgäuer Zeitung: Manufacturer Weigmann in the cable car dictionary .
  4. ↑ see article on Ernst Wilfer in MIS Historisch, 1992 edition
  5. ↑ see the Koblatlift web link in the lift database
  6. ↑ see publication The new Karwendelbahn in Mittenwald in traffic and technology
  7. ↑ Westallgäuer Zeitung: Ernst Wilfer: First laughed, then celebrated .
personal data
SURNAME Wilfer, Ernst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German engineer
DATE OF BIRTH February 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Asch , Czechoslovakia
DATE OF DEATH September 10, 2014