Ferdinand Sperber

Johann Friedrich Ludwig Ferdinand Sperber (born November 12, 1855 in Hameln , † October 8, 1933 in Hamburg ) was a German engineer .

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Ferdinand Sperber studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Hanover from 1878 to 1882 . He then worked for construction machinery companies in the Ruhr area, among others. Since he had knowledge of bridge and railway construction and had shown himself adamant towards people under his control, the city of Hamburg hired him on a temporary basis in early 1887. Sperber worked here on buildings that were built as part of the Hamburg customs connection. Promoted to builder in 1889, he was given a permanent position.

With the approval of his superior Franz Andreas Meyer , Sperber took a leave of absence for several months in 1891. He traveled to Cameroon for the Foreign Office and accompanied the construction of ports there, which Meyer saw as suitable further training. In 1896 he was appointed building inspector of the 1st engineering department. Two years later, with Meyer's support, he unsuccessfully applied for a position as a town planner for civil engineering in Schöneberg . In 1900 he traveled as envoy to the world exhibition in Paris , where he was supposed to prepare the extension of the railway lines. A little later he took over from Meyer, who died in 1901, preparatory work for the complicated construction of the Bismarck monument and the execution of the Kaiser Wilhelm monument. He also planned buildings and jewelry for the opening ceremonies of both buildings.

As a building councilor appointed in 1906, Sperber controlled the construction of the Hamburg Ringbahn on a government mandate - an order that could have been in connection with a visit to the Paris World Exhibition. In 1907 he followed Franz Eduard Vermehren, who was considered too diplomatic, as chief engineer. Alfred Lichtwark , who viewed historical town planning as inconsistent and thus also criticized Sparhawk, who had contributed to it, was increasingly in the public criticism . However, since Sperber had successfully accompanied road breakthroughs, the expansion of the railway and the renovation of the old town and was considered a respected personality, it was hoped that he would be able to stringently realign the urban development.

Grave "JFLFerd.Sperber, Oberbaudir.AD", Ohlsdorf

During his time as chief engineer, Sperber, who was married and had three children, prepared the construction of the Hamburg city park and the canalization of the Alster . In doing so, he came into conflict with Building Construction Director Fritz Schumacher , who presented the jointly developed plans as the results of his personal reform efforts. Nevertheless, from 1906 to 1912 the engineers shaped the image of the city with the Bismarck memorial, the buildings of the Hamburger Hochbahn , the landing bridges and the St. Pauli-Elbe tunnel . Fritz Schumacher later criticized in particular the constructions of the Ringbahn for which Sperber was responsible.

At the beginning of the First World War , Sperber changed to the army command at the building management of the Belgian General-Gouvernement. In 1915 he went back to Hamburg, where he supervised the construction of the new Elbe bridge. In 1920 he was appointed senior construction director and retired in 1923. In an obituary in 1933, the Hamburg Foreign Gazette wrote that Sperber had created buildings whose spirit would be preserved in Hamburg for a long time.

Ferdinand Sperber's grave is located in grid square X 20 (northeast of Chapel 2) at Hamburg's Ohlsdorf Cemetery .

literature

• Jörg Schilling: Sparrowhawk, Ferdinand . In: Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke (Hrsg.): Hamburgische Biographie . tape 6 . Wallstein, Göttingen 2012, ISBN 978-3-8353-1025-4 , p. 319-320 .

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