Franz Geerz
Franz Heinrich Julius Geerz (born July 2, 1816 in Schleswig , † March 15, 1888 in Berlin ) was a Prussian major general and cartographer . As a general staff officer, he gained historical importance in the two wars over Schleswig-Holstein's solution from Denmark.
Life
Franz Geerz was the son of the mill owner Julius Geerz († 1821) and his wife Elisabeth, née Pocomandi († 1866).
Having grown up without a father since he was 5, he studied geography and geognosy at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel and the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin . For a short time he worked with Heinrich Christian Schumacher at the Altona observatory . As a road and path builder in the Duchy of Holstein , he entered the Danish civil service on November 8, 1842. At the beginning of the Schleswig-Holstein survey , he sided with the Schleswig-Holstein population. On April 8, 1848, he was appointed senior quartermaster of the Schleswig-Holstein Army and distinguished himself during the three years of the war through his precise knowledge of the country. Most recently as a major , he served in the staffs of the military leaders Friedrich von Wrangel , Hugh Halkett , Karl von Prittwitz , Eduard von Bonin , Karl Wilhelm von Willisen and Wilhelm von der Horst . When the Schleswig-Holstein Army was dissolved, he was taken over into the Holstein-Lauenburg Federal Contingent ; but he soon resigned to enter Prussian service.
The Prussian Army hired him as a captain on September 27, 1852 and assigned him to the topographical department of the General Staff . He stayed there for 31 years. In the year before the German-Danish War , he was sent to explore the Danish fortifications. On December 19, 1863 he was assigned to the Commander-in-Chief of Wrangel. Until the end of the war he served on the General Staff of the High Command of the allied Prussians and Austrians. As a colonel , Geerz was head of the topographical department of the Great General Staff from September 16, 1873 to January 23, 1875. He was then appointed head of the cartographic department of the regional survey and was awarded the Order of the Crown, 2nd class, for his services on January 20, 1878 . Two years earlier, the University of Kiel had awarded him an honorary doctorate . At the beginning of December 1878 Geerz received the rank and fees of a brigade commander. Under awarding of the character he was on 13 June 1883 the legal as a major general board for discussion provided.
"Geerz knew every village, every swamp, every hamlet in Schleswig-Holstein, his memory never left him, his industriousness could not be tired - he was one of the most distinguished men in Schleswig-Holstein."
Reprints
The Schleswig-Holstein Land Surveying Office sells reprints of Geerz's map recordings from 1849/50 and 1858.
See also
Works
- History of geographic surveys and maps of northern Albingia from the end of the 15th century to the year 1859 : with a critical overview of all relevant geographical, geognostic, ethnographic and historical maps and plans, together with contributions to the physical ..., Perthes-Besser & Mauke, Berlin 1859, digitized
- Collection of the currently still valid ordinances and orders pertaining to billeting in the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein , Volume 1, Schwers, Kiel 1849, digitized
literature
- Geerz, Franz Heinrich Julius . in: Eduard Alberti : Lexicon of Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg and Eutinian writers from 1829 to mid-1866 1. Dept. A – L, Akademische Buchhdlg., Kiel 1867, p. 248–250d digitized , (contains a list of his writings and maps)
- Henning Oldekop : Franz Heinrich Julius Geerz. In: Topography of the Duchy of Holstein; including the Herzogtum Lauenburg district, ..., first volume, Lepsius & Tischer, Kiel 1908, p. 7 digitized
- Bernhard von Poten: Geerz, Franz . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1886, p. 394 f.
- Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 9, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1941], DNB 986919780 , pp. 406-408, no. 2971.
- Kieler Zeitung of March 16, 1888.
- Gerd Stolz: A specialty in the card compartment. Schleswig-Holstein's most important cartographer. In: Zeitschrift für Heereskunde . 282: 47-48 (1979).
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Geerz, Franz |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Geerz, Franz Heinrich Julius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prussian major general and cartographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 2, 1816 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Schleswig |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 15, 1888 |
| Place of death | Berlin |