Friedrich Knutzen

Friedrich Knutzen (born January 13, 1881 in Gangerschild ; † May 11, 1938 in Schopfheim ) was a German politician of the DDP .

Life and work

After elementary school, Knutzen began training as an administrative clerk in Eckernförde in 1896 . After its successful completion, he joined in 1898 to serve the city of Eutin to 1910 as community leaders to Ahrensburg to change. In addition, from 1911 he was also head of the district of Ahrensburg-Woldenhorn . He held both offices until his election as district administrator. In 1927 he fell ill with tuberculosis .

In September 1933, against the bitter resistance of the NSDAP in the Stormarn district , which wanted to see him finally released from civil service , Knutzen was transferred to the regional council of the province of Schleswig-Holstein in Schleswig , where he was responsible for settlement development in the Lower Elbe area. In 1937 he was seconded to the Schleswig-Holstein State Planning Company, where he was supposed to accompany the implementation of the Greater Hamburg Act from Schleswig-Holstein's point of view. He died of the consequences of his tuberculosis in May 1938 while staying at a spa.

Political party

Knutzen joined the DDP in 1919 and was part of it until it was dissolved in 1933.

Public offices

In August 1919 Knutzen was elected with the votes of the DDP and DVP as Joachim von Bonin's successor to the district administrator of the Stormarn district. He was the first elected district administrator and held this office throughout the Weimar Republic . Knutzen was elected by the bourgeois camp against the majority in the district council (SPD) at the time. On March 17, 1933, he was removed from office by the National Socialists and put into temporary retirement.

During the Kapp Putsch , Knutzen sided with the Republic, in keeping with his liberal stance, which subsequently secured the support of the SPD in the district assembly.

During the first half of his tenure, Knutzen was particularly concerned with eliminating the consequences of war and inflation. So he was committed to the settlement of industrial companies in order to create new jobs, and for housing construction in order to cope with the housing shortage. The second half of his activity was mainly devoted to strengthening the district's infrastructure. In addition to the creation of new bus routes, the establishment of municipal facilities, such as the district hospital, was on his agenda. The Lower Elbe Law of 1927, which among other things led to the formation of the large community of Billstedt , was largely initiated by him.

Orders and awards

• 1917 Cross of Merit for War Aid

Publications

• Memorandum on migration and settlement processes in the Lower Elbe region , 1933

literature

• Hans Müthling , Friedrich Knutzen. District Administrator of the Stormarn district , in: Yearbook of the Alster Association , 1962, pages 66 to 71.