Georg Hoffmann (ornithologist)

Georg Hoffmann

Georg Hoffmann (born October 29, 1900 in Deutsch-Eylau ; † February 2, 1963 in Syke ) was an ornithologist , nature photographer and writer who first worked on the bird world in West Prussia and in Lower Saxony after the war .

Life

Georg Hoffmann was born in 1900 in Deutsch-Eylau ( West Prussia , from 1920 East Prussia , today: Iława). From an early age he was interested in the local flora and fauna, became an enthusiastic nature photographer and saved some of the scenic charm of his homeland into the present in his books.

The profession of teacher first took him to the Curonian Lagoon north of Königsberg and later to the Rastenburg district . Here he lived in the neighborhood of the naturalist and writer Walter von Sanden-Guja and began a lifelong close friendship with him.

Hoffmann devoted himself particularly to the behavior and breeding biology of the crane . In 1934 he was able to move to Rosenberg in what was then West Prussia , as he wished . He returned to the observation sites of his youth, to the approximately 30 km long Geserichsee and the large forest area on its west bank. With the support of his wife, he worked in particular on two of the numerous lakes in this forest, the Gaudensee (Gaudy) and later the Tromnitzsee (jez.Czervica) , but also looked after the gray heron colony on Lake Geserich and the breeding grounds for black storks and eagles. The focus of his work was on behavioral observations and documentation on the gray heron, the then rare cormorant , the osprey , spotted eagle and greater spotted eagle . He also worked as a ringer in often life-threatening situations for the Rossitten ornithological station .

How closely Hoffmann was connected to ornithology and nature is also shown by his recordings from captivity during and after the Second World War: he also made regular records of ornithological observations in the camp. From his ornithological work and in particular the experiences connected with it, two books emerged, which were published in 1936 and 1941. He thus demonstrated a talent for storytelling who combined tension with accuracy of representation. His photos were of astonishingly high quality for the time. For the most part, they arose from hiding places that he built in the swamp for observations on breeding biology or fortified in tall trees. This often required wading in cold, belly-deep water, climbing tall pines and sitting at dizzying heights for hours on many days - with the support of his wife and in addition to the actual job. In 1942 he was appointed to the research group of the University of Königsberg , to the Nikolaus-Kopernikus-Gesellschaft Danzig and to the Marienburger Dichterkreis.

After the war and the associated blows of fate, Hoffmann and his family moved to Syke in the Diepholz district . He intensified his natural history work, published many articles in specialist journals and became known to the general public through his around 250 school radio broadcasts on Radio Bremen and his captivating slide shows.

The city of Syke honored Hoffmann's work by naming a street after him in 1982.

bibliography

Books

• All about the crane. Hohenlohe'sche Buchhandlung, Öhringen 1936
• A lake in the forest. Hohenlohe'sche Buchhandlung, Öhringen 1941
• The lake of the eagles. Rau, Öhringen 1954
• In the most beautiful meadow. (unpublished)

Articles in professional journals

• Hoffmann, Georg: The greater spotted eagle. From the homeland, 45th year, natural science monthly, 1932 Öhringen
• Hoffmann, Georg: The osprey. From the homeland, 45th year, natural science monthly, 1932 Öhringen
• Hoffmann, Georg: At the eyrie of the black stork. From the homeland, 46th year, natural scientific monthly of the German teachers' association for natural history eV Stuttgart., 1933 Öhringen
• Hoffmann, Georg: Bird life on the Karraschsee. From the homeland, 47th year, natural science monthly of the German teachers' association for natural history eV Stuttgart., 1934 Öhringen
• Hoffmann, Georg: The eagle owl and the long-eared owl. From the homeland, 48th year, natural scientific monthly of the German natural history association eVStuttgart., 1935 Öhringen
• Further articles in specialist journals under web links www.agon-schwerte ...

School radio broadcasts ("Georg Hoffmann tells", Radio Bremen)

• Butterfly names
• Beetle names

Web links

• Literature by and about Georg Hoffmann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Georg Hoffmann - nature photographer
• Lecture by G. Hoffmann (1950) in Hanover
• Vogel-Hoffmann - a life for nature

swell

• His works
• Eckhart Hoffmann (son of G. Hoffmann)
• Remco Nöhren, 27211 Bassum, in possession of parts of the estate (ornithological diaries, slides)