Gottlieb Redecker
Gottlieb Wilhelm Eduard Redecker (born April 30, 1871 in Otjimbingwe ; † January 21, 1945 in Gütersloh ) was a German civil engineer in German South West Africa , today's Namibia .
Life
Gottlieb Redecker was the first son of seven children from the marriage of the missionary Johann Wilhelm Redecker and Maria Kardine Amalie Gronemeyer. The father (1836–1911) came in 1867 from Bielefeld (Westphalia) to Otjimbingwe in what would later become German South West Africa .
Gottlieb was one of the first students in what is now known as the Augustineum , which was later also visited by the sons of the legendary Herero chief Samuel Maharero . After the death of his mother, he was sent to Germany for training at the age of 11, accompanied by missionaries. After graduating from high school, he was trained as a civil engineer.
On January 25, 1898, he married Johanna Marie Elise Kornfeld and had a daughter with her.
After a second stay in Germany he came back to Otjimbingwe and in 1901 became head of construction in the imperial government. It was here that his career began as the country's first architect.
Gottlieb Redecker was a "Southwestern child". As a result of his father's long stay abroad, he lost his German citizenship and was classified as Damara by the responsible civil servant in Germany . He spoke fluently Damara and Herero and knew the country and people thoroughly. Through his language skills and previous school acquaintances, he had access to leading local personalities.
As an architect, Gottlieb Redecker was responsible for a large number of buildings in the country, especially with the famous Christ Church and the " Ink Palace " (government building), he set himself a monument. The third and best attempt by the Christ Church in neo-Romanesque style was finally approved. He not only made the construction drawings, but also carried out construction management until the end free of charge under adverse circumstances. The building was inaugurated on October 15, 1910 after a construction period of around three years.
The Christ Church in Karibib was also built according to his designs and consecrated in 1910, as was the Elisabethhaus in Windhoek , which was built in 1907 and inaugurated in 1908 .
After the end of the First World War - in South West Africa with the Peace of Khorab - Gottlieb was released from internment in Kimberley (South Africa) and remained in South West Africa until 1921. He was retired in 1931 and died in a bomb attack in his house in Gütersloh in 1945. His grave is also there.
Buildings (selection)
- Old festivals in Windhoek ; from 1901
- Old Post Office in Keetmanshoop ; 1910
- Christ Church in Windhoek; 1907-1910
- Elisabethhaus , Windhoek
- Ink Palace , in Windhoek; 1912-1913
- Otjimbingwe wind engine in Otjimbingwe ; 1896
Individual evidence
- ^ Klaus Dierks: History of Namibia, 1913
- ↑ Karibiber Christ Church celebrated one hundred years. Allgemeine Zeitung, December 30, 2010.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Redecker, Gottlieb |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Redecker, Gottlieb Wilhelm Eduard (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German civil engineer in Namibia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 30, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Otjimbingwe |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 21, 1945 |
| Place of death | Gutersloh |