Hans Pfeiffer (engineer)

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Julius Alexander Hans Pfeiffer (born October 23, 1879 in Stettin , † November 8, 1960 in Kiel ) was a German hydraulic engineering officer. As a member of the board of the Prussian water building authority for dam construction in Sylt from 1914 to 1927 he was the builder of the Hindenburg dam . From 1939 to 1949 he was President of the Kiel Waterways Directorate .

Live and act

Hans Pfeiffer was a son of the captain Emil Carl Pfeiffer (* 1847 in Jasenitz ; † 1910 in Stettin ) and his wife Anna Luise Dorothea, née Malbranc (* 1854 in Swinoujscie ; † 1928 in Stettin). He attended a secondary school in Szczecin and passed his matriculation examination in 1903. He then studied engineering at technical universities in Munich, Hanover and Berlin and graduated with a degree in engineering. He then completed training for the higher civil service. He worked in the hydraulic engineering offices of Tönning , Stettin and Landsberg an der Warthe . Pfeiffer passed the second state examination and then directed the construction of the Rendsburg swing bridge over the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal from 1908 to 1914 .

From 1914 to 1927 board member of the Prussian water building authority Dammbau Sylt. He managed preparatory activities for the construction of a dam from the mainland to the island of Sylt - the Hindenburg dam - and supervised the construction work. During this time he received his doctorate. In his dissertation, dated May 11, 1920, he dealt with preparatory studies for the construction of the Hindenburg dam. The following construction work was considered a pioneering act, as no other exemplary structure existed before. When the dam was opened in 1927, President Paul von Hindenburg paid tribute to this achievement.

From 1927 to 1934 Pfeiffer headed the hydraulic engineering department in Emden , which can be seen as recognition of his achievements in the construction of the Hindenburg dam. In 1934 he became general adviser for coastal protection, land reclamation and water management at the regional president in Schleswig. Here he had a particularly large number of projects. He introduced modern construction methods, had sea dikes and dams built or reinforced in the tidal flats and gained around 5000 hectares of virgin land. He also dealt with reorganizing the state and self-administration of the dyke and water system. To this end, he trained march construction offices and set up large and efficient dike associations.

From 1939 to 1949 Pfeiffer was the first president of the newly formed waterways directorate in Kiel . In 1953 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for his services.

Pfeiffer was married to Anni Rehder (* 1890 in Rendsburg). The couple had a daughter and two sons.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Pfeiffer, Hans
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pfeiffer, Julius Alexander Hans (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German hydraulic engineering officer, President of the Kiel Waterways Directorate
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1879
PLACE OF BIRTH Szczecin
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1960
Place of death Kiel