Harald Koschik

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Harald Koschik (born March 26, 1944 in Gablonz , Neisse) is a German prehistorian . He was chief conservator at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation and first director of the Rhenish Office for Ground Monument Preservation in Bonn .

Life

Harald Koschik studied from 1965 to 1973 in the main subject Prehistory and Early History as well as in various minor subjects (Provincial Roman Archeology, Classical Archeology, Middle History and Bavarian State History at the Universities of Munich, Marburg, Kiel and Regensburg). He completed his studies at the University of Regensburg and received his doctorate in 1973 from Walter Torbrügge with the text The Bronze Age in southwestern Upper Bavaria . In 1981 his dissertation appeared in print. He initially worked as an assistant at the Regensburg chair. In 1974 he was appointed to the Prehistoric State Collection in Munich as a research assistant in the Department of Prehistory, where he worked from the move until the museum was reopened.

In 1977 he took over as chief curator at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, the management of the Nuremberg branch, responsible for the Central Franconia administrative region. Particularly noteworthy are the restoration of the large Weißenburg thermal baths by Hungarian specialists under the direction of the Provincial Roman archaeologist Zsolt Visy, as well as the complete investigation of the Rhaetian Limes Fort Ellingen ( with preserved building inscription), which was followed by a partial reconstruction as an open-air installation. Together with the excavation technician Ferdinand Leja and the restorer Werner Huber, among other things, the salvage of the remarkable Hallstatt-era ceramic depot from Hartmannshof was successful . The resumption of the excavations at the "cave ruins" of Hartmannshof-Hunas led to important new discoveries, especially for palaeozoology . With the help of Otto Braasch and Josef Mang, he made intensive use of aerial archeology as a modern means of prospecting.

In October 1987 Koschik moved to Bonn as the first director of the Rhenish Office for Ground Monument Preservation (RAB). His successor in Nuremberg was the archaeologist Robert Koch. One of Koschik's main concerns was to reorganize the structure and work areas of archaeological monument preservation in the Rhineland on the basis of the monument protection law of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which had only existed since 1980, or to improve existing principles. In the cooperation of the specialist office as an office of the Rhineland Regional Council with the lower and upper monument authorities as well as with the highest monument authority, the respective responsible ministry of the state, new paths had to be tread in many cases. Furthermore, Koschik endeavored to identify his specialist position as a modern service provider for the society of the Rhineland, shaped by the agglomerations on the Rhine and Ruhr with their typical dynamism. For this it was also necessary to present the sometimes complicated work of ground monument preservation and, last but not least, its often spectacular successes through popular activities to the interested population. This includes the introduction of the yearbook “Archeology in the Rhineland” from 1987 onwards as well as other popular scientific publications (series), but also annual invitations to the “Archeology Day” in the branch offices of the office. As before in his Bavarian field of work, he paid great attention to the large group of voluntary workers in the state, their effective organization and promotion.

Since 1992, the so-called polluter pays principle has been practiced in the official area, which regulates the financial expenditure for monument conservation measures by the building operator. Associated with this were clear and exemplary standards for the excavations etc. by specialist companies that were now used in such undertakings. - A noticeable improvement in the work situation in front of the large excavators in the lignite district west of Cologne resulted in the establishment of the "Foundation for the Promotion of Archeology in the Rhenish Lignite District" (today: Foundation Archeology in the Rhenish Lignite District ) by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rheinbraun AG and the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (Rhineland Regional Association) with the participation of the specialist office, whose capital could be increased to an impressive 30 million DM by 1997. The focus of this largest archaeological foundation in Europe was and is primarily the scientific excavation evaluation, in which numerous university institutes are involved. In this respect, the research project on ceramic tape on the Aldenhovener Platte, started in 1968 by Jens Lüning and Rudolph Kuper, was revived and continued , now in collaboration with the prehistorian Andreas Zimmermann , Institute for Prehistory and Early History at the University of Cologne. The acute threat and destruction of archaeological monuments in the (inner) cities, especially through the construction of underground garages, was counteracted by the planned creation of so-called basement cadastre in old towns and historical locations in cooperation with specialist institutes from neighboring universities. In the problematic situation of the predatory grave mischief using metal detectors, it was possible to steer the activities of probes willing to cooperate in an orderly manner.

Koschik placed great emphasis on cooperation and scientific exchange with the neighboring Netherlands and Belgium, which culminated in the large exhibition "Securing of evidence. Archaeological preservation of monuments in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine". Opened in 1992 in Aachen, this cross-border exhibition was also shown in Liège. - Since the mid-1980s he established his contacts with the archaeological seminar of the University of Pécs in Hungary. The archaeologist made possible a student exchange between the universities of Pécs and Bonn from 1989 to 1990 . In addition, Koschik appeared as a generous supporter of the archaeological seminar in Pécs. In 2008 he gave the University of Pécs large parts of its private library with thousands of volumes, which had grown over decades.

Koschik pushed ahead with the expansion of the office according to plan. Between 1989 and 1998, both the official headquarters in Bonn and all four branch offices were able to move into new, more useful service quarters. Together with the continuously expanding workforce, the Rhenish Office for Ground Monument Preservation finally achieved a top position among comparable institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Out of the annual record of excavation successes, the sensational discovery and salvage of the ceramic well from Erkelelenz-Kückhoven stood out in 1990/91. The mighty, still more than 8 m high wooden construction in block construction with more recent fixtures and an informative backfill dates from the 51st century BC in the oldest construction phase. At that time it was the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world. - The meticulous examinations in the Neandertal under the local direction of Ralf W. Schmitz and Jürgen Thissen delivered almost sensational results in 1997 and 2000 . Below the long-lost site of 1856, many finds and bone fragments were found in the overburden of the former quarry. Partly adapted to the skeleton of the famous " Neanderthaler " in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn and still provided evidence of two other individuals. These new discoveries made a significant contribution to a lasting revitalization of Neanderthal research.

In addition to his work as director in Bonn, Koschik held seminars on archaeological monument preservation between 1995 and 2008 as a university lecturer (2001 appointment as honorary professor) at the chair for urban history at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule in Aachen. He was a participant in the UNESCO excavation and restoration project of the chair in 1996 in the medieval city of Al Balid near Salalah , Sultanate of Oman.

In February 2004, Harald Koschik retired; Jürgen Kunow succeeded him in the summer . After moving to his old home in Chiemgau, he dedicates himself to the history of historical rifle weapons and is a member of relevant associations.

Memberships

Koschik has been active in the Association of State Archaeologists in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1977 (full member until 2004, appointed advisory member since 2007, member of the board from 1983–2004). He has been a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) since 1988 and was on the International Council of Museums ( ICOM ) and on the International Committee for Archaeological and Historical Museums (ICAHM). In addition, he was a member of the advisory board of the Altnürnberger Landschaft eV, was a member of the board of the association of antiquity friends in the Rhineland , scientific advisory board of the specialist journal Archeology in Germany , advisory board of the North Rhine-Westphalia Foundation and advisory board of the foundation for the promotion of archeology in the Rhenish lignite mining area. Koschik was also active in the Monument Protection Working Group of the North Rhine-Westphalia City Council, in the Historical Atlas Commission of the Society for Rhenish History , in the Carolingian Aachen Working Group of the RWTH Aachen University and in the Trier Archaeological Commission.

Honors

  • In 1983 he received the Bavarian People's Foundation Prize
  • In 2011, a memorial plaque for Harald Koschik was unveiled at the University of Pécs.

Fonts (selection)

  • Author and editor of numerous scientific and political content
  • Founder and editor of " Archeology in the Rhineland ...", "Materials for the preservation of monuments in the Rhineland" and "Guide to archaeological monuments in the Rhineland"
  • Editor of the " Rhenish Excavations "
  • Co-editor of the " Bonner Jahrbücher ", the "Schriften zur Bodendenkmalpflege in Nordrhein-Westfalen" and the specialist journal " Aräologie in Deutschland "
  • Editor of the exhibition catalog "Spurensicherung. Archaeological preservation of monuments in the Euregio Maas-Rhein (= art and antiquity on the Rhine. Guide to the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn and the Rhenish Office for Land Monument Preservation No. 136), Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1410-8
  • The Bronze Age in southwest Upper Bavaria. Text and panel volume, (=  material booklets on Bavarian prehistory, series A 50) Laßleben, Kallmünz 1981, ISBN 3-7847-5050-8 (dissertation)

literature

  • Change of leadership in the Rhineland. In: Archeology in Germany 3, 2004 , p. 73.
  • Jürgen Kunow : Speeches on the occasion of the farewell of the Director of the Rhenish Office for Ground Monument Preservation, Prof. Dr. Harald Koschik, on February 13th . In: Archäologie im Rheinland, 2004 (2005), pp. 13–22.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Koschik, Harald
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German prehistorian
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Gablonz , Neisse