Helmut A. Crous

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Helmut Aurel Crous (born November 15, 1913 in Aachen ; † July 8, 1993 there ) was a German journalist and collector. In addition, as President of the Aachen Carnival Association (AKV), he was an important sponsor of the Aachen Carnival .

Life

After attending the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, today's Aachen Einhardgymnasium , Crous began his professional career as a freelancer at the Aachen newspaper publishers Der Volksfreund and the Aachener Post and, from 1936, at Droste-Verlag in Düsseldorf . During the Second World War he worked as a war correspondent in France and Hungary . After the war, Crous took a position as editor at the Aachener Volkszeitung , where he was later appointed head of the local editorial department until his retirement in 1978.

In addition to his full-time commitment, Crous headed the Aachen Press District Association as chairman from 1951 to 1965 , then until 1975 the German Association of Journalists (DJV) and as President of the International Federation of Journalists (IJF) and was a member of the Federal Press Commission appointed by the Federal Government .

In addition, Helmut A. Crous was one of the founders of the Aachener Verkehrsverein, to which he was a lifelong member and archivist. For many years he was honorary chairman of the German Red Cross in Aachen.

Crou's great private passion was cultivating the customs of the Aachen Carnival and local history . On December 8, 1947, he joined the Aachen Carnival Association, organized the first Rose Monday procession after the war in 1950 and in the same year played a decisive role in the election of the first knight of the order against seriousness , James Arthur Dugdale. Later he was a member of the AKV Elferrat , was elected vice-president under Jacques Königstein and headed the club as president from 1972 to 1984. He was then appointed honorary president and in 1986 he was given the honorary doctorate of a Dr. humoris causa . In addition, he was a long-time archivist for the AKV.

The nearly 20 publications he wrote during this time relate, in addition to his publications in the newspaper industry, to areas of his hometown Aachen as well as to carnival topics.

Helmut A. Crous found his final resting place on Westfriedhof II in Aachen.

Crous collection

Crous' penchant for local history led to a unique, extensive collection of historical works from the 16th century to the present day. With the two-volume edition of the band Aachen coat of arms and genealogies of Hermann Friedrich Macco 1948 his passion for collecting began. Through acquisitions and donations, his private library, which had grown to around 4,500 publications by the time he died, comprised an archive and reference library with literature on the local history of Aachen and the region, manuscripts, biographical material, illustrated books, catalogs, yearbooks, dissertations, commemorative publications from companies, schools or associations, Newspapers and newspaper clippings as well as around 390 watercolors, copperplate engravings and graphics. The oldest book dates from 1521, the oldest copper engraving from 1572. A total of 393 writings are classified as particularly valuable within the collection.

As a collection Crous Helmut A. Crous donated his private library in 1993 that since 1996 the GAB based in the Old Spa has and as a non profit company is run. The preservation and maintenance of this collection are financed through charity events and donations from supporters and sponsors and it is open to the public. A postcard collection as well as a film and sound archive are planned and under construction.

Since 2012, the Crous Collection has been awarding the AKV Crous Collection History Prize annually for projects to research the history of the city of Aachen or the Euregio Meuse-Rhine . The submitted contributions will be scientifically assessed by the Historical Institute of RWTH Aachen University .

Honors

  • 1970: Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • 1980: Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Fonts

  • Carnival in Aachen as it became, as it was, as it is - Aachen Carnival Association, founded in 1859. 1859–1959 . Foolish cure since 1133, von der Lohe, Aachen 1959.
  • Hermann Weisweiler (photo): Aachen a photographic sketchbook. 3. Edition. Greven, Cologne 1974, ISBN 3-7743-0056-9 .
  • Aachen - multilingual illustrated book with a city tour and photo tips for amateurs . German, French, English, Dutch. Fromm, Osnabrück 1962.
  • Hermann Weisweiler (photo): Eifel, Ardennes. A garden of Europe. Un jardin d'Europe. Greven, Cologne 1964, DNB 455441561 .
  • (together with Helmut Falter): Festschrift for the 150th anniversary of the JA Mayer'schen Buchhandlung 1817–1967. JA Mayer, Aachen 1967.
  • Aachen as it was. Droste, Düsseldorf 1971.
  • Old Aachen cityscapes. 16th to 19th century
Volume 1: Mayer, Aachen 1971, ISBN 3-7700-0256-3 .
Volume 2: Mayer, Aachen 1979, ISBN 3-7700-0540-6 .
  • Against animal seriousness. Speeches from the Aachen bird cage. Langen-Müller, Munich / Vienna 1980, ISBN 3-7844-1807-4 .
  • Alaaf oche en if you forgive. The Carnival in Aachen during the centuries 1859–1984. 125 years of the Aachen Carnival Association. AKV, Aachen 1984, ISBN 3-923773-02-1 .
  • One hundred years of bakers' guild in the city of Aachen . Deutmann Aachen, 1986.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Holger A. Dux : Aachen from A – Z - Worth knowing in 1500 key words . Aschendorff, Münster 2003, ISBN 3-402-05465-5 , p. 84 .
personal data
SURNAME Crous, Helmut A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Crous, Helmut Aurel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German journalist and collector
DATE OF BIRTH November 15, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Aachen
DATE OF DEATH July 8, 1993
Place of death Aachen