Hugo Hesse

Hugo Hesse (born November 18, 1855 in Wechselburg-Altzschillen , † January 4, 1923 in Kulmbach ) was a German scientist .

Life

Hugo Wilhelm Hesse came from Altzschillen, now part of Wechselburg in Saxony. The early death of the father prevented him from studying natural sciences and forced Hesse to begin an apprenticeship as a druggist . After running a relative's business in Hof for a few years , he opened the first drugstore in Kulmbach in 1894. His wife Jeanne Marie Oger (born January 15, 1866 in Nantes; † February 27, 1937 in Kulmbach) he married on July 21, 1894 in her hometown of Nantes . He died on January 4, 1923 in Kulmbach and is buried in the new Kulmbach cemetery.

Activities as a local researcher

Hugo Hesse showed great interest in the natural sciences, especially zoology and geology , from an early age . However, the early death of the father prevented a corresponding degree, but Hesse acquired extensive knowledge in the areas mentioned as an autodidact . He supplemented the theoretical knowledge he had acquired through observation and investigation of nature and a wide range of collecting activities. He particularly devoted himself to researching the red sandstone and the fossil tracks of the chirotherium embedded in it . One type of hand animal, the Chirotherium hessei , is named after him. His collection finally comprised 1900 fossils from all geological strata represented in the Kulmbach area, 140 minerals with which he was able to depict the geological structure of the landscape including the surrounding mountains, 190 specimens of all bird species breeding and migrating here, 125 nests and animal burrows, 35 specimens of the most important native mammals, 5500 butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects from the Obermaing area, 100 snail and mussel shells and 300 skulls of various animals. The collection was a scientific treasure trove and was considered to be one of the best in Germany because, as a distinct local collection, it also provided comprehensive evidence of the local conditions. Hesse had developed into a masterly taxidermist and attached great importance to the scientific nature of his work. For this purpose he was in lively correspondence and exchange with the leading scholars of his time. Since 1906, Hesse's scientific collection was exhibited in the Kulmbacher Luitpold Museum; In 1935, it was refurbished in the Plassenburg by Professor Hans Günther and Hans Edelmann . There it was largely destroyed in the turmoil at the end of the war in 1945.

Honors

In 1922, Hugo Hesse made the "scientific circle" in Kulmbach an honorary member. The city of Kulmbach named a street after him.

Sources and literature

• City archive Kulmbach, information file "Hugo Hesse"
• Ottmar Schmidt: Wegmarken - What Kulmbach's place and street names told, Kulmbach 2000, ISBN 3-00-006895-3
• Gerd Schmucker: Passion for collecting for the benefit of research - local researcher Hugo Hesse was born 125 years ago, in: From the Fränkische Heimat, supplement to the Bayerische Rundschau, No. 4/1980