Hugo Hildebrandt (ornithologist)

Hugo Christian Max Hildebrandt (born January 25, 1866 in Tating , † September 17, 1946 in Altenburg ) was a German forest administrator and ornithologist .

Live and act

Hugo Hildebrandt was a son of Christian Friedrich Hildebrandt (* July 6, 1838 in Leezen ; † January 14, 1916 in Kosel ) and his wife Friederike Marianne Christine, née Krummbein (* January 6, 1844 in Hohenfelde ; † February 28, 1903 in Kiel ). He had five siblings with whom he grew up in Itzehoe . His father worked here as a teacher and sexton from the 1870s. During his school days he was only interested in nature and animals and neglected other subjects. He occupied himself with inspecting the West Holstein landscapes, collecting, setting traps, making preparations and keeping animals.

Hildebrandt attended secondary school in Itzehoe. Since he only wanted to become a forester so that he could spend time in nature, his school days ended with confirmation. From 1881 he received practical training in the private areas of Holstein. From 1886 he did his compulsory military service. Since he was very tall, he served in the Berlin Guard Regiment. He accompanied his superiors on hunts by Ernst I. von Sachsen-Altenburg as a helper. The Duke took over Hildebrandt as his personal hunter in 1889. During this time, which was not very work-intensive, Hildebrandt was able to carry out and collect extensive nature studies. He also acquired a more extensive education, particularly in geography, geology, local and general history, classical literature and languages.

From 1898 to 1900 Hildebrandt received official training as a forest assistant in a very wooded area in the west of Altenburg. He then began a medium-term forest management career at the Tharant Forest Academy and finished it with appropriate exams. From 1903 he worked as a forest registrar in the ducal domain entails administration in Altenburg.

On July 6, 1904, Hildenbrandt married the pastor's daughter Agnes Luise Martha Heyge (* July 13, 1904 in Heyda ; † July 6, 1939 in Altenburg) in Camburg-Döbritschen , with whom he had no children. In 1918 he switched to the state service of Thuringia as a forest registrar. In 1930 he retired as senior administrative secretary.

Scientific work

Hildebrandt dealt with botany and several animal subjects. He achieved outstanding importance as an ornithologist. In 1908 he reported in a first publication on the fauna of reptiles and amphibians in the Duchy of East Thuringia. From 1906 he worked as a voluntary curator of the renowned natural research society of the Osterland and rearranged their bird collection. As part of this activity, two more extensive works appeared in 1917 and 1919, into which he incorporated his own field observations and literature studies. In it he described the changing populations of several bird species in the region in which Christian Ludwig Brehm had made studies. In the "Contribution to the Ornis of East Thuringia" he presented the bird distribution in East Thuringia.

From 1912 to 1943 Hildebrandt wrote several articles on ornithology almost every year. There were also sixteen more extensive publications on the history of ornithology. He set up his own large specialist library for studying literature, in which many rare sources could be found. He donated the library to the Jena University Library .

Hildebrandt traveled through Germany well into old age, especially to Northern Germany, while doing ornithological studies. He wrote eighteen publications on the Faunea of ​​Northern Germany alone. In addition, he was a member of several ornithological associations and attended specialist events, through which he got to know a lot of scientists. He was considered an excellent observer who was well-read, had specialist knowledge, worked carefully and was able to make critical judgments. The Thuringian state authority commissioned him for expert opinions and asked him for advice on matters relating to nature conservation.

Hildebrandt was one of the few autodidacts who wrote articles for Günther Niethammer's "Handbook of German Ornithology" . For many years he was busy collecting and processing the very extensive sources for the sections “General Distribution” and “Occurrence in Germany”. In the 1920s he began a comprehensive study of the "Thuringian bird fauna". However, due to the work for Niethammer's manual, he had to postpone this work. He occupied himself with this project until the end of his life, which he could not finish. Partial manuscripts and material collections were stored in Schleswig-Holstein for a long time after his death. In 1970 they were brought to Thuringia, edited and published.

In 1893 Hildebrandt joined the German Association for the Protection of the Bird World. Since 1901 he has been involved in the Natural Research Society of the Osterland, since 1906 as a member of the board. In 1921 he became a member of the German Ornithological Society , from 1925 a member of the committee. He was also a member of the Association of Saxon Ornithologists, which made him an honorary member in 1939.

literature

• Ludwig Baege: Hildebrandt, Hugo. In: Biographical Lexicon for Schleswig-Holstein and Lübeck. Volume 9. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1991, ISBN 3-529-02649-2 , pages 146-148.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ludwig Baege: Hildebrandt, Hugo. In: Biographical Lexicon for Schleswig-Holstein and Lübeck. Volume 9. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1991, ISBN 3-529-02649-2 , page 146.
2. ↑ Ludwig Baege: Hildebrandt, Hugo. In: Biographical Lexicon for Schleswig-Holstein and Lübeck. Volume 9. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1991, ISBN 3-529-02649-2 , pages 146-147.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ludwig Baege: Hildebrandt, Hugo. In: Biographical Lexicon for Schleswig-Holstein and Lübeck. Volume 9. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1991, ISBN 3-529-02649-2 , page 147.