Julius HW Kraft

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Julius HW Kraft (born January 3, 1917 in Bremen ; † March 31, 2008 in Kirchseelte ( district of Oldenburg , Lower Saxony )) was a German author and initiator of the Bauernhaus interest group , which was founded in 1973 and is dedicated to the preservation and care of old half-timbered houses that characterize the village has set the goal of maintaining and caring for the rural landscape throughout Germany. He lived and worked in Kirchseelte for many years.

Life

Kraft came from a family of craftsmen in Bremen. His father was a stair and boat builder, his mother was a laundress. Kraft grew up in Bremen and attended school there until 1931. He then did an apprenticeship as a carpenter and from 1937 went “on a journey”, including in Austria and what was then the Sudetengau . After the currency reform in 1949, he went into business for himself. In 1959, together with his wife Gertrud, he bought a run-down, abandoned Köthnerstelle in Kirchseelte (then the county of Hoya , now the county of Oldenburg ), renovated it and used it for the preservation of historical monuments . He gained experience by doing a lot of repair and maintenance work himself, especially since there were hardly any craftsmen in rural areas who could and would have put an old house in order according to his ideas.

Act

After his own experience in the restoration of the old farmhouse , Kraft founded the “Farmhouse Interest Group” (IGB) in 1973 together with 75 farmhouse friends, at that time under the name “Farmhouse Interest Group Grafschaft Hoya eV”. The aim was to provide food for thought in order to counteract the destruction of centuries-old cultural assets in rural areas. At the same time, the IGB wanted to provide technically feasible assistance for repair and maintenance measures in order to contribute to the maintenance of the site. It was about appreciating what is typical of the region and creating opportunities for identification. The value of historical rural buildings should be made aware and contributed to the recognition of their value.

In 1975, the year of monument protection , he brought out the newsletter “Der Holznagel” as a member magazine of the IGB. The magazine had the motto: "The wooden nail connects - The wooden nail holds together - The wooden nail holds tight." For decades, Kraft headed the editorial department, wrote many articles himself and contributed drawings and photos. In this way, the increasing number of members could be reached in writing and the goals of the IGB implemented.

Awards / honors

literature

  • together with Manfred Claassen (catalog design): advertise. Exhibition, Bund Dt. Commercial artist, Bremen group, in the Kunsthalle Bremen from April 24th to June 5th, 1966. (Exhibition catalog), Bremen: Bund Dt. Commercial artist, Bremen group, 1966
  • Huus Veertein. ITUC. (Ed .: Interest group Bauernhaus eV - IGB), Lilienthal 1998, 116 p. M. numerous Fig.
  • Editing, articles, photos and drawings in the members' magazine Der Holznagel. Bulletin of the Farmhouse Interest Group (IGB) Kreis Grafschaft Hoya e. V. 1977 ff. (6 issues a year; 96 pages each; circulation: 15,000)
  • Diethart Kerbs : Lifelines. German biographies from the 20th century. With an afterword by Arno Klönne. Essen, Klartext-Verlag 2007. ISBN 3-89861-799-8

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kraft, Julius HW
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German author, initiator of the farmhouse interest group
DATE OF BIRTH January 3, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Bremen
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 2008
Place of death Kirchseelte