Karl Max Schneider

Karl Max Schneider, 1952

Karl Max Schneider (born March 13, 1887 in Callnberg , † October 26, 1955 in Leipzig ) was a German zoo director and humanities scholar.

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School time and studies

Tailor with a hyena, 1953

Schneider was born on March 13, 1887, the son of a businessman. As the brother of six siblings, he attended elementary school in his hometown until 1901. From 1901 he studied at the Fürstlich-Schönburg teachers' seminar in Waldenburg . Like his siblings, he learned the teaching profession. From 1908 to 1910 he was employed as a teacher in Meerane to help out. In 1912 he passed the Abitur at the grammar school Freiberg . From 1910 he studied at the Leipzig University, where he completed a degree in natural sciences . In December 1913 he presented his doctoral thesis " The epistemological foundations in Rickert's doctrine of transcendence " finished, but was able to because of the First World War in 1918 to the Dr. phil. PhD . In August 1914 Schneider was drafted into the front line. A year later, his left lower leg had to be amputated after a serious wound . At the end of the war he was initially an assistant in the Zoological Institute at Frankfurt University.

Leipzig Zoo

In 1919 he returned to Leipzig, where he worked as a volunteer - assistant at the psychological institute was hired at the University. From 1920 he was an assistant at the Leipzig Zoo , in 1934 he was appointed director there. His main interest was in rearing lions . The Leipzig Zoo even exported big cats to Africa. Under Schneider, the zoo achieved world renown. Schneider was elected Vice President of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens in 1952. In 1952 he was elected a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina . In the following year he received the presidency of the Association of German Zoo Directors and the title of professor . He was also given honorary citizenship of the city of Leipzig and was awarded the GDR national prize. Schneider ran the Leipzig Zoo until his death on October 26, 1955. Since 1956 there has been a bust of Schneider in the zoo. Today it is located near the entrance to the Entdeckerhaus Arche , the former New Predator House, the place where lions were raised at the time.

Creation of Schneider

Karl Max Schneider's grave at the Südfriedhof Leipzig

Karl Max Schneider dealt extensively with the psychology of animals and their rearing. In the Leipziger Volkszeitung, papers about the zoo that Schneider wrote from 1913 were regularly published. The species-appropriate rearing and release of captive-born lions is regarded as one of Schneider's greatest achievements. He thus contributed to the protection of the lions and to their rescue from extinction. He also wrote numerous texts about different animal species in which he wrote down his findings on their psychology. Finally, the committed scientist also recognized the popular effect of the still young television and founded the series Der gefilnte Brehm on German television broadcasting (DFF).

In zoology, Schneider achieved worldwide recognition through his work. In several cities - as well as in his birthplace - streets were named after the zoologist . Schools like the Prof.-Dr.-Max-Schneider- Gymnasium in Lichtenstein bear his name. In 1954 he was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver.

Karl Max Schneider Foundation

The Karl Max Schneider Foundation preserves his estate, makes it available to the public and annually awards a Karl Max Schneider and an Ingeborg von Einsiedel Prize.

literature

• Anne-Sophie Berner: Professor Karl Max Schneider from Lichtenstein. Zoologist and zoo director in Leipzig. in: Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz (Hg.): Calendar Sächsische Heimat 2017, calendar sheet 11th week
• Wilhelm Schulze: Karl Max Schneider - A reminder on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birthday on March 13, 1987. In: The Zoological Garden (NF). Volume 57, 1987, pp. 50-51.

Web links

Commons : Karl Max Schneider  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

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1. ^ Member entry by Karl Max Schneider at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on June 22, 2016.
2. ↑ http://www.zoo-ag.de/KarlMaxSchneider/index.html
3. ↑ ^{a b} Gymnasium Lichtenstein ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ^ New Germany , October 7, 1954, p. 4
5. ^ Karl Max Schneider Foundation