Karl Zahn (politician)

Karl Zahn with a chain of office and the "Red Eagle Order IV Class"

Karl Zahn (born November 25, 1806 in Aplerbeck (now Dortmund ), † August 26, 1882 in Hofgeismar ) was a German politician. From 1847 to 1871 he was mayor or lord mayor of the city of Dortmund.

Live and act

Karl Zahn was born on November 25, 1806 in the municipality of Aplerbeck . His father was the economist Conrad Zahn. He attended grammar school in Dortmund and then studied law and political science. He finished his studies without a degree and became an administrative officer in his hometown. From 1840 to 1843 he worked there as a city councilor in local politics. He left Dortmund to become mayor of Hattingen . On December 10, 1846, he was elected mayor by the Dortmund city council. The election was met with strong rejection from the long-established council families , from whose ranks the mayors of Dortmund had been recruited since the time of the imperial city . However, a petition at the Ministry of the Interior failed and so Zahn was appointed mayor on July 1, 1847. During his term of office, Dortmund changed from an arable town to an industrial metropolis . In the course of industrialization , the urban infrastructure had to be adapted: Karl Zahn initiated the establishment of the gas works, the introduction of gas lighting and the reorganization of the poor. On the other hand, he tried to keep the city administration as small as possible. Another consequence of industrialization was the population explosion, from 1859 Zahn accordingly held the title of Lord Mayor, which he held until June 30, 1871. From 1854 to 1871 he represented his city in the Prussian manor house . On the same day, the city of Dortmund made him the first citizen to be granted honorary citizenship . Karl Zahn died on August 26, 1882 in Hofgeismar.

literature

• Karin Schambach: Urban bourgeoisie and industrial upheaval. Dortmund 1780-1870 . In: City and Bourgeoisie . tape 5 . Oldenbourg, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-486-56086-7 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Karin Schambach: Zahn, Carl . In: Hans Bohrmann (Ed.): Biographies of important Dortmunders. People in, from and for Dortmund . tape 2 . Klartext, Essen 1998, ISBN 3-88474-677-4 , p. 152 f .