Reinhold Heidecke

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Reinhold Heidecke (born January 2, 1881 in Aschersleben , † February 26, 1960 in Braunschweig ) was a German mechanic and entrepreneur , he was known as one of the two co-founders of today's camera manufacturer Rollei .

Beginnings

Reinhold Heidecke was one of the two sons of the miner Ernst Freiderich Heidecke and his wife Elisabeth Johanna. He wanted to become an ophthalmologist , but his family's financial circumstances did not allow him to go to university. So he left school in 1895 and began an apprenticeship as a mechanic at the Halleschen Manometer- und Telegrrafen-Bauanstalt C. Berger . From January 10, 1900 he worked for Voigtländer & Sohn , Optical Institute in Braunschweig. After military service in the Navy (from February 20, 1904), he returned to Voigtländer on September 10, 1905 as production manager. On April 7, 1906, he married Wilhelmine Biethan, who gave birth to their son Reinhold Ernst Friedrich on June 16, 1906 and their daughter Lotte Anne Johanna on January 14, 1908 .

At Voigtländer

Reinhold Heidecke was an excellent designer who could also manufacture the devices he developed himself. At Voigtländer, he proposed many new developments. However, he could not get his way with his plans for a new type of roll film camera , whereupon he tried to found his own company. But he did not manage to get the necessary start-up capital. When he inquired at his bank in 1918, she wrote that there were currently so many inquiries that you could get "two designers for one mark". The bank's caution was justified: the later history of his company finally showed that he would probably not have been successful due to a lack of commercial skills. Heidecke then considered proposing the establishment of a joint company to Paul Franke , a former Voigtländer employee, who bought the photo, but initially rejected this plan. At the insistence of his wife, he invited Franke to visit him again in February 1919, and the two of them decided to apply for a trade license. So it happened with effect from 1 January 1920 to form a joint venture under the company Franke & Heidecke .

Rollei

The two partners Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke were a good team. Heidecke's ability to construct cameras was combined with Franke's flair for the photo market. Constructions such as the Heidoscop stereo camera and the Roll (H) eidoscop were finally followed by the well-known two- lens roll film cameras Rolleiflex and Rolleicord in various designs and for various film formats.

When the British occupation forces occupied the company after the end of the Second World War, Franke immediately cooperated with them, while Heidecke was dismissive. The responsible Mr. Harris first had to convince him that nobody would be deported and that the production facilities would not be dismantled . To say goodbye, Heidecke asked for some British and American photo magazines to find out about the current state of camera technology. Shortly afterwards, soldiers delivered a large box. Heidecke wrote Harris a thank you letter and enclosed a Rolleiflex. The box contained numerous magazines and a Rolleiflex replica, which the US mail order company Sears sold after it no longer got any original cameras from Germany.

After Franke's death, the balance between technology and profitability was lost, so that Heidecke's designs were no longer geared to the needs of the market and he thus initiated the company's downfall.

Honors

Reinhold Heidecke was awarded an honorary doctorate on January 2, 1951 by the Technical University of Braunschweig for "outstanding work for German camera construction" . On March 25, 1956, he was made an honorary senator .

On February 13, 1951, he received the golden Voigtlander medal from the Photographische Gesellschaft in Vienna for outstanding services to camera construction.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Heidecke, Reinhold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German mechanic and entrepreneur, co-founder of the later camera manufacturer Rollei
DATE OF BIRTH January 2, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Aschersleben
DATE OF DEATH February 26, 1960
Place of death Braunschweig