Albert Einstein (left) and Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe (right)
“Tonight I had to think an awful lot, but I think it was worth it…”
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
“You can recognize a really good idea when its realization seems impossible from the outset.”
Albert Einstein
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein revolutionized navigation and shipping in Kiel Neumühlen-Dietrichsdorf with the development of the gyrocompass. The two brilliant inventors are now commemorated by an impressive monument by the renowned sculptor Jörg Plickat, which was presented on July 29, 2022 in the immediate vicinity of the Schwentine estuary in Kiel-Dietrichsdorf at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27 at 10:00 a.m. Here the ideas of the two scientists resulted in groundbreaking creative and application-oriented implementations.
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe (October 3, 1872 - May 6, 1931), actually a doctor of art historian, developed the gyrocompass , an electromechanical instrument that can determine the north direction independently of the earth's magnetic field, even in submarines with a complete metal hull. For this purpose, he built a development building and a manufacturing plant on the site of today's Kiel Pain Clinic at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27 at the mouth of the Schwentine in the Kiel Fjord.
In a patent dispute in 1915, Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 - April 18, 1955; Nobel Prize in 1921 for services to theoretical physics and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect) was appointed as an expert. The two geniuses became friends. Einstein and Anschütz-Kaempfe corresponded regularly between 1915 and 1926. In addition to technical problems in the development of the gyrocompass, they also discussed private topics and world events. This correspondence shows, among other things, that Einstein helped to improve the gyrocompass. The result was the ball compass, in whose patent from 1922 Einstein received shares. At times he earned more from patent rights than from his work as a university lecturer. Albert Einstein stayed on Heikendorfer Weg at the mouth of the Schwentine more and more often and received an apartment at Heikendorfer Weg 23 from Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe.
As early as 1920, Einstein was not allowed to present his theory of relativity at the University of Kiel due to his religious affiliation. The university at the time also refused to even recognize Einstein's work. The lecture then took place in the Kiel trade union building and was open not only to scientists but to anyone interested. After the Nobel Prize winner no longer wanted to stay in Berlin due to increasing anti-Semitism, he considered continuing his work in Kiel on Heikendorfer Weg. However, after careful consideration, he decided against it. Many events in Kiel also raised concerns about anti-Semitic attacks. Einstein decided against the planned purchase of the Esmarch villa in Kiel's university hospital district north of the palace gardens.
In 1926, the pacifist Albert Einstein stayed in Kiel for the last time and left Germany forever in 1932. So he never saw his “Diogenes Tonne”, as he warmly called his beloved accommodation on Heikendorfer Weg at the Schwendine estuary, again. In 1965 the house at Heikendorfer Weg 23 was demolished. , Raytheon Anschütz GmbH moved production of the gyrocompass and other instruments to Zeyestr. 16-24 laid on the Kiel Canal. The listed building and the property at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27, the place where Anschütz-Kaempfe and Einstein worked, is now the location of the Kiel Pain Clinic .
The monument on the area where the two geniuses worked was designed by the sculptor Prof. Jörg Plickat at the suggestion of the neurologist and founder of the Kiel Pain Clinic Prof. Dr. med. Dipl.-Psych. Hartmut Göbel created in 2022 based on a common idea. The idea originally emerged from the discussion among Kiel Rotarians. Co-initiators are Prof. Dr. Anton Eisenhauer from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, Klaus-Michael Heinze, Chancellor Emeritus at Kiel University of Applied Sciences and lawyer Dr. Johann Brunkhorst. In addition to the silhouettes of the heads of the geniuses, the creation shows a gyrocompass and the brain as the source of all human thoughts, emotions, creativity and behavior. At the mouth of the Schwentine there are now institutions such as the Kiel University of Applied Sciences, the Geomar Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel and the Kiel Pain Clinic, which, like the Anschütz works back then, are based on the performance of the human brain. The current building of the Kiel Pain Clinic was created by the architect Hans Hertlein with Walter Gropius and Oskar Schlemmer in the Bauhaus style. It houses, among other things, an architectural image of the “Schlemmer” staircase by Oskar Schlemmer, which has now found its place as a painting in the Museum of Moden Art in New York. Oskar Schlemmer's works were defamed in the defamatory exhibition “Degenerate Art” .
The artist Prof. Plickat's studio in Bredenbek, located between Kiel and Rendsburg, is where his work was created. This is where Jörg Plickat creates his monumental sculptures, which are mainly made of bronze and Corten steel. Jörg Plickat, born in Hamburg in 1954, studied at the Muthesius Art Academy in Kiel. The artist was initially figurative before moving on to abstraction and cubic language in the mid-1980s. However, he did not ignore the human form, which is always noticeable in his works, which are known beyond the borders of Germany. Jörg Plickat, who has won numerous national and international awards, including the Macquarie Prize 2015 in Australia, has taken part in over 350 exhibitions worldwide. Around 100 of his sculptures decorate public spaces in ten countries on four continents.
Speech by Prof. Hartmut Göbel at the presentation of the monument on July 29, 2022
See also: Kunst@SH-Schleswig-Holstein & Hamburg
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A monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein
“Tonight I had to think tremendous amounts, but I think it paid off…”
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
“A really good idea can be recognized by the fact that its implementation seems impossible at the beginning.”
Albert Einstein
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe silhouette is arranged in its place
With the development of the gyrocompass, Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein revolutionized navigation and shipping. The two ingenious inventors are now commemorated by an imposing monument by the renowned sculptor Jörg Plickat, which was unveiled on July 29, 2022 in the immediate vicinity of the river mouth of the Schwentine river in Kiel-Dietrichsdorf at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27. Here, the ideas of the two scientists resulted in groundbreaking creative and application-oriented innovations.
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe (October 3, 1872 – May 6, 1931), actually a doctor of art history, developed the gyrocompass, an electromechanical instrument that could determine the magnetic north independently of the earth's magnetic field even in submarines with a complete metal hull. For this purpose, he built a research and manufacturing plant on the site of today's Kiel Migraine and Headache Center at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27 at the river mouth of the Schwentine river into the Kiel Fjord.
In 1915, Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955; Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”) was appointed as an expert witness in a patent dispute. The two geniuses became friends. Einstein and Anschütz-Kaempfe corresponded regularly between 1915 and 1926. In addition to technical problems in the development of the gyrocompass, they also exchanged views on private topics or world events. This correspondence shows, among other things, that Einstein helped to improve the gyrocompass. The result was the spherical compass, in the patent of which Einstein received a share in 1922. At times, he earned more from the patent rights than from his work as a university lecturer. More and more often Albert Einstein stayed at Heikendorfer Weg at the river mouth of the Schwentine river and was provided with an apartment at Heikendorfer Weg 23 from Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe.
Already in 1920 Einstein was not allowed to lecture his theory of relativity at the University of Kiel because of his religious affiliation. Furthermore, the university at that time refused to recognize Einstein's work at all. The lecture was then held at the Kiel Union House and was open not only to scientists but to all interested parties. After the Nobel Prize winner no longer wanted to stay in Berlin due to the growing anti-Semitism, he considered continuing his work in Kiel at Heikendorfer Weg. After careful consideration, however, he decided against it. Many occasions caused concern about anti-Semitic attacks in Kiel as well. Einstein decided against the actually planned purchase of the Esmarch villa in the Kiel University hospital district north of the Schlossgarten.
In 1926 Albert Einstein stayed in Kiel for the last time and left Germany for good in 1932. So he never saw his “Diogenes jar”, as he warmly called his beloved accommodation on Heikendorfer Weg at the river mouth of the Schwentine River, again. In 1965, the house at Heikendorfer Weg 23 was demolished. Raytheon Anschütz GmbH moved production of the gyrocompass and other instruments to Zeyestr. 16-24 next to the Kiel Canal after the war. The listed building and property at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27, the place where Anschütz-Kaempfe and Einstein worked, is now the site of the Kiel Headache and Pain Center.
The monument on the site of the work of the two geniuses was created by the sculptor Prof. Jörg Plickat at the suggestion of the neurologist and founder of the Pain Clinic Kiel Prof. Dr. med. Dipl.-Psych. Hartmut Göbel in 2022 following a joint idea. The idea originally arose from discussions among Kiel Rotarians. Co-initiators are Prof. Dr. Anton Eisenhauer from GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, Klaus-Michael Heinze, chancellor emeritus at Kiel University of Applied Sciences and lawyer Dr. Johann Brunkhorst. In addition to the silhouettes of the heads of the geniuses, the monument shows a gyrocompass and the brain as the source of all human thoughts, emotions, creative power and behavior. Today, at the Schwentine river mouth, there are institutions such as the Kiel University of Applied Sciences, the Geomar Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel and the Kiel Headache and Pain Center, which, like the Anschütz-Werke back then, are based on the achievements of the human brain. The current building of the Kiel Headache and Pain Center was created by the architect Hans Hertlein with Walter Gropius and Oskar Schlemmer in the Bauhaus architectural style. Among other things, it houses an architectural match of Oskar Schlemmer's painting of the “Schlemmer-staircase”, which today has found its home in the Museum of Moden Art in New York. The paintings of Oskar Schlemmer were defamed in the 1937 “Degenerate Art” exhibition in Munich.
The art studio of Prof. Plickat in Bredenbek, located between Kiel and Rendsburg, is where his art is created. Here Jörg Plickat constructs his monumental sculptures, which are mainly made of bronze and Corten steel. Jörg Plickat, born in Hamburg in 1954, studied at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts in Kiel. The artist was initially figurative before moving to abstraction and cubic language in the mid-1980s. However, he did not disregard the human form, which is always noticeable in his works, which are known beyond the borders of Germany. The recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the 2015 Macquarie Prize in Australia, Jörg Plickat has participated in over 350 exhibitions worldwide. Around 100 of his sculptures decorate public spaces in ten countries on four continents.
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Letters from Albert Einstein from Kiel to Else Einstein
View from Einstein's apartment at the mouth of the Schwentine in Kiel, Heikendorfer Weg 23
Tuesday. September 14, 1920
Dear Else!
I arrived here after a happy, comfortable journey and was met on the platform by Mr. Anschütz.
I've rarely had it so beautiful - I don't say it to increase the pain of your journey, but just to let you enjoy the fantasy. So we drove from the train station in Anschütz's motorboat to a landing stage that belongs to Anschütz's villa. This is located directly on the water on a small hill in the middle of a beautiful garden. I was now led up to the attic of the villa, where there was a lovely little apartment for overnight visitors, consisting of two small, tastefully furnished rooms with all the comforts your heart could desire and with a wonderful view over the Bay of Kiel. Breakfast is also brought, so I am surrounded by unsurpassable peace and do not even notice that I am visiting. In addition, Mr. Anschütz and his wife are quiet and cheerful people who have no idea what fidgeting and pushing means. Last night I went to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with Ms. Anschütz. Performance quite unsatisfactory, composition great, but not in the spirit of my ideal. Mrs. Anschütz is still very young, pretty, more body than mind: she was very pleased with the imposition of having to mother me, because the parental relationship would be much better the other way around, even with such a lush daughter with reddish-blond hair always left me with a suspicious question mark. Today I'm going to a lecture by Becker on German educational issues and then—unfortunately!—to an official banquet. (Nothing to do). My lecture is tomorrow morning. Spengler isn't coming. In general, it seems to me that the Kiel Week does not grow beyond the local framework. Stuffy civil servants, stupid and stuffy. There's no more space to go along with my sermon, but I think the people are getting even less of their money's worth than I am. Think about the house and the sailboat. We must also establish a more humane existence, albeit in all rural simplicity. There's something beautiful about a tranquil life. This is now becoming very clear to me. Berlin is nerve-wracking and also deprives me of the opportunity to think quietly. Be with Ilse and Margot kissed by your Albert.
I also send greetings to the grandparents and Anna, and also the minstrel Moszkowski and his wife. Greetings from Anschützens, who regret your cancellation. Goodbye Saturday. I'll probably have to leave on Friday.
——-
Kiel, October 11, 1926
Dear Else,
I arrived here yesterday evening and spent pleasant hours with Anschütz. I've already done everything I wanted. 1) I receive 1% of the sales price of all instruments in which the concept I propose is used. This can benefit us significantly. 2) I have decided that my invention from last year will be patented and used. I am considered a co-inventor and receive half of the royalties that may be paid by third parties. Tomorrow everything will be officially recorded in writing and I can take it with me. I did not negotiate with Anschütz, but with Mr. Otto, who is the managing director of the company. He was happy that I took the initiative for this settlement and specifically said that my contribution was crucial to the whole thing and that they all knew it. The fact that last year's deal initially went unnoticed is solely because no one understood it last year, but now Mr. Richter is really keen on it. I'm happy to see that everyone behaved very nicely. Do you see that I'm not too shy and stupid to exercise my rights? I told you so. By the way, all of these rights can be inherited. What funny things are you writing about Ms. Lebach? Do you think I would be capable of being so unfaithful to a magnificent man whose hospitality I enjoyed and was friends with? I myself believe that Ms. Lebach liked me, but it is impossible that anyone else noticed that it was even a guess on my part. Tania Ehrenfest is extremely talented. I gave her various things related to my theory and she solved them immediately i.e. in one day. If she were a man, something significant would come of it. But I don't think she will have the energy for it. Little Paul, who is only 11 years old, is already very clever. When he's older, he should do an apprenticeship with Anschütz. I have made arrangements with Maschke, but I have doubts as to whether the matter will last, because most of his protégé's inventions are not worth much. Maybe I'll be able to find something significant there myself so that things can be sped up. I will be back in Berlin on the evening of the 13th or the morning of the 14th. Until then, warm greetings to you and the children, yours
Albert
——-
Pictures of the work of Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein at the mouth of the Schwentine in Kiel
Pictures of the work of Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein at the mouth of the Schwentine in Kiel
Planning and creation of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein
Planning and creation of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein
Construction of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein July 18th.
– July 21, 2022 Construction of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein July 18.
– July 21, 2022
Public presentation of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein on July 29th, 2022
Public presentation of the monument to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and Albert Einstein on July 29th, 2022
Left
Timeline of the life of Dr.
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe and development of the Anschütz company Report by Albert Einstein in the patent dispute Anschütz-Kaempfe vs. Sperry before the Kiel district court
The Anschütz-Kaempfe Trough was named after Dr. Anschütz battles named. It is a lake basin in the Lazarev Sea off the Princess Martha Coast of East Antarctica's Queen Maud Land .
Wikipedia Dr.
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe Wikipedia Prof. Albert Einstein
https://dewiki.de/Lexikon/Kreiselkompass
Albert Einstein and Hermann Anschütz-Kaenpfe in the Schleswig-Holstein State Library
Albert Einstein: Gyrocompass and other inventions
The video shows the Schwentine estuary into the Kiel Fjord with the area at Heikendorfer Weg 9-27. Albert Einstein and Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe worked here. Albert Einstein regularly stayed here at Heikendorfer Weg and received an apartment at Heikendorfer Weg 23 from Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe.
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