Fritz Hirsch

Fritz Hirsch
Hirsch and his family, 1910
Born(1871-04-21)21 April 1871
Died18 July 1938(1938-07-18) (aged 67)
NationalityGerman
OccupationArt historian

Fritz Hirsch (21 April 1871 – 18 July 1938) was a German art historian, architect, and pioneer of state-sponsored historical preservation.

Early life

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Fritz Hirsh was born on 21 April 1871 in Konstanz, in the German Empire, to parents of Jewish descent.

Education

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Hirsch graduated from a Konstanz gymnasium in 1889 and then began studying art and architecture in Karlsruhe and Munich. Also in 1889, while in Karlsruhe, he joined the Karlsruher Burschenschaft Teutonia [de] fraternity.

From 1895, he worked as an apprentice architect at the inspection offices of the Konstanz and Heidelberg districts. He received his doctorate in 1897 while in Heidelberg with a thesis on the Baroque sculptor Hans Morinck [de]. In the same year, he took a teaching position at an architecture school in Lübeck.

Career

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In 1900, Hirsch became an assessor specializing in architecture for the government Heidelberg. Five years later, he was the district inspector for Bruchsal.[1] From 1900 to 1909, he directed a restoration of Schloss Bruchsal and the nearby St. Peter's Church [de], a groundbreaking landmark in the field of historical preservation. In particular, Hirsch emphasized before anything else the value of accurate sources and documentation.[citation needed]

Hirsch was dismissed from all his positions in 1933 by the anti-Semitic Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service.[1]

Honors

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Hirsch was named an honorary citizen of the city of Schwetzingen and an honorary senator at the University of Freiburg.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hirsch, Fritz (1871-1938)". Kalliope-Verbund [de]. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. ^ Stopfel, Wolfgang. "Geschichte der badenische Denkmalpflege und ihrer Dienststellen Karlsruhe, Straßburg und Freiburg" (PDF) (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2020.[dead link]