Carl Koldewey (1837-1908) - Polarforscher und Schifffahrtsexperte: Anmerkungen zu seiner Biographie und seiner Rolle bei der Entwicklung der Meeres- und Polarforschung

Abstract

In the 1860s, the geographer and publisher August Petermann began agitating in Germany for an expedition to the North Pole. Having overcome any number of difficulties, he was finally able to initiate the first polar journey in 1868. The man slated to carry out his plans was the physics student and captain Carl Koldewey who - thirty-two years old at the time - devoted himself to the task with great enthusiasm and persistence. However, he did not succeed in attaining the ambitious geographic goals. The following year, an incomparably better equipped expedition left Bremerhaven on two ships, heading for East Greenland. One of the vessels was crushed by the ice of the East Greenland Current, but with the GERMANIA Koldewey reached the intended coast, where - in 1869/70 - significant geographical investigations as well as a number of other scientific inquiries were carried out. This expedition, which was exemplary from the logistical as well as the scientific point of view, would have served as a basis for further work in the region. Koldewey then set his sights on international cooperation, which was only realized however, ten years later. From 1875 onwards, he was senior official of the Reichinstitut Deutsche Seewarte (German hydrographic office), where he enjoyed international acclaim as a compass expert until his retirement in 1903.