#the agricultural school of darmstadt

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1911-12 Academic year in the Agricultural School of Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany

German vintage postcard

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Third Reich Biographies: SS-Standartenfuhrer Karl Koch (part 1)

The Early Life of Karl-Otto Koch

Karl-Otto Koch was born in Darmstadt on February 8th, 1897. His father was Killian Koch, who worked as a registrar; Koch was one of his father’s children by his second marriage. Koch had a brother, Rudolf Koch, with whom he maintained the closest relationship, five stepbrothers, and one stepsister. Rudolf Koch served in the Foreign Legion, and was later on an SS soldier before he became a paid police spy. As this was considered to be criminal activity in the Third Reich, he was sent to a concentration camp, and later drafted and sent to Norway, where he was at the time of Karl’s trial in 1944. 

Koch’s life before Nazism showed no indications of the cruel, heartless person he was to become under the Third Reich. From 1911 to 1914 he worked at the Gandenberg machine factory, and from 1914 to 1916, after the outbreak of the first World War, he worked in the German arms and munitions factory in the bookkeeping and correspondence department. In 1916, he was drafted into the 153rd Infantry Regiment, and was active mostly in recruiting and reserve units. He saw combat in mid-1916 throughout August of that year, and from May to July in 1917. In July, he was wounded, and received the Iron Cross Second Class (EKII) in December of that year. His final period of action on the battlefield was in October 1918, and it ended in him being taken prisoner by the British and released in October the following year. 

Karl Koch’s life after his release from prison can only be described as one failure after another. From 1919 to 1920, he worked as a tradesman in the comb and hair ornaments factory in Erbach as a General Manager. From 1920 to 1922 he was the manager of the Current Accounts Department at the Darmstadt National Bank. From 1923 to 1924, he held various agricultural jobs and financial jobs, all which lasted a relatively short time, before remaining for a very long time without any work. 

In 1924, Koch married a woman named Kaete Mueller, and they had a son named Manfred, who was born in 1925. The marriage did not last long; the couple were dissolved in 1931, and, according to SS judge Konrad Morgen’s trial notes, “SS-Standartenfuhrer Koch (was) alone to blame.” Manfred Koch was diagnosed with severe mental issues (referred to as “exceptional stupidity” by the documents of the time) and as a result was transferred to a mental home to be put under observation. During his father’s trial, he was a student at the Music School of the Waffen-SS in Brunswick, and was said to have stolen a cigarette ration card, a silver cigarette case, and a radio. The relationship between Karl Koch and his son was anything but a good one. One day in 1939, when Manfred was about 12 years old, he came to live with Karl and his new wife, Ilse, at their mansion in Buchenwald. Manfred talked back to Ilse at some point, and Karl’s response was to take his son to the special detention cells, one of the most feared places in the entire Buchenwald camp, and lock him in an empty cell. “You will stay in this cell,” he told him, “until you learn not to be impudent to your stepmother.” Later on, Manfred, (in a way following in his father’s footsteps) became a petty thief, and was diagnosed with severe emotional problems as an adult, resulting in him being confined to mental institutions. 

 In 1931, Koch joined the NSDAP with a party number of 475 586, and he also joined the SS, with the SS number 14 830. He was transferred to the command staff of the 35th Standarte in Kassel, where he worked first as an SS-Paymaster, and then as the leader of the motor-section. In 1933, he was ordered to form an SS-Unit in Kassel, and later on that year, he  was transferred to Dresden, where he formed the Sonderkommando Sachsen. 

This would be the first step that Karl Koch would take on his road to becoming one of the most brutal and infamous concentration camp commandants of the Third Reich. 

TBC In Part Two! 

Sources Used:

1- Nazi Investigation of SS-Standartenfuhrer Koch (Georg Konrad Morgen)

2- The Beasts of Buchenwald: Karl and Ilse Koch (Flint Whitlock)

[autgrad503-leahwilton]

WEEK 4: FINAL TIMELINE

FINAL TIMELINE: 19 KEY DATES��

(ALL spell checked.)

1890: El was born in Pochinok Russia 1903: Begins his studies at the Art school of Yehuda Pen

1909: Left for Germany and enrolled into the department of Architecture at Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt. 

1914: Enrolled as a student of engineering and architecture at Riga Polytechnical Institute receiving a diploma in 1918 with the degree of engineer-architect. He then began work as a draftsman in an architects office.

1917: Moved to Kiew where he devoted himself to the illustration of Yiddish books, especially for children, and organised and submitted work for exhibitions of Jewish art in Moscow. 

1919: Helped found the publishing house Kultur-Lige which became a leading force in the dissemination of Yissdish culture in Ukraine. Late 1919 he was invited by Marc Chagall (Director of Revolutionary People's Art School) to teach Architecture and graphics.

1920: A new era of his art begins. New approaches to his stylistic characteristics and experimentation with production techniques. Propaganda also became a part of Lissitzky’s artistic mission. 

1921: Returned to Moscow to teach architecture at the newly established VKhUTEMAS (Higher Art and Technical Studios) He also took up a job as the Russian cultural ambassador in Weimar Germany, working with and influencing important figures of the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements during his stay. 

1922: Participated in the Congress of International Progressive Artists in Dusseldorf. And had a minor role in setting up the first Russian Art Exhibition in Berlin.

1923: Became a member of the well-known group De Stijl.  (A Dutch art movement founded in 1917) And with constant travel and collaborations with other artists made him an innovative and transformative figure in the arts. 

1925: Moved back to Moscow and co-founded multiple periodicals (regularly published magazine and newspapers) causing the most progressive art tendencies in the 1920s.  

1926: He was commissioned by the directorate of the International Art Exhibition in Dresden to design for the Provinzial Museum in Hanover . 

1927: With the success of his design for the All-Union Printing Trades Exhibition in Moscow, he became a much sought-after propagandist.

1932: He signed his first contract with the editors of a Soviet propaganda publication and published in Russian, English, German, and French and became one of the principal artists for the journal.

1934: He was appointed chief artist for the Agricultural Exhibition of the Soviet Union in Moscow. 

1940: He was appointed chief artist for the Soviet Pavilion at the Belgrade International Exhibition, a project left unfinished due to the outbreak of World War II. 

1941: He worked on anti-Nazi posters and other war-related projects until his death in Moscow on 30 December. 

POSSIBLE FINAL TEXT BASED CONTENT 

BIO: EL LISSITZKY - an artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist, and architect.

QUOTE: “the artist could be an agent for change”

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Top 25 Universities in Germany 2018 by QS World Rankings

One of the reasons which makes Germany more appealing to students is the low tuition cost. Most of the public universities in Germany are funded by the government and hence require zero to very less tuition fee for admission. Here is the list of top German universities for year 2018 published by QS World University Rankings.

Technische Universität München

TUM, selected the best university many times now, leads a good example and a high standard for other universities to follow in all study programs – Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD.

With over 209 inventions and winners of many acclaimed prizes – 13 Nobel Laureates, 17 Liebniz prizes and many similar awards, it is a very attractive university to attend for students all over the world.

Founded in 1868, TUM evolved very fast, covering a broad range of courses in as many as 13 faculties as well as its own University Clinic established since 1967.

511 world-known professors lecture in TUM, attracting a great number of students, around 37.343 during year 2014/2015. Papers and citations of TUM students get published yearly in notable journals and worldwide publications.

TUM enjoys research collaborations with companies like BMW, Siemens, General Electric, Audi, etc., and agreements with over 1000 leading universities.

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Began with four faculties in 1472 to slowly evolve and become one of the strongest research branches in the country.

6.000 employees work to keep this University in the leading category, of which 746 are professors, 3.074 are other academic staff and the rest is non-academic staff. It includes 18 faculties in total and the number of students attending courses in Ludwig-Maximilians University is 50.327, of which 7.367 are international students.

It offers abundant research and library centers as well as the University Hospital spread throughout Munich.

Online courses from Ludwig-Maximilians University are offered via Coursera while Summer University is a great possibility for students around the world.

Elected ‘University of Excellence’ in year 2012, it continues to support and prepare students towards great success in the future.

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Heidelberg University, also known as Ruperto Carola is the oldest university in Germany, established in 1386 by Ruprecht I.

As one of the strongest research universities in all of Europe, Heidelberg University provides 12 faculties and a total of 30.898 students of whom 17.5% international in Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate and Habilitation programs.

Heidelberg University has played a very important part in the shaping of science and the society of Germany ever since established. Numerous great minds came out of Heidelberg University and have contributed in the developing of sciences for humanity and bringing knowledge a step further.

450 professors out of 5.000 researchers and scientists cover courses in Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Liberal Arts, Law, Economics, Social Sciences, Medicine, etc.

Kit, Karlsruher Institut Für Technologie

Karlsruher Institut Für Technologie is a university created in 2009 by the merging of two older institutions of great tradition in research and education – Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, 50 years old and Universtät Karlsruhe, 181 year old.

It employs 9.491 staff-members, of which 6.035 are researchers, 355 professors and 1.002 guest scientists. The total number of students in Karlsruher Institut Für Technologie reaches 24.778, many of whom are Nobel Laureates, honorary senators and awarded researchers.

KIT is very supportive of online course programs and start-up company ideas for the benefit of its students.

Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin

Was founded in Berlin in 1810 by the concept of Wilhelm von Humboldt. In the beginning there were only the four well-known classical faculties offered: Law, Medicine, Philosophy and Theology with very few students and academics.Now, as one of Germany’s top 10 universities, all major academic disciplines in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Cultural Science, Human Medicine, Agricultural Science, Mathematics and the Natural Sciences are covered in 9 faculties by over 400 professors in research and teaching. The number of students attending these courses is 31.098 excluding the ones in Charité – the collaborative hospital with Freie Universität.

Humboldt Universitat was awarded the ‘University of Excellence’ in 2012, providing 10 collaborative research centers, 13 research training groups, 1.984 academic staff, 29 nobel-prize winners.

Freie Universität Berlin

When Freie Universtät was being established in 1948, the idea was to create a university similar to Oxford. The idea came by famous Berlin scholars of the time, like Einstein, Lisa Meitner and others, to create a unified progressive environment for younger and eager students to learn and collaborate.

In the beginning not much was offered by Freie Universität because of the hard conditions. By donations from USA to help in the foundation and construction of building complexes, Freie Universtät grew and extended so much as to now offer 15 departments and central institutes including veterinary studies. It also offers the Dahlem Research Campus, a strong international research campus and one of the best botanical gardens in Germany.

In 2007 Freie Universität was awarded the University of Excellence, a famous and sought-after prize in Germany. Many famous scholars and researches have come out of Freie Universität faculties.

It also has the largest University Clinic in Europe known as Charité – a joint medical department with Humboldt Universität, employing over 4.230 academic and non-academic staff in total.

Comparing to other universities, Freie Universität offers a high degree of autonomy in terms of individual ideas and decision-making. 29.000 students in Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, 15% coming from abroad, attend courses in Freie Universität. English courses and programs are offered for non-German speakers.

RWTH Aachen University or Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Was established in 1870. It is one of the strongest universities in Germany offering programs in Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees.

There are more than 144 courses of study being taught in Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen’s 10 faculties and 260 institutes, attended by 42.298 students during 2014/2015.

It provides 9 large collaborative centers for research making possible for interested scientists to flourish and share their ideas with the world through many publications in journals worldwide.

The number of people working for the university’s best interest is: 5.230 academic staff, 538 professors, 701 trainees and interns and 2.722 non-academic staff.

Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin)

The Technical University of Berlin (German: Technische Universität Berlin, known as TU Berlin) is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1879 and became one of the most prestigious education institutions in Europe. It has one of the highest proportions of international students in Germany, almost 20% were enrolled in 2016.

The TU Berlin is a member of TU9, an incorporated society of the largest and most notable German institutes of technology and of the Top Industrial Managers for Europe network, which allows for student exchanges between leading engineering schools. It belongs to the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research. The TU Berlin is home of two innovation centers designated by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

The university is known for its highly ranked engineering programmes, especially in mechanical engineering and engineering management.

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

As one of the oldest universities in the whole of Europe, beginning in 1477, it offers 7 faculties, with 450 professors and 28.500 students, including internationals. The number of academic staff reaches 4000, while the non-academic staff is 12.000, including the university’s hospitals – 17 hospitals with 12 specialist centers.

Winner of the ‘University of Excellence’ prize and many other similar prizes throughout the years, Eberhard Karls Universität Tüblingen houses 173 buildings, 45 departmental libraries with more than 6.3 million books allowing for a great number of students to become Nobel Laureates and winners of many other prestigious awards in Germany and abroad.

Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg

The University of Freiburg (colloquially German: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (German: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the second university in Austrian-Habsburg territory after the University of Vienna. Today, Freiburg is the fifth-oldest university in Germany, with a long tradition of teaching the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The university is made up of 11 faculties and attracts students from across Germany as well as from over 120 other countries. Foreign students constitute about 16% of total student numbers.

Named as one of elite universities of Germany by academics, political representatives and the media, the University of Freiburg stands amongst Europe’s top research and teaching institutions.

And the rest are top 11-25 universities:

11. University of Göttingen 12. Technische Universität Dresden 13. Universität Hamburg 14. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn 15. Universität Frankfurt am Main 16. Universität Stuttgart 17. Technische Universität Darmstadt 18. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 19. Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster 20. University of Cologne 21. Universität Jena 22. University Ulm 23. Universität Konstanz 24. Universität Mannheim 25. Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz

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