PLATE

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

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5.9.1883 Bremen-Walle/D - 3.9.1967 Bremen/D

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Ludwig Plate initiated studies in 1903 at Strasburg University to graduate as a civil engineer from the University of Hannover in 1908. He accepted then a position with the Bremer Weserkanal, where he was involved with the novel flap gates installed in 1911. Plate terminated his learning years with a study tour to the USA. After return to Germany in 1914, he investigated the water flow in the Weser River. Plate was appointed Staats-Baumeister of Bremen County in 1918 and was involved in the canal project Hansa-Kanal connecting the city directly with the Western German canal system.

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Plate was appointed Staatsbaurat of the German Strombauverwaltung in 1921. Once all the German waterways were taken over by the central government the Aussenweser River was integrated in the national canal system. These works along with a river deepening from 7.5 m to 10.3 m were made based on Plate's design between 1922 and 1928. Plate may thus be considered the successor of Ludwig Franzius (1832-1903) who initiated the improvement of the Weser River in the 19th century. Plate was from 1923 director of rivers of Bremen County. From 1931 an Oberbaudirektor for rivers and harbors, he re-designed the harbor of Bremen to allow the transshipment of coal and iron. Plate then was a Member of the European Danube Commission from 1939, without being politically involved in the Nazi regime, however. After World War II he was responsible for the removal of debris from the Weser River, and retired in 1949. Plate was awarded the Honorary Doctorate from the University of Hannover in 1951, the Medal of Senate for Arts and Sciences from Bremen City in 1953 and in the same year the Great Cross of Merits of the Republic of Germany.

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_{Becker, E. (1943). Oberbaudirektor Ludwig Plate 60 Jahre. Schiff und Werft 24(19/20): 294. P Hofmann, K.-H. (2001). Plate. Neue Deutsche Biographie 20: 508. Duncker&Humblot: Berlin. Plate, L. (1917). Der selbsttätige Regler des Sektorwehres in der Weser. Z. VDI 61(45): 902-907. Plate, L. (1922). Der Hansa-Kanal. Werft-Reederei-Hafen 3(7): 185-196.}

_{Plate, L. (1925). Die Beziehungen des Hansakanals zu den Eisenbahnen und den Hansestädten. Verkehrstechnische Woche 19(10): 138-142.}

_{Plate, L. (1935). Forschungen als Grundlage für den Ausbau der Aussenweser. Deutsche Wasserwirtschaft 30(4): 66-74.}

_{Schauberger, V. (1963). Ludwig Plate 80 Jahre. Bautechnik 40(11): 394-395. Schwarzwälder, H. (1972). Plate Ludwig. Berühmte Bremer: 203-230. List: München. http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/ P http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/ http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/∼bremhist/LudwigPlate.html}