FÜLSCHER

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

\

1831 Kronenmoor/D - 21.6.1915 Kiel/D

\

Johann Fülscher graduated as a civil engineer in 1852 from the Polytechnic School in Munich. He was appointed engineer in 1860 and in the 1870s Wasserbau-Inspektor in Glücksburg. In 1882 he was transferred as a Royal Government Member to Schleswig County. At that time the Kaiser-Wilhelm Kanal had been proposed and Fülscher was the person who was in charge of its design. His merits were awarded with the Order of the Red Eagle in 1888, and the promotion to Geheimer Baurat in 1890. When the Canal was inaugurated in 1895, he was decorated with the Crown Order of the second class. In 1896 Geheimer Oberbaurat Fülscher was transferred to the Ministry of Public Works. Though officially retired, he continued with hydraulic structures along the North Sea, and improvement of conditions on Heligoland Island. He also supported the French undertakings in the Panama adventure after Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805-1894) had passed away. Fülscher retired finally in 1903. The Hannover Technical University awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his services.

\

Fülscher may thus be considered an outstanding German representative of canal design who considerably contributed to the success of German inland navigation. The Kaiser Wilhelm-Kanal is one of the prestigious elements of the total scheme and still used extensively today. The 34 km long and 2.80 m deep waterway connecting Kiel with the Baltic Sea was first built in the 1780s. In 1895, the larger canal was opened allowing for passage of ships up to a length 135 m and 8 m draught. Ten years later, the strategically important passage was further widened to 103 m and 11 m depth. The present Kiel-Kanal is the most used sea waterway worldwide.

\

_{Eiselen, F. (1915). Dr.-Ing. E.h. Fülscher. Deutsche Bauzeitung 49(53): 310-311.}

_{Fülscher, J. (1896). Der Bau des Kaiser Wilhelm-Kanals. Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 46: 218-258; 46: 381-408; 46: 495-531; 47: 118-142; 47: 275-303; 47: 405-453; 47: 526-585; 48: 41-81; 48: 442-489; 48: 694-752; 49: 100-125; 49: 270-303; 49: 425-463; 49: 622-675.}

_{Fülscher, J. (1899). Der Bau des Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanals. Ernst: Berlin.}

_{Fülscher, J. (1905). Über Schutzbauten zur Erhaltung der ostund nordfriesischen Inseln. Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 55: 305-342; 55: 528-561; 55: 681-721.}

_{Fülscher, J. (1907). Neuere Verhandlungen über den Ausbau des Panamakanals. Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 57: 231-254.}

_{Schultz, H.W. (1915). Wirklicher Geheimer Oberbaurat Dr. Fülscher. Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung 35(53): 349-350. P}