WIEBE

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

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17.3.1826 Tiegenhof/PL - 8.7.1908 Heiligendamm/D

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Adolf Wiebe graduated as a civil engineer from the Berlin academy of engineering in 1852 to continue as a surveyor at the Elbing Canal in Liebemühl, in today's Poland. From 1857 he was involved as a hydraulic engineer in Eastern Prussia. As a Wasserbauinspektor from 1859 he remained there until 1866 when appointed Oberbauinspektor at Frankfurt/Oder with works at the estuary of the Oder River into the Baltic Sea. In 1875 he returned to the capital as a Geheimer Baurat and was appointed in 1888 chief director of hydraulic works until retirement in 1896. Wiebe was an Honorary Member of the association for Gewerbefleiss in Königsberg.

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Wiebe particularly improved the hydraulic conditions of the waters around the capital Berlin. He obtained the knowledge from land drainage in Western Prussia, where plains were normally swampy and agriculture hardly possible due to poor soil conditions. In the 1880s, Wiebe headed the works of Spree River within the capital to mainly improve inland navigation. Wiebe demonstrated that this aspect could be extended to agricultural needs. By adequately controlling the groundwater elevation both river and adjacent land profited from engineering. Wiebe was convinced that only the integral improvement of the Spree River, as previously mentioned, would lead to public acceptance. As the capital expanded considerably during these years, also the sewers and the water supply schemes were integrated into the project. A major work was thus the water regulation of the Spree River. Wiebe was also known for his designs of the Prussian canal system as early as in the 1870s. Of particular relevance was the connection of the two main rivers Elbe and Oder by a canal that allowed the passage of vessels as large as 500 t.

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_{Keller, H. (1908). Adolf Wiebe. Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung 28(58): 393-394. P}

_{Schönsee, O. (1924). 50 Jahre Oderstrombauverwaltung 1874-1924. Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung 44(44): 377-379.}

_{Wiebe, A. (1867). Die neue Experimental-Theorie der Bewegung des Wassers in Flüssen von Humphreys und Abbot. Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 16(4/6): 297-309.}

_{Wiebe, A. (1881). Die Kanalisierung der Unterspree von den Damm-Mühlen in Berlin bis Spandau. Zentralblatt Bauverwaltung 1(15): 130-132; 1(16): 137-140; 1(17): 146-149. Wiebe, A. (1888). Kanalisierung der Unterspree. Zentralblatt Bauverwaltung 8(22): 233-236. Wiebe, A. (1894). Die Verbesserung des Spreelaufes innerhalb der Stadt Berlin. Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung 14(11): 109-111, 14(38): 401-402.}