KONZ

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

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24.5.1875 Tübingen/D - 15.6.1965 Stuttgart/D

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Otto Konz was educated at the Stuttgart Technical University. In 1897, he joined the State Services of the Württemberg County in its Roads and Hydraulic Engineering administration. He headed from 1907 the Hydrographic Service of the County and in parallel was also involved in the design and execution of larger hydraulic projects in water supply and wastewater technology. In 1913, he was appointed Kollegialrat and was active until 1927 in the Black Forest Region. In parallel he was an Oberbaurat from 1920 and from then was in the German state service. From 1948, he presided over the Canal Direction in Stuttgart. Konz was awarded the Honorary Doctorate in 1949, the Great Cross of Merits from the German Federal Republic in 1958 and he received in 1955 the title professor from the County Baden-Württemberg. He was also an Honorary Member of Verein Deutscher Ingenieure VDI.

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Konz's work of life was the canalization of the River Neckar over some 200 km. This largest river in Southwest Germany has its origin close to Schwenningen and then runs north to discharge into Rhine River in Mannheim. The Neckar-Rhine Canal project was initiated in 1921 but shortly later stopped because of financial problems. Konz fighted for decades to advance the project, which was definitely interrupted by World War II. The Canal was finally opened in 1968 from Mannheim to Plochingen. Konz, the "father of the Neckar Canal" had passed away and thus did no more see the outcome of his work. The canal had and still has a significant effect on the economy of the Württemberg County because its major industrial cities are connected with the Rhine River, and the Atlantic Ocean, therefore. The more than 100 km long reach from Mannheim to Heilbronn was already in operation in 1935, yet Konz stepped down as the president of the Neckar canal direction in 1938 when the Nazis intrigued with him. He took up works in 1946 only and presented additional projects in which the canal could be expanded up to Ulm and thus to Danube River.

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_{Anonymous (1930). Konz, Otto Karl Friedrich. Reichshandbuch der Deutschen Gesellschaft}

_{1: 988-989. Deutscher Wirtschaftsverlag: Berlin. P Konz, O. (1954). Neckar-Donau-Kanal. Krais: Stuttgart. Konz, O. (1967). Lebenserinnerungen. Wittwer: Stuttgart. P}

_{Mayer, X. (1948). Präsident Dr.-Ing. Otto Konz. Wasserwirtschaft 38: 277. P}

_{Mayer, X. (1965). Präsident i.R. Dr.-Ing. E.h. Otto Konz verstorben. Wasserwirtschaft 55: 246. P}

_{Schnapper, X. (1950). Präsident Dr.-Ing.ehr. Otto Konz 75 Jahre. Bautechnik 27(7): 233. P}