Ludwig Dürr

Dr. Ludwig Dürr (centre), 1928.

Ludwig Dürr (4 June 1878, in Stuttgart – 1 January 1956, in Friedrichshafen) was an airship designer.

Life and career

After completing training as a mechanic, Dürr continued his training at the Königliche Baugewerkschule (Royal School of Engineering). In 1898 he entered the German Navy, but was discharged at the end of the year.

Beginning in 1899, Dürr worked for Ferdinand von Zeppelin. After assisting in the construction of the first zeppelin airship, the LZ 1, he himself began to construct airships and lightweight construction parts. All of the following zeppelin designs were Dürr's. He often flew on board his designs, at the elevator control wheel, including the maiden flight of Zeppelin LZ 5 to Bitterfeld and back. On 31 May 1909, Dürr was still, exhausted, at the elevator controls after the 37 hour flight, when the nose of the ship crashed into a pear tree near Göppingen. He was employed by the Zeppelin company until its dissolution in 1945, from 1915 on as technical director.

On 19 July 1923 he married Lydia Beck; they had two daughters and two sons.

Honours

• Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1953)
• Honorary doctorates from Technical Universities and Universities of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Tübingen and Graz
• Honorary citizen of Friedrichshafen and Stuttgart-Echterdingen (now part of Leinfelden-Echterdingen)
• Ludwig-Dürr-Straße in Göppingen is named after him.
• The Ludwig Dürr School in Friedrichshafen, a primary and secondary school with Werkrealschule year, is named after him.
• The high Alpine trail between the Friedrichshafen and Darmstadt huts in the Verwall Alps is named the Ludwig-Dürr-Weg after him.

Sources

• Schmitt, G. and Schwipps, W. -Pioniere der frühen Luftfahrt, Blindlach: Gondrom Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-8112-1189-7

External links

• Ludwig Dürr biography at Airships.net
• Newspaper clippings about Ludwig Dürr in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW