Honouring Kiel’s professors

Many of Kiel’s professors earned praiseworthy merits at the CAU. This initially applies, of course, to the three professors from Kiel who won the Nobel Prize during their time by the fjord. Kiel’s physics professor Philipp Lenard (* 1862; † 1947) won the Nobel Prize in 1905, the physician, Otto Meyerhof, won it in 1922, and Otto Diels (* 1867; † 1954) was already an emeritus professor when he won the Nobel Prize in 1951, but he was still living in Kiel at that time.

The Nobel Prize was and still is undeniably the ultimate award for scientists. In the meantime, Kiel's professors have also obtained several other awards which appropriately supplement or put the characterisation of the CAU as an academic “geyser” into perspective: of the active CAU professors between 1949 and 1965, for example, a full 66 were awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) between 1952 and 2007. This form of award for CAU professors reached its clear peak between 1969 and 1984. Of course, many of these awards honoured the achievements of professors after the war who helped rebuild the CAU after 1945. However, it is also obvious that some former Nazi Party members are among this number. The economist Reimut Jochimsen holds the top position of the Bundesverdienstkreuz holders. He was actually awarded all four stages of the Cross between 1975 and 1988. 136 professors at the CAU were also awarded honorary doctorates between 1919 and 1965.

Author: Oliver Auge

Chart showing the number of Federal Cross of Merit awarded to Kiel professors per five-year term

Number of Federal Cross of Merit awarded to Kiel professors (each over a period of five years)