Photo album, photographer unknown, layout: Volker Schäfer, from 1967 on, 25.0 × 30.5 × 2.5 cm. Private collection.
This album, featuring photographs and additional clippings from printed material, documents Jürgen Schäfer’s studies in geodesy at Karlsruhe Polytechnic from 1962 to 1967. Geodesy, or surveying, involves the scientific mapping of the world on both large and small scales, from measurements of the globe of the Earth, to defining property boundaries. As one of the oldest disciplines at KIT, geodesy traces its roots back to the engineering school established by Johann Gottfried Tulla in Karlsruhe in 1807. Following Jürgen Schäfer’s early death, his classmate Volker Schäfer compiled this album at the request of his widow. It highlights the strong practical component of the study program. Various basic surveying techniques were learned along with handling of the instruments in field exercises, some of which lasted several weeks. The Black Forest and Kaiserstuhl regions provided both scenic beauty and challenging terrain for these exercises. The photographic documentation captures the realities of geodesy work, which likely made geodesy particularly attractive to students: outdoor fieldwork in summer temperatures, spending the night in a tent or sleeping in a bunk bed, enjoying a break in the company of the professor, and social gatherings over beer. There is even an excursion to the North Sea to observe work on a survey ship. The album clearly conveys a nostalgic and positive view of past studies. kn
I suggested this object to Dr. Anton Guhl who had published a notice in BNN 2021 requesting personal mementos of student days for an exhibition at KIT. Jürgen’s college friend, Volker Schäfer, who is still alive, had compiled the album after Jürgen’s death. Christel Wessely (widow of Jürgen Schäfer who died at 40 years of age)