Georg von Neumayer and his traces in Germany

Abstract

Georg Balthasar Neumayer (1826–1909) was probably the most important figure in establishing maritime services and ocean research in Germany, after he spent several years in Australia as a young scientist. He succeeded to found the ‘Deutsche Seewarte’ in Hamburg, the predecessor of the modern BSH (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie—Federal Martime and Hydrographic Agency) in Hamburg and Rostock and established a wide range of maritime services by providing sailing instructions for merchant vessels. He took initiatives towards Germany´s first global ocean expedition on Gazelle, the first International Polar Year, the first German Antarctic Expedition on Gauss, and became a widely recognised and respected science manager, on the national as well on the international scene.