Heinz Kurschildgen
Encyclopedia
Heinrich "Heinz" Kurschildgen, called the "goldmaker of Hilden
", was a charlatan
in pre-World War II
Germany who made numerous people, including Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler
, believe that he was able to make valuable resources such as gold
, radium
or petrol out of base materials.
because of dementia praecox
, and the case was dismissed on the condition that Kurschildgen stop approaching investors with gold-making schemes.
Complying with this restriction, Kurschildgen then began claiming that he was able to synthesize radium
, a very rare and expensive radioactive element. He demonstrated his "transmutation" of uranium oxide
into radium to physicists of the University of Cologne
, but declined to explain his procedure. When the newspapers took up his claims, the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt examined them and found them to be fraudulent. In May 1928, as a result of the publicity Kurschildgen now enjoyed, the apothecary of his hometown Hilden had a bust of Kurschildgen installed in town, mockingly dedicated to the "genius goldmaker".
In 1929, Kurschildgen returned to the gold-making business. He unsuccessfully contacted the German president Paul von Hindenburg
as well as Reichsbank
president Hjalmar Schacht
with proposals to manufacture gold to pay back Germany's World War I reparations
. With private backers, Kurschildgen had more success, obtaining an advance of 100,000 Reichsmark from a Cologne businessman and an offer of 1 million marks from an American millionaire called Harris. In 1930, 15 of his defrauded clients brought criminal charges against him, and after being found criminally responsible (if "not very intelligent") this time, he was convicted to 18 months imprisonment. The news of his trial and conviction was reported as far away as Australia.
, Hitler's scientific advisor, and agreed to reveal his methods to the Reichspatentamt as well as to surrender the exclusive rights to his invention to the government. After his claims seized the interest of high-ranking Nazis such as Werner Best
and SS leader Heinrich Himmler
, the Gestapo
received a warning that Kurschildgen was prone to "fantastic experiments". He was visited by party leaders in his laboratory, who were not convinced by his petrol-making apparatus, and ordered the inventor with all his machinery to be moved to the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin.
After the physicists of the Reichsanstalt declared his contraption to be useless, Kurschildgen became a factor in Party intrigues. Joseph Goebbels
sneered in a diary entry of 27 January 1935:
Kurschildgen was detained at the Columbia-Haus concentration camp in 1936, and sentenced by a criminal court to three years of imprisonment. He was released early for "diligence and good behavior" in 1938, but was soon rearrested on Himmler's orders, who feared that Kurschildgen would reveal his involvement with the SS and thereby embarrass Himmler. Kurschildgen however successfully petitioned Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich
to obtain his definitive release.
as legal counsel, whom he had supported in de-Nazification proceedings by testifying to Best's good conduct towards detainees.
Best proposed requesting a pardon
for the 1936 conviction, which Kurschildgen refused. Kurschildgen then spent years trying to have his conviction overturned, which the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf ultimately declined to do.
Hilden
Hilden is a city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is situated in the District of Mettmann, west of Solingen and east of Düsseldorf on the right side of the Rhine. It is a middle sized industrial town with a forest and numerous attractions....
", was a charlatan
Charlatan
A charlatan is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception....
in pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Germany who made numerous people, including Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, believe that he was able to make valuable resources such as gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
or petrol out of base materials.
Weimar Republic: gold and radium
In 1914, the young Kurschildgen began an apprenticeship in a dye factory in Hilden. Fascinated by the chemicals he worked with, he cobbled together a chemical laboratory of his own and after a short time claimed to have made numerous sensational discoveries. He convinced several investors that he had found a way to make gold, and was prosecuted for fraud in 1922. Kurschildgen was, however, found to be not criminally responsibleDiminished responsibility
In criminal law, diminished responsibility is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental functions were "diminished" or impaired. The defense's acceptance in American...
because of dementia praecox
Dementia praecox
Dementia praecox refers to a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood. It is a term first used in 1891 in this Latin form by Arnold Pick , a professor of psychiatry at the German branch of...
, and the case was dismissed on the condition that Kurschildgen stop approaching investors with gold-making schemes.
Complying with this restriction, Kurschildgen then began claiming that he was able to synthesize radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
, a very rare and expensive radioactive element. He demonstrated his "transmutation" of uranium oxide
Uranium oxide
Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.The metal uranium forms several oxides:* Uranium dioxide or uranium oxide * Uranium trioxide or uranium oxide...
into radium to physicists of the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
, but declined to explain his procedure. When the newspapers took up his claims, the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt examined them and found them to be fraudulent. In May 1928, as a result of the publicity Kurschildgen now enjoyed, the apothecary of his hometown Hilden had a bust of Kurschildgen installed in town, mockingly dedicated to the "genius goldmaker".
In 1929, Kurschildgen returned to the gold-making business. He unsuccessfully contacted the German president Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
as well as Reichsbank
Reichsbank
The Reichsbank was the central bank of Germany from 1876 until 1945. It was founded on 1 January 1876 . The Reichsbank was a privately owned central bank of Prussia, under close control by the Reich government. Its first president was Hermann von Dechend...
president Hjalmar Schacht
Hjalmar Schacht
Dr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic...
with proposals to manufacture gold to pay back Germany's World War I reparations
World War I reparations
World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that Germany was forced to make under the Treaty of Versailles following its defeat during World War I...
. With private backers, Kurschildgen had more success, obtaining an advance of 100,000 Reichsmark from a Cologne businessman and an offer of 1 million marks from an American millionaire called Harris. In 1930, 15 of his defrauded clients brought criminal charges against him, and after being found criminally responsible (if "not very intelligent") this time, he was convicted to 18 months imprisonment. The news of his trial and conviction was reported as far away as Australia.
Nazi Germany: petrol
After his release from prison, Kurschildgen sought the attention of the new Nazi government with claims of being able to make petrol from water. He was visited by Wilhelm KepplerWilhelm Keppler
Wilhelm Karl Keppler was a German businessman and one of Adolf Hitler's early financial backers. Introduced to Hitler by Heinrich Himmler, Keppler helped to finance the Nazi Party....
, Hitler's scientific advisor, and agreed to reveal his methods to the Reichspatentamt as well as to surrender the exclusive rights to his invention to the government. After his claims seized the interest of high-ranking Nazis such as Werner Best
Werner Best
Dr. Werner Best was a German Nazi, jurist, police chief, SS-Obergruppenführer and Nazi Party leader from Darmstadt, Hesse. He studied law and in 1927 obtained his doctorate degree at Heidelberg...
and SS leader Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
received a warning that Kurschildgen was prone to "fantastic experiments". He was visited by party leaders in his laboratory, who were not convinced by his petrol-making apparatus, and ordered the inventor with all his machinery to be moved to the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in Berlin.
After the physicists of the Reichsanstalt declared his contraption to be useless, Kurschildgen became a factor in Party intrigues. Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
sneered in a diary entry of 27 January 1935:
- "Himmler ist auf einen Gold- und Benzinmacher Kurschildgen hereingefallen. Wollte mich auch beschwindeln. Ich hab ihn gleich erkannt."
Kurschildgen was detained at the Columbia-Haus concentration camp in 1936, and sentenced by a criminal court to three years of imprisonment. He was released early for "diligence and good behavior" in 1938, but was soon rearrested on Himmler's orders, who feared that Kurschildgen would reveal his involvement with the SS and thereby embarrass Himmler. Kurschildgen however successfully petitioned Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
to obtain his definitive release.
After the war: attempts at rehabilitation
After the end of World War II, Kurschildgen unsuccessfully sought to be recognized as a victim of Nazi persecution, claiming that "the Gestapo would stop at nothing to get at my invention". He retained his old acquaintance Werner BestWerner Best
Dr. Werner Best was a German Nazi, jurist, police chief, SS-Obergruppenführer and Nazi Party leader from Darmstadt, Hesse. He studied law and in 1927 obtained his doctorate degree at Heidelberg...
as legal counsel, whom he had supported in de-Nazification proceedings by testifying to Best's good conduct towards detainees.
Best proposed requesting a pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
for the 1936 conviction, which Kurschildgen refused. Kurschildgen then spent years trying to have his conviction overturned, which the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf ultimately declined to do.