Karl Holzamer
Encyclopedia
Johannes Karl Holzamer was a German philosopher
, pedagogue
and former director general of the German television station ZDF
.
, the Sorbonne
, the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
and the University of Bonn
. In 1929, he was awarded his Ph.D. from Munich. After university he applied to the Pedagogic Academy in Bonn and did his First Examination as a Volksschullehrer
. His reason for becoming a teacher was, according to him: "If you want to educate as a Volksschule teacher, then you have to go to Volksschule yourself."
In 1931, Holzamer was co-publisher of the magazine "Stimmen der Jugend" ("Voices of Youth") in Düsseldorf
. Within a short time, he became an assistant at the Psychological Institute of the University of Bonn
and in November 1931 became assistant in the psychological department of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
. In politics he got involved in the "Reichsjugendausschuss" (Council of the Youth in the Reich) of the Zentrumspartei
. Parallel to his occupations, an application to become a professor was started.
, Holzamer had to end his political engagement. At his broadcaster, his boss and the director general were laid-off, so he had to lead the educational department on his own, then the agricultural department (without proper experience) because of no party membership to the NSDAP, the language department and confessional morning celebrations (CMC).
The last post (CMC) existed still in 1937 at the previously-renamed "Reichsender Köln" despite an order not to have such a department. At the beginning of World War II
, Holzamer was drafted into the army. He came as an air-gunner into the Luftwaffe
(Air Force) and became war reporter for audio news. At the end of WW II, he was a prisoner-of-war of the French, where he worked as a translator.
After World War II
, with his good certificates from various high-level universities, the American occupation force facilitated him in 1946 to a professorship in philosophy, psychology and pedagogy at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
. In 1952 he was appointed professor ordinarius. In 1948, he got professorship for scholastic philosophy and pedagogy. As a representative of the University of Mainz, he got into the television council of the Südwestrundfunk
. Because Holzamer was the only one of 49 people with practical experience, he was from 1949 to 1960 the Chairman.
in 1960 as director general of the proposed private television "Freies Fernsehen Gesellschaft" (FFG). The board of directors rejected the recommendation.
As a CDU
candidate - where he had the overwhelming approval of the rival SPD
-he was elected to the television council of the ZDF
, the successor of the FFG. He was re-elected twice. In 1977, he retired. His successor in the post was Karl-Günther von Hase.
Wim Thoelke
, a prominent former television host, said of the time of Holzamer at the ZDF: "Karl Holzamer was a man of vitalizing optimism, as well as highly intelligent and critical in a positive kind of manner. Without him, it would impossible for the ZDF to be successful.
Holzamer co-created the Aktion Sorgenkind, a German humanitarian organization, by extending its cause well beyond the television show Vergißmeinnicht. Holzamer was an honorary member of club KStV Kurpfalz Mainz im KV.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, pedagogue
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
and former director general of the German television station ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
.
Life
Karl Holzamer was born in Frankfurt am Main and after the abitur in 1926 studied philosophy, pedagogy, psychology, and German at Ludwig Maximilians University of MunichLudwig Maximilians University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany...
, the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
The Goethe University Frankfurt was founded in 1914 as a Citizens' University, which means that, while it was a State university of Prussia, it had been founded and financed by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt am Main, a unique feature in German university history...
and the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
. In 1929, he was awarded his Ph.D. from Munich. After university he applied to the Pedagogic Academy in Bonn and did his First Examination as a Volksschullehrer
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
. His reason for becoming a teacher was, according to him: "If you want to educate as a Volksschule teacher, then you have to go to Volksschule yourself."
In 1931, Holzamer was co-publisher of the magazine "Stimmen der Jugend" ("Voices of Youth") in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. Within a short time, he became an assistant at the Psychological Institute of the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and in November 1931 became assistant in the psychological department of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
. In politics he got involved in the "Reichsjugendausschuss" (Council of the Youth in the Reich) of the Zentrumspartei
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
. Parallel to his occupations, an application to become a professor was started.
Third Reich
After the MachtergreifungMachtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
, Holzamer had to end his political engagement. At his broadcaster, his boss and the director general were laid-off, so he had to lead the educational department on his own, then the agricultural department (without proper experience) because of no party membership to the NSDAP, the language department and confessional morning celebrations (CMC).
The last post (CMC) existed still in 1937 at the previously-renamed "Reichsender Köln" despite an order not to have such a department. At the beginning of 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...
, Holzamer was drafted into the army. He came as an air-gunner into the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
(Air Force) and became war reporter for audio news. At the end of WW II, he was a prisoner-of-war of the French, where he worked as a translator.
Educational life
Karl Holzamer handed in his application as professor at the Prussian Cultural Ministry ( under the direction of Adolf Grimme. The professorship expired in 1937, but despite there being vacancies, he wasn't allocated to the university service.After 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...
, with his good certificates from various high-level universities, the American occupation force facilitated him in 1946 to a professorship in philosophy, psychology and pedagogy at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
The Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz is a university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg. With approximately 36,000 students in about 150 schools and clinics, it is among the ten largest universities in Germany...
. In 1952 he was appointed professor ordinarius. In 1948, he got professorship for scholastic philosophy and pedagogy. As a representative of the University of Mainz, he got into the television council of the Südwestrundfunk
Südwestrundfunk
The Südwestrundfunk is a public broadcasting company for the southwest of Germany, specifically the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The company has main offices in three cities: Stuttgart, Baden-Baden and Mainz, with the director's office being in Stuttgart. It is an...
. Because Holzamer was the only one of 49 people with practical experience, he was from 1949 to 1960 the Chairman.
ZDF
Karl Holzamer was recommended by then-Chancellor Konrad AdenauerKonrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
in 1960 as director general of the proposed private television "Freies Fernsehen Gesellschaft" (FFG). The board of directors rejected the recommendation.
As a CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
candidate - where he had the overwhelming approval of the rival SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
-he was elected to the television council of the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, the successor of the FFG. He was re-elected twice. In 1977, he retired. His successor in the post was Karl-Günther von Hase.
Wim Thoelke
Wim Thoelke
Georg Heinrich Willem Thoelke was a German TV entertainer. He worked during the 1960s and 1970s for TV sport serie Aktuelles Sportstudio on German channel ZDF...
, a prominent former television host, said of the time of Holzamer at the ZDF: "Karl Holzamer was a man of vitalizing optimism, as well as highly intelligent and critical in a positive kind of manner. Without him, it would impossible for the ZDF to be successful.
Holzamer co-created the Aktion Sorgenkind, a German humanitarian organization, by extending its cause well beyond the television show Vergißmeinnicht. Holzamer was an honorary member of club KStV Kurpfalz Mainz im KV.
Private life
Karl Holzamer married in 1932 his fiance Helene, with whom he had four children. Helene died in 1992.Awards and Honorations
- BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
- Großkreuz des päpstlichen Gregoriusordens
- Hans-Bredow-Medal
- Hans-Bausch-Media Award
- 1980 Adolf Grimme Award
- 1982 Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate
- 1983 Honorary Citizen of the City of MainzMainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
- 1983 Eduard Rhein Ring of Honor from the Eduard Rhein Foundation
- 2003 Premio Capo Circeo
Works
- Grundfragen des neuzeitlichen Humanismus, Kupferberg, Mainz 1947. (= Mainzer Universitäts-Reden; H. 4)
- Einführung in die Philosophie. Grundlegung der Erkenntnis-Theorie als Fundament der übrigen Disziplinen, Kupferberg, Mainz 1947.
- Einführung in die Pädagogik, Kirchheim, Mainz 1949.
- Grundriss einer praktischen Philosophie: Freiheit, Toleranz, Sittlichkeit, Ressentiment, Knecht, Frankfurt am Main 1951.
- Kind und Radio, Klett-Verlag, Stuttgart 1954. (= Bedrohte Jugend – drohende Jugend; 34)
- Die Einführung junger Menschen in die soziale Verantwortung. Ein Vortrag, Frankfurt am Main 1959. (= Schriften des Deutschen Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverbandes; 19)
- Authoritarismus und Nationalismus. Ein deutsches Problem? Bericht über eine Tagung, Europäische Verlagsanstalt, Frankfurt am Main 1963. (= Politische Psychologie; 2)
- Die Verantwortung des Menschen für sich und seinesgleichen. Reden und Aufsätze, Bertelsmann-Verlag Gütersloh 1966.
- Kunst und Konfektion im Bereich der Publizistik, Versuch eines Brückenschlags, Sebaldus, Nürnberg 1969.
- Projekte, Probleme und Perspektiven des Fernstudiums im Medienverbund, Athenaeum, Frankfurt am Main 1970. (= Lehren und lernen im Medienverbund; 1) ISBN 3-494-00635-0
- Das Wagnis. Zum Sehen geboren, zum Schauen bestellt, von Hase u. Koehler, Mainz 1979 ISBN 3-7758-0980-5
- Anders, als ich dachte. Lebenserinnerungen des ersten ZDF-Intendanten, Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau u.a. 1983. (= Herderbücherei; 1066) ISBN 3-451-08066-4
- Einführung in die Welt des Denkens, Pattloch-Verlag 1990, ISBN 3-629-00548-9
Literature
- Reden zur Verabschiedung von Professor Dr. Karl Holzamer und zur Einführung des Intendanten Karl-Günther von Hase, ZDF Mainz 1977.