Kirschbaum, Carl Ludwig Konrad

Teacher, Biologist

born: 31.01.1812 in Usingen

died: 03.03.1880 in Wiesbaden

Kirschbaum pursued philosophical studies in Göttingen from 1831. From 1834-46, he worked as a teacher in Weilburg and Hadamar. From 1846, Kirschbaum was prorector at Wiesbaden grammar school and was appointed professor in 1848. In 1865, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Göttingen. He joined the Nassau Society for Natural History in 1843 and took over the zoological section in 1847. After the palaeontologist Fridolin von Sandberger left for Karlsruhe, Kirschbaum became his successor and the Duke of Nassau appointed him inspector (director) of the Natural History Museum (later the Natural History Collection in the Wiesbaden Museum) and secretary of the association.

He also worked as a lecturer at the Fresenius Chemical Laboratory and gave lectures on botany and zoology at the Hof Geisberg Agricultural College.

As head of the zoological section of the museum, he was instrumental in expanding the scientific collections and their exhibition. He was particularly interested in invertebrates. His most important work is dedicated to the cicadas of the region.

The collection of more than 5,000 animals is kept at the Museum Wiesbaden. It contains material from more than 330 first-described species, making it one of the most important collections in Europe. Kirschbaum also revised our knowledge of the reptiles and fish of Wiesbaden and Nassau. His work thus forms an important part of current climate and biodiversity research. He was also in contact with numerous important zoologists of the time and other museums and associations, and was himself a member of 23 scientific societies.