Self-portrait
Life path
GDR period (1948-1990)
Childhood, school years1948 I was born in Ranis/Thüringen and spent my childhood and school years in Pößneck. From 1955 to 1963 I attended the Polytechnic Secondary School "Ernst Thälmann" (POS). Afterwards I completed the then typical educational pathway "Abitur with vocational training". This meant that one day each week, instead of lessons at the Erweiterte Oberschule Pößneck (EOS, equivalent to today’s grammar school), vocational training took place. The declared aim of this form of education was to combine general school education with practical vocational training so that a successful graduate held both the Abitur (university entrance qualification) and a skilled worker’s certificate. In Pößneck at that time the following trades could be learned: farmer, bricklayer, fitter and typographer (book printer). The apprenticeship in book printing, which I chose, took place at the large graphic works VEB Karl-Marx-Werk — the largest book producer of the former GDR. 1967 I therefore had both the Abitur and the skilled worker’s certificate as a book printer "in my pocket."
In retrospect I consider the combination of school and vocation a real gain. We were forced to engage with seemingly "lower" tasks. That not only did us no harm but gave us important insights into professional work and taught us to value it. Even today, for example, the knowledge of colour harmonies or the "golden ratio" from my book-printing training occasionally proves useful.
My formative teachers during school and the book-printing apprenticeship
- Mr Rössel (POS, class teacher grades 1–2)
- Miss Klaffenbach (POS, class teacher grades 3–6)
- Gudrun Schmidt (POS, class teacher grades 7–8)
- Dr.-Ing. Rudolph Kluge (EOS, Director)
- Dr.-Ing. Hans Wagner (EOS, Class teacher, Biology/Music)
- Mr Taschenberger (EOS, Mathematics)
- Dr Schneider (EOS, Chemistry)
- Mr Malinowski (EOS, German)
- Ulrich Pfister (EOS, English)
- Günter Selbmann (EOS, Physical education)
- Messrs Rieger and Riemschneider (Master printers)
From November 1967 to April 1969 I completed the 18-month basic military service in the National People’s Army of the GDR – of course reluctantly. However, I also gained some experience and skills from that time, e.g. from the training as a military driver.
After the NVA period I studied at 1969 to 1973 at TU Dresden, Department of Water Management (Director Prof. Dr. Karl-Franz Busch).
My formative university lecturers
- Prof. Dr. Harry Kittner (Water supply)
- Dr. Joachim Gruhler (Wastewater treatment)
- Prof. Dr. Siegfried Dyck (Hydrology)
- Prof. Dr. Dietrich Uhlmann (Hydrobiology)
- Prof. Dr. Joachim Kaeding (Hydrochemistry)
After my dissertation 1977 (under "Doktorvater" Prof. Karl-Heinz Schweiger) I worked at the Water Management Directorate (WWD) Upper Elbe-Neiße and from 1987 until the Wende 1990 at the WWD Berlin and later at the Institute for Water Management (IfW), Berlin.
Post-reunification period (1990-2013)
Upheavals, new beginnings and professional developmentLike many other institutions of the former GDR, the water management directorates and the IfW were "wound up" after accession to the FRG — in plain terms, destroyed. Fortunately, I found a new position without delay with Prof. Hans-Peter Lühr at the then Institute for Hazardous Substances in Water at TU Berlin (IWS).
1990-1998: IWS at TU Berlin
Institute for Hazardous Substances in Water under Prof. Hans-Peter Lühr
1998-2000: Intraconsult GmbH
Consulting firm in Wiesbaden (went bankrupt at the end of 2000)
2001-2013: EnviaTec GmbH
Co-founder and successful self-employment
2001 I co-founded EnviaTec GmbH together with other former colleagues from Intraconsult. This proved to be a successful move. For many well-known clients, especially from the chemical industry, we prepared wastewater inventories and conducted investigations to upgrade existing sewage treatment plants using dynamic simulation with the software package STOAT von WRc.
Active retirement (since 2013)
Teaching and knowledge transfer2013 - with my transition into retirement - we handed over the business of EnviaTec GmbH to the Ingenieurbüro Prof. Sieker.
Despite several upheavals, I was able to devote my entire working life exclusively to water management tasks. When one day my children and grandchildren take stock of their professional lives, they will probably look back on considerably more fields of activity.
Today I am a pensioner and as such I was still active in teaching matters until 2024.
With my website I want to make my experience available to interested professional colleagues and students.
Professional focal points
water protection
Over 40 years' experience in water management (applied research, regulatory work, consulting, practical implementation).
wastewater treatment
Specialist in sewage treatment plant design and optimisation with a focus on industrial wastewater, including the preparation of wastewater inventories.
Dynamic sewage plant simulation
Many years of experience in the field of dynamic sewage plant simulation with the Software package STOAT from WRc.
Teaching
Lecturer in water protection and wastewater treatment at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences for Technology (2013 - 2024).