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Nordhausen educator, inventor and designer

Dr phil. August Ephraim Kramer was born in Nordhausen on 2 February 1817. After attending grammar school in Nordhausen, he studied mathematics and natural sciences at the University of Leipzig and philosophy at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin, where he also gained his doctorate.

He then began working at Nordhausen Grammar School as a mathematician and science teacher.

He wrote scientific papers on mathematics and optics and took an active part in social life in Nordhausen, was a town councillor and deputy head of the town council, a member of the Commission for Church and School Affairs and a member of the Scientific Association. He rendered outstanding services to the development of the Nordhausen school system. Kramer married in 1853 and subsequently built a new villa in Nordhausen at what was then Geiersberg 1, now Wallrothstraße 4. He died on 18 March 1885 in Nordhausen.

Portrait of Dr phil. August Ephraim Kramer (slightly faded black and white photograph)
Dr phil. August Ephraim Kramer

The name "AUGUST-KRAMER-INSTITUT" is intended to honour the outstanding lifetime achievement of the Nordhausen pioneer of technical progress.

Development of the pointer telegraph

His main engineering achievement was the consistent development of the pointer telegraph through various intermediate stages into a reliable communication device which fully met the requirements of practical use and which was used extensively by Kramer himself - protected by patents - in state telegraphy and the railway system.

View from above of a pointer telegraph. The apparatus is housed in a square wooden box with a lid, which is open here.
Pointer telegraph

Inauguration of AUGUST-KRAMER-INSTITUT

Four people are standing in front of some display boards. The portrait of August Kramer can be seen on the centre one in the background. Two elderly ladies in the centre are each holding a bouquet of flowers. The two men are wearing suits.
From left: Matthias Viehmann (Institute Director when the Institute was founded), Ms Ingrid Freitag (descendant of Dr Kramer), Ms Haide Schuppe (descendant of Dr Kramer), Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Hans Walter Wichert (book author) (( Wichert, Hans Walter: Dr August Kramer - Leben und Werk des Schullehrers, Erfinders und Telegrafenkonstrukteurs aus Nordhausen. Publication series of the Scientific Association of Nordhausen No. 1. Nordhausen: Südharzdruckerei GmbH, 1997.))

Exhibitions

The AUGUST-KRAMER-INSTITUT houses a small permanent exhibition about August Kramer (including an exhibit). In addition, further documents and exhibits are on display in the "Tabakspeicher" museum in Nordhausen.

Since October 2006, the AUGUST-KRAMER-INSTITUT has been in possession of several museum pieces that were developed and manufactured by Dr August Kramer. The centrepiece is a pointer telegraph. In addition, there are several display boards that illustrate the life and work of the inventor. The exhibits were made available to the university by the city of Nordhausen (cultural office, museum) - a sign of close regional co-operation. The exhibits are housed in Forum II of the AUGUST-KRAMER-INSTITUT, which has been given the additional designation KRAMER-FORUM.

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