Heinrich Wild: From orphan boy to world changer - two books, two pioneering stories
- Patrick
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
A look at Fritz Staudacher's new publication on the hidden childhood of the world surveyor Heinrich Wild - with reference to the earlier work on his connection to Albert Einstein.
Some time ago, I reported here on Fritz Staudacher's first major work: "Heinrich Wild and Albert Einstein - the beginning of two great world careers". The article sheds light on two brilliant Swiss federal civil servants who began their careers in Bern around 1900 - Heinrich Wild, the Glarus topographer who revolutionized surveying, and Albert Einstein, the physicist who rethought the world view.
The idea that Heinrich Wild's life would follow Albert Einstein's "gravitational field" for decades - professionally, biographically and technologically - fascinated me greatly at the time. The fact that the two men may not even have known each other personally makes this "Einstein-Wild relationship" all the more exciting. The first blog article about this book was very well received by many readers - especially those who are interested in great Glarus personalities.
Now the second part has been published - and it goes back much further.
The childhood of Heiri Wild - a life between loss, austerity and genius
In his latest work, "The Hidden Childhood and Youth of Heinrich Wild", Fritz Staudacher opens up a treasure trove of previously unknown or suppressed information: How did the boy Heiri Wild, orphaned at an early age, become a man who reinvented international surveying technology?
Highly gifted half-orphan
Heinrich Wild was born in Bilten, lost his father at the age of three and grew up under the harsh hand of his grandmother. His mother was often absent. But by the age of twelve, he was already working at the Linthwerk and even before he was twenty he had a reputation as a talented surveyor - without a diploma.
Staudacher paints an impressive portrait of a boy who, with mathematical intelligence, technical intuition, constructive creativity, and iron discipline, worked his way up from the confines of his family environment to the national spotlight. He witnessed how his instruments were used to measure and map the world – and how his design principles, combined with the technologies of Einstein's time, are still in use today
Two Articles - one surveying genius
The combination of the two works creates a fascinating whole:
Book | Topic | Why it's worth it |
The beginning of two world careers | Wild's career in Bern & at Zeiss, parallels to Einstein | Technical-historical, full of aha-moments for physics & technology fans |
Hidden childhood | Wild's youth in Glarus, family influences, emotional depth | Biographically well-founded, enlightening for personal development |
Conclusion: Staudacher as a chronicler of the pioneering spirit of Glarus
Fritz Staudacher has already made a name for himself with his outstanding 320-page biography of the long-misunderstood mathematical and technical genius Jost Bürgi (1552–1632), entitled Jost Bürgi, Kepler und der Kaiser (Jost Bürgi, Kepler and the Emperor). Now he turns his attention to another fascinating figure in the history of technology: the Glarus pioneer Heinrich Wild. With the first comprehensive article on Wild, Staudacher presents another important work.
While his first article filled a gap in the history of technology and ideas, his new work gives Heinrich Wild the human depth that makes his achievements appear even more impressive.
Anyone who has already been interested in the parallels between Einstein and Wild now has the opportunity to trace the roots of this Glarus genius – and to see how his personality, family background, and pioneering technical spirit helped shape an entire century.
Recommended reading: These two articles belong together - like theodolite and laser, like map and GPS. If you want to understand the 20th century in technology and science, you can't get past Heinrich Wild - and certainly not Fritz Staudacher.
Here is the link to Fritz Staudacher's article "Beginning of two great world careers"
Here is the link to Fritz Staudacher's article "Heinrich Wild's hidden childhood and youth"
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