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Felix AuerbachGerman physicist
Date of Birth: 12.11.1856
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Childhood and Education
Felix Auerbach was born as the eldest of six siblings on May 13, 1856, in Breslau, Germany. His father, Leopold, was a respected physician and professor of medicine, while his mother, Arabella née Heß, instilled in him a love for music. From 1865 to 1873, Felix received a humanist education at Maria Magdalena Gymnasium in his hometown.
At the age of 16, he began studying at the universities of Breslau, Heidelberg under Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, and Berlin under Hermann von Helmholtz. In 1875, he earned his doctorate for his thesis on "The Nature of Vocal Sounds."
Academic Career
After working as an assistant to Oskar Emil Meyer at the University of Breslau's physics institute from 1879, Auerbach became a private lecturer there in 1880. From 1889 until his retirement in 1927, he held the chair of theoretical physics at the University of Jena, succeeding Ernst Abbe. Despite his academic achievements, he faced discrimination as a Jew and was not granted the title of professor until 1923.
Personal Life
In 1883, Felix Auerbach married Anna née Silbergleit (1860-1933). Their marriage remained childless. Anna was a social activist and advocate for women's emancipation, leading the Central German Women's Association for many years.
Connection to the Weimar Bauhaus
Felix Auerbach maintained close ties with the Weimar Bauhaus, an influential art, design, and architecture school. Its founder, architect Walter Gropius, designed and built a house for him in Jena. This house became a cultural hub for artists and academics, where Edvard Munch famously painted Auerbach's portrait in 1906. Today, the renovated house houses a small museum.
Tragic End
In 1933, following the Nazi rise to power, Felix Auerbach and his wife committed suicide. In his farewell letter, he expressed regret for leaving this world after "almost 50 years of mutually agreeable cohabitation (marriage) after a last night of great merriment."
