Peter Aufschnaiter German mountaineer, cartographer and scientist. Date of Birth: 02.11.1899 Country: Germany

1. Birth and Early Life
2. Military Service and Mountaineering
3. Nazi Party Affiliation and Himalayan Expeditions
4. World War II Internment and Escape
5. Life in Tibet
6. Departure from Tibet and Later Life

Birth and Early Life

Heinrich Harrer was born in July 1912 in Hüttenberg, Austria. His father was a carpenter, and Harrer attended a gymnasium in Kufstein.

Military Service and Mountaineering

During World War I, Harrer was conscripted into the Austrian army and served on the Italian front. After completing his gymnasium studies, he moved to Munich to study agriculture. He began mountain climbing in his youth and participated in German expeditions to Kanchenjunga in 1929 and 1931.

Nazi Party Affiliation and Himalayan Expeditions

Harrer joined the Nazi Party in 1933. From 1936 to 1939, he served as the managing director of the German Himalayan Foundation, which organized and funded Himalayan expeditions. In 1939, he led the Third Reich's expedition to Nanga Parbat.

World War II Internment and Escape

After the outbreak of World War II, Harrer and the other expedition members were interned in Dehradun, India. In April 1944, Harrer and Heinrich Harrer escaped from the camp. They split into groups and traveled in different directions.

Life in Tibet

Harrer and Harrer spent over a year and a half in Tibet, reaching Lhasa on January 15, 1946. They became employed as officials in the Tibetan administration. Harrer developed plans for a hydroelectric plant and sewage system in Lhasa, carried out tree planting and river regulation, and conducted a topographical survey of the Tibetan capital.

Departure from Tibet and Later Life

Due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Harrer and Harrer left Lhasa on December 20, 1950. Harrer went directly to India, while Harrer remained in the South Tibetan town of Gyantse for nearly a year. He worked as a cartographer for the Indian army in New Delhi from 1952 to 1956, and later as an agricultural expert for the FAO. He lived in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he acquired Nepali citizenship. Harrer made several unauthorized visits to Nepal's restricted areas and discovered valuable frescoes from early Buddhism. He returned to Austria in 1971, where he died in 2006.