Monument to the founder of sustainability unveiled
A monument to Hans Carl von Carlowitz will be unveiled at Rabenstein Castle tomorrow Saturday at 11 a.m. in the presence of Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig. Born in Rabenstein, he is regarded as the founder of the modern concept of sustainability. The occasion for the monument is the 300th anniversary of the book "Sylvicultura Oeconomica", in which von Carlowitz developed the principle of sustainability.
Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "We are honouring a great man from Chemnitz who 300 years ago developed a principle of economic management that impresses with its simplicity. The monument points to the past and at the same time points to the future. It reminds us to recognise the principle of sustainability and put it into practice. In Chemnitz, we are following this principle, for example with the research carried out by the TU and IWU on the energy self-sufficient factory or the Chemnitz model. I would like to thank the Saxon Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz Society for their idea of honouring Carlowitz and the foundation of the monument by Prof. Naumann and Niles-Simmons and, last but not least, Volker Beier for his outstanding work."
The 2.75 metre high bronze bust with a golden patina was created by the sculptor Volker Beier. It will stand in the immediate entrance area of Rabenstein Castle, where von Carlowitz was born.
The bust was donated by the company Niles-Simmons, whose managing director Prof Hans J. Naumann took part in the event. The idea of a monument to von Carlowitz was initiated by the Saxon Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz Society for the Promotion of Sustainability, which is committed to both recognising von Carlowitz's achievements and helping to implement his guiding principle of sustainability.
Hans Carl von Carlowitz was born in Oberrabenstein in 1645. He was a cameralist and chief mining administrator. With his "Sylvicultura oeconomica, oder haußwirthliche Nachricht und Naturmäßige Anweisung zur wilden Baum-Zucht" (1713), he wrote the first complete work on forestry and is regarded as the main creator of the concept of forest sustainability.