Andreas Ernst Gottfried Polysius (Born 27 November 1827 in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

; † 21 April 1886 ) was a German Industrialist.

Family

Andreas Ernst Gottfried Polysius was born in Dessau the only son of Gottfried Polysius and Louise Sturm. His father was manager of a

sheep farm Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

in Dessau. His mother died at a young age. His father was soon remarried, to Louise Amelang, daughter of a lumber trader Gottfried Amelang and the Leopoldine Schmidt. From this marriage his father bore two sons, Andreas's half brothers: Gottfried Otto Polysius, * 27 September 1863, and Gottfried max of Polysius, * 19 March 1870.

Life

Polysius began his education in Dessau. During his time at school he developed a fascination for the industrial processes gaining ascendency in Europe at the time; he structured his education accordingly. During the years of his education he traveled to Switzerland, to London and Paris. In 1859, he began an apprentice at a workshop in Dessau and thereby laid the foundation-stone for the multi-national engineering firm

Polysius AG Thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH (thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH) is a global industrial company specializing in the manufacture and sale of plants and machinery for the cement and ore industry. In 2023, Thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH was integrated into the new ...

. He began his career by making safes. On 23 May 1870, he created G. Polysius, an iron foundry and engine works, where he designed and manufactured high performance mills for the infant building materials industry. The factory started with 32 workers. In 1875, he began distribution of forge-iron gates in Dessau. During this time he developed an uncommon love for music and theatre which led to a notable friendship with Duke Friedrich I. In 1876, he began production of threshing machines, sawing mills and steam engines. During this time he also began production of agricultural machines such as corn mills and breweries. He was now producing a range of industrial machinery. On 21 April 1886, during a performance of ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

'' in his beloved Dessauer Theatre, Gottfried Polysius succumbed to a cardiac

infarction Infarction is tissue death (necrosis) due to Ischemia, inadequate blood supply to the affected area. It may be caused by Thrombosis, artery blockages, rupture, mechanical compression, or vasoconstriction. The resulting lesion is referred to as a ...

Legacy

His heirs continued to run his company and began to specialize in machines necessary for the construction of cement works. In 1898, it built the first cylindrical rotary cement kiln in Europe and in 1907 a complete cement plant in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. After World War II, it moved from its home in Dessau to Beckum in

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. The company thrives today as Polysius AG. {{DEFAULTSORT:Polysius, Andreas Ernst Gottfried 1827 births 1886 deaths Businesspeople from Saxony-Anhalt People from Dessau-Roßlau