On May 19, 2015, the members of the directors and the trustees of the newly established "Heinisch Foundation" met for their constituent meeting. Mr. Günter Heinisch, who died in Hof in 2013, designated the VFF as co-heir in his legacy.
Heinisch Foundation
On May 19, 2015, the committee of Directors and the committee of Trustees of the newly established "Heinisch Foundation" met for their constituent meeting. Mr. Günter Heinisch, who died in Hof in 2013, designated the VFF as co-heir in his legacy.
In accordance with his wishes, the entirety of the estate left to the VFF is to be used to promote the geosciences collections in Freiberg. The committee of the VFF then decided to establish and manage the "Günter Heinisch Foundation of the VFF Association for the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg".
This foundation, with its seven-figure capital stock, will provide the Geosciences Collections of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg with permanent and annual financial support in order to meet the foundation's charitable objectives:
- the scientific management and expansion of the collections,
- the promotion of innovative research approaches related to the collections,
- the promotion of public education programs associated with the collections.
The three-member foundation committee will oversee the foundation on an annual basis and will be responsible to a five-member committee of trustees. The Heinisch Foundation is the first well-funded foundation established and supervised by the VFF for the purposes of the TU Bergakademie. It serves as an example for similar projects in the future. It is open to further foundations. It offers itself as a "model" for testators and also vital sponsors of the TU Bergakademie who wish to support the Freiberg "alma mater" in this way and "immortalize" themselves in the name of the foundation. The VFF will always faithfully fulfill such bequests.
The Founder
Nevertheless, the Günter Heinisch legacy also reflects the charisma of the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg. It also shows how long-standing personal and faithful contacts between mining academics and the world can lead to happy legacies. These will be more necessary and beneficial tomorrow than they are today.
Günter Heinisch was born in Hof in 1931, the son of a lawyer. After attending elementary school, he switched to the Humanistic High School, where he graduated in 1949. Due to the uncertain economic and political situation at the time, he decided not to study at university and instead completed a banking apprenticeship. At the end of his apprenticeship, Heinisch moved to the Nuremberg branch of Dresdner Bank as a bank clerk, where he remained for four years. In 1957, he accepted an offer from the then-famous porcelain manufacturer "Rosenthal" to work in the commercial head office in Marktredwitz. Günter Heinisch remained with this company for many years as head of finance and accounting at a specialist subsidiary until his retirement.
The committed man had many hobbies. His main sporting interest was mountain climbing, as well as photography and stamp collecting. He had been passionate about collecting minerals since his youth. His collection amazed more than just amateurs.
However, freemasonry has been at the center of his life since 1966. In that year, he was accepted into the lodge "zum Morgenstern" and three years later was elevated to "Master of the Royal Art". The well-educated Günter Heinisch held numerous offices in his lodge. In 2011, he was made an honorary member for his services. Two years later, on August 1, 2013, he died in a retirement home in Hof after a long illness.
As an active collector, Günter Heinisch was very impressed by the mineralogical collection in Freiberg, but not only by the minerals, but above all by the activities of the staff, be it through the regular special exhibitions in Freiberg or the many appearances at mineral exhibitions and lecture events outside the museum. Günter Heinisch decided many years ago to support the Geosciences Collections.
Special exhibition "Natural stones from all over the world" of the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg from August 22, 2018 to May 30, 2019
Heinisch-Stiftung
c/o Friends and Sponsors of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg e. V.
Akademiestraße 6
Telefon +49 3731 39-2559
freunde [at] zuv [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de (freunde[at]zuv[dot]tu-freiberg[dot]de)