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 19 May 2015, the Board of Directors and the Board 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 a co-heir in his will.
In accordance with the will, the entirety of the estate left to the VFF is to be used to promote the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg. The board of the VFF then decided to establish and support 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 fulfil the non-profit objectives of the foundation:
- the scientific care and expansion of the collections,
- the promotion of innovative research approaches related to the collections,
- the promotion of public educational programmes with the collections.
The three-member Board of Trustees will oversee the foundation's work on an annual basis and will be accountable to a five-member Board 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 future similar projects. 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 "immortalise" themselves in the name of the foundation. The VFF will always faithfully honour such bequests.
The founder
The Günter Heinisch legacy also reflects the charisma of the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg. It also shows how long-standing personal and trusting contacts between mining academics around 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 primary school, he transferred to the Humanistische Gymnasium, where he passed his A-levels 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 already 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 subsidiary until his retirement.
The staunch Upper Franconian had many hobbies. His main sporting interest was mountaineering, 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 centre 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 1 August 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, whether through the regular special exhibitions in Freiberg or the many appearances at mineral fairs and lecture events outside the company. Günter Heinisch decided many years ago to support the Geosciences Collections.
Special exhibition "Natural stones from around the world" at the Geosciences Collections in Freiberg from 22 August 2018 to 30 May 2019
Heinisch-Stiftung
c/o Freunde und Förderer der TU Bergakademie Freiberg e.V,
Akademiestraße 6
+49 3731 39-2559
freunde [at] zuv [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de (freunde[at]zuv[dot]tu-freiberg[dot]de)