Heinz Nixdorf: The pioneer who made Paderborn the tech stronghold!

Heinz Nixdorf: The pioneer who made Paderborn the tech stronghold!

Heinz Nixdorf, born on April 9, 1925 in Paderborn, is considered one of the most important German computer pioneers. In the 1960s, he revolutionized the technology with his semi -calculators based on semiconductors. According to WDR, WDR began his career in a windowless basement in Essen, where he was the first electron tubes in 1952 Tied together. With his visionary work, he laid the foundation stone for Nixdorf Computer AG, which grew into a global electronics group during the German economic miracle.

Nixdorf, who was born in a poor family as the oldest of five children, experienced a childhood characterized by his father's unemployment in the 1920s and 30s. This formed his later entrepreneurial commitment. In 1952, while studying physics at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, he founded his first company. He made an electric calculator for electricity billing for RWE and planned to chase the market leader IBM customers. This shows its ambitions, as the wikipedia entry.

climb to the Nixdorf Computer AG

At only 27 years, Nixdorf founded his company without a university degree, product or market. Despite these challenges, he managed to build a global company with over 31,000 employees and sales of five billion marks. Nixdorf's microcomputer successfully competed with IBM mainframes and thus symbolized the German economic miracle from the 1950s to the 1970s. Particularly noteworthy is the development of the Nixdorf 820, which proved to be very successful. In 1965 he presented the first electronic calculator with semiconductors at the Hanover Messe.

The Nixdorf Computer AG, renamed in 1968 after taking over hikers, also relied on the training of its employees. In 1969 Nixdorf founded a vocational school to train future generations in the technology industry. He was also involved in the Paderborn University University and contributed significantly to the construction of Paderborn Lippstadt Airport, which was opened in 1971.

a legacy during and after his life

Nixdorf had received numerous honors over the years and became the key figure in German technology development. In 1985, shortly before his death, the turnover of his company was around four billion D-Mark in 24,000 employees. The computer pioneer died on March 17, 1986 from a heart attack on the CeBIT in Hanover, just a few weeks before his 61st birthday. A legacy that is still not only noticeable in technology, but also in the Paderborn region.

Today, the Heinz Nixdorf Museum Forum has its name and tells of innovations and developments in the world of computer technology. Nixdorf leaves not only a technological heritage, but also a family that continues to maintain his memory. His eldest son, Martin Nixdorf, is chairman of the Heinz-Nixdorf Foundation and is committed to his father's values ​​and visions.