Wilhelm (Theodor Ludwig) Schleuning, engl.

Architect and archaeologist; Constructor; Inventor.

Head of Construction Office at Heidelberg Castle.

*Oct. 7, 1857 in Heidelberg.

†Sep 6, 1914 in Magdeburg.

Buried in the Bergfriedhof in Heidelberg.

Father: Georg Christian Schleuning (1813-1890).

Mother: Theodore Ernestine Schenck (1822-1857).

Home of the Schleuning family, Burgweg 7, below Heidelberg Castle

1881-1883

On behalf of the Grand Ducal Baden Ministry of Culture, excavation and structural research of the ruins of the St. Michael monastery on Heiligenberg above Heidelberg.

1886-1888

1886/88 Two scholarships from the Grand Duke of Baden for stays in Italy; There, engineering advice for the railway line from Naples to Calabria and in the course of this activity research and partial excavation of the castle hill of the ancient Greek colony town of Elea (lat. Velia).

Railway line through the castle hill of Elea, drawing by W. Schleuning

The village Pisciotta near the site of ancient Elea. Drawing by W. Schleuning, 1888.

Two travel sketchbooks from Schleuning’s stay in Italy in 1888 have survived: sketchbook A; sketchbook B.

Silver coin of ancient Elea (verso). Gift from Martina Dieterle to Lambert Schneider for his 60th birthday, 2003.

1891

Doctorate to Dr. Ing. in Karlsruhe.

1894

Marriage to Marion Schleuning, b. Rosenplaenter (*23.03.1867; †23.05.1947).

Freelance architect and engineer. Inventions: hollow brick; Terranova (a hard, resistant plaster for exterior walls of buildings).

1911

Foundation of the Cella Patent Realisation Company. Due to the early and unexpected death of Wilhelm Schleuning, it was not possible to effectively patent his inventions, which is why the family became impoverished after his death.

Children of Wilhelm und Marion Schleuning, née Rosenplaenter:

Hans Schleuning. *June 19,1900 Berlin †August 29, 1939 Falkenberg.
Wilhelm (Willi) Schleuning (Musician; conductor). *March 16, 1902 Berlin †November 17, 1966 Dresden.
Marion Schleuning (wife of the publisher Lambert Schneider and mother of the archaeologist Lambert Schneider). *June 23, 1903 Berlin; †June 1, 2000 Hamburg.
Theodora Friederika Olga (Dolla) Schleuning. *May 17, 1905 Berlin; †May 29, 2005 Kiel.

The Schleuning family on a beach holiday, around 1910: In the beach chair the parents Wilhelm and Marion, between them on the left daughter Marion (who later became the mother of Lambert Schneider), on the right her sister Dorothea [“Dolla”]; in front of the beach chair, the sons Hans and Wilhelm (who later became the conductor); lying down: a domestic help.

Publications by Wilhelm Schleuning

1887	Wilhelm Schleuning: Die Michaels-Basilika auf dem heiligen Berg bei Heidelberg. Eine baugeschichtliche Studie. Heidelberg 1887.
1889	Wilhelm Schleuning: Velia in Lucanien. In: Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 4 (1889) p. 169-194. Reprint: Nabu Press (May 25, 2010). ISBN 978- 1149718339.
1890	Wilhelm Schleuning: Der Fächer – in 12 Bildern. In: Münchener Bilderbogen 1890. Verlag von Braun & Schneider [The nice drawings are dedicated to his future wife Marion Rosenplaenter].
1891	Wilhelm Schleuning: Das Mannesmann-Rohr in seiner Bedeutung für das Kunstgewerbe. With 10 helio-plates. Berlin 1891. = Excerpt from no. 69 and 70 of Deutsche Bauzeitung.

Publikationen über Wilhelm Schleuning

1888	[Report on Schleunings work in South Italy] H.J., in: Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft 1888, p. 322f.
1928	Franz Lipp: Elea. In: Italien. Monatsschrift für Kultur, Kunst und Literatur 1 (September 1928), p. 475-476.
2006	Bert Burger: Klosterruine St. Michael auf dem Heiligenberg. Beginn der Ausgrabungen durch Wilhelm Schleuning 1886. In: Jahrbuch des Stadtteilvereins Handschuhsheim 2006, p. 47-52.
2012	Dirk Krausse (Hrsg.): Forschungen zum Heiligenberg bei Heidelberg. Forschungsgeschichte, Fundmaterial, Restaurierung. (ed.: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart: Forschungen und Berichte der Archäologie des Mittelalters in Baden-Württemberg, vol. 32, p. 20 ff). Stuttgart 2012.