Heinrich Kirchner von Neukirchen (*1857;†1918)

Heinrich Johann Leopold Kirchner von Neukirchen was born in Prague-Altstadt on 20 March 1857. Kirchner came from an old Nuremburg family. The progenitor, Andreas Kirchner, a pharmacist in Königgrätz, is documented to have provided services for the imperial army during the Swedish War in 1644. On 20 May 1644, he was granted a coat of arms certificate by Christoph von Ruoff, which bestowed upon him the predicate of Neukirchen and elevated him to the status of Bohemian nobility. The father of the subject in this sketch, Heinrich Franz Kirchner von Neukirchen (*1824;†1897), a native of Horowitz (present day Hořovice, Czechia) held the rank of a Militär-Verpflegungsverwalter (military food service manager); his mother, a native of Kuttenberg (present day Kutná Hora, Czechia), was Leopoldine Karola Franziska Täuber von Tiemendorf (*1825;†1901).

In 1885, Heinrich held the rank of Hauptmann in the Eisenbahnen und Telegraphen Regiment. In 1899, he was awarded the Militär-Verdienstkreuz and promoted to the rank of Major. He retired from the military in 1904 and subsequently took up residence at Floriantgasse 58 in Vienna, where he dedicated his time to the promotion of his pocket Massstabzirkel.

In 1880 Heinrich, then an Ober-Lieutenant in the military, filed a patent for his Universal-Maassstabzirkel (fig. 1 above). In 1897, he invented a smaller version, which he designated a Maassstabzirkel (fig. 2). This was patented in Germany (DRGM 81538) and in Austria (AT638B), reflecting two distinct versions. Subsequent versions were produced with scales on both faces and were available with or without a loupe. Further improvements were made with the introduction of more elaborate scales, as evidenced by DRGM 141328 and AT11698B in 1900. The version patented in 1904, AT22477B and DRGM 230079, featured a handle that could be swung around to serve as a point protector. 

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[1] Genealogisches taschenbuch der adeligen häuser Österreichs, Vol 4, 1910. [GoogleBooks]

[2] Streffleurs militärische Zeitschrift 1880 Heft 12. Der Massstabzirkel des Genie-Lieutenants v. Kirchner.[GoogleBooks]

[3] Ein Neuartiger Massstabzirkel in "Österreichische Forst-Zeitung" 17. Dezember 1897, p.406. [ANNO]

[4] Der Maassstabzirkel des k k Genie Lieutenants v Kirchner in "Kriegstechnisclie Zeitschrift. Für Offiziere aller Waffen", Vol. 1 1898, p.91 [InternetArchive], 

[5] Österreichische Forst-Zeitung 1897 [ANNO]

[6] Organ der Militärwissenschaftlichen Vereine 1897 [Internet Archive]

[7] Technik und Wehrmacht 1898 p.91. [Internet Archive]

[8] Österreichische militärische Zeitschrift 1899 p.172. [Internet Archive]

[9] Technik und Wehrmacht 1901 p.144. [Internet Archive] 

[10] https://library.hungaricana.hu