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, performed services for the imperial army during the Swedish War in 1644. On May 20, 1644, he received from Christoph von Ruoff a coat of arms certificate in which he was granted the predicate of Neukirchen and raised to the Bohemian nobility. The father of the subject in this sketch, Heinrich Franz Kirchner von Neukirchen (*1824;†1897), a native of Horowitz (Hořovice, Czechia) was a Militär-Verpflegungsverwalter (military food service manager); his mother, a native of Kuttenberg (Kutná Hora, Czechia), was Leopoldine Karola Franziska Täuber von Tiemendorf (*1825;†1901).

In 1885 Heinrich held the position of Hauptmann in the Eisenbahn und Telegraphen Regiment. He was awarded with the Militär-Verdienstkreuz in 1899 and promoted to the rank of Major. He retired from the Military in 1904, now residing at Floriantgasse 58 in Vienna, and devoted his time to promoting his pocket Massstabzirkel.

In 1880 Heinrich, then an Ober-Lieutenant in the military, patented his Universal-Maassstabzirkel (fig. 1 above). He invented a much smaller version which he calls a Maassstabzirkel in 1897 (fig. 2), patented in Germany DRGM 81538, and a slightly different vision patented in Austria AT638B. This and subsequent versions have scales on both faces and are available with or without a loupe. Improved versions with more elaborate scales soon followed DRGM 141328 and AT11698B in 1900. The version patented in 1904 AT22477B and DRGM 230079 has a handle that swings 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