# Konrad Zuse

> German computer scientist and engineer (1910 - 1995)

**Wikidata**: [Q60093](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60093)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Zuse)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/konrad-zuse

## Summary
Konrad Zuse was a German computer scientist, engineer, and inventor. He is most famous for creating a series of early programmable computers, including the Z1, Z3, and Z4, and for designing Plankalkül, one of the first high-level programming languages, between 1942 and 1945.

## Biography
- **Born**: 1910-06-22, Wilmersdorf (Berlin), German Reich
- **Died**: 1995-12-18, Hünfeld, Germany
- **Nationality**: German
- **Education**: Technische Universität Berlin (1927-1935), Konrad-Zuse-Gymnasium Hoyerswerda (until 1927), Collegium Hosianum
- **Known for**: Creating the Z series of computers and the Plankalkül programming language
- **Employer(s)**: Henschel & Sohn (1935-1939), Aerodynamics Research Institute (1939-1945), Zuse KG (1949-1969), Siemens (from 1969)
- **Field(s)**: Computer science

## Contributions
Konrad Zuse was a pioneer in automated computation. His most significant contributions were the Z series of computers. He developed these machines largely independently in Germany, starting with the Z1. His work culminated in machines like the Z3 and the Z4, which were early examples of programmable computing devices.

In addition to his hardware innovations, Zuse designed Plankalkül, a comprehensive high-level programming language, between 1942 and 1945. It was created for engineering tasks and included advanced features for its time. After the war, he founded his own company, Zuse KG, in 1949, which produced commercial computers like the Z11 (1957). His notable works include the computers Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5, Z11, Z22, and Z23, the programming language Plankalkül, and the concept of "Calculating Space" (Rechnender Raum).

## FAQs
### Q: What is Konrad Zuse most famous for?
A: Konrad Zuse is most famous for creating some of the world's first programmable computers, such as the Z3, and for designing Plankalkül, one of the earliest high-level programming languages.

### Q: What was Plankalkül?
A: Plankalkül was a high-level programming language designed by Konrad Zuse between 1942 and 1945. It was intended for engineering calculations and was remarkably advanced for its era, though it was not implemented on a computer until decades later.

### Q: What was Zuse KG?
A: Zuse KG was the computer company founded by Konrad Zuse in 1949. It was one of the first companies to exclusively build and sell computers, producing models like the Z11, before being acquired by Siemens in 1969.

## Why They Matter
Konrad Zuse's work was fundamental to the development of modern computing. Working in relative isolation in Germany during a tumultuous period, he independently conceived of and built programmable, automated calculating machines. His creations, particularly the Z3, are considered by many to be the first functional programmable computers, predating or running concurrently with similar Allied efforts.

His theoretical work was equally groundbreaking. The design of the Plankalkül programming language from 1942-1945 laid out many principles of high-level programming long before languages like FORTRAN or COBOL became widespread. Zuse's vision established core concepts of computer architecture and software that would become standard in the decades that followed, marking him as a crucial, if once overlooked, father of the digital age.

## Notable For
*   **Pioneering Computers**: Created a series of early computers, including the Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4.
*   **First High-Level Programming Language**: Designed Plankalkül between 1942 and 1945, one of the world's first high-level programming languages.
*   **Entrepreneurship**: Founded one of the earliest computer companies, Zuse KG, in 1949, which commercially produced computers.
*   **Awards and Recognition**: Received numerous prestigious awards, including the Werner von Siemens Ring (1964), the Wilhelm Exner Medal (1969), and was named a Computer History Museum Fellow (1983).
*   **Theoretical Contributions**: Developed the concept of "Calculating Space" (Rechnender Raum), an early idea related to cellular automata and digital physics.

## Body
### ### Personal Life and Education
*   **Full Name**: Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse
*   **Born**: June 22, 1910, in Wilmersdorf, German Reich.
*   **Died**: December 18, 1995, in Hünfeld, Germany.
*   **Burial**: Neuer Friedhof, Hünfeld.
*   **Family**: He had a child named Horst Zuse. He was affiliated with Ursula Walk.
*   **Education**:
    *   **Collegium Hosianum**
    *   **Konrad-Zuse-Gymnasium Hoyerswerda**: Graduated in 1927.
    *   **Technische Universität Berlin**: Studied from 1927 to 1935.

### ### Career and Affiliations
*   **Occupations**: Inventor, entrepreneur, computer scientist, engineer, civil engineer.
*   **Employers**:
    *   **Henschel & Sohn**: 1935–1939
    *   **Aerodynamics Research Institute**: 1939–1945
    *   **Zuse KG**: 1949–1969 (Founder)
    *   **Siemens**: From 1969
*   **Memberships**:
    *   **German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina**: Honorary member.
    *   **Akademischer Verein Motiv Berlin**

### ### Major Works and Inventions
*   **Computers**: Zuse was the creator of a series of computers, including:
    *   Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5
    *   Z11 (inception 1957)
    *   Z22, Z23
*   **Programming Language**:
    *   **Plankalkül**: Designed between 1942 and 1945, it is considered one of the first high-level programming languages.
*   **Theoretical Concepts**:
    *   **Calculating Space (Rechnender Raum)**

### ### Awards and Honors
Konrad Zuse received numerous awards for his pioneering work.
*   **Werner von Siemens Ring**: 1964
*   **Rudolf-Diesel-Medaille**: 1969
*   **Wilhelm Exner Medal**: 1969
*   **Konrad Zuse Medal**: 1981
*   **Computer History Museum Fellow**: 1983
*   **Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art**: 1984
*   **Ernst Reuter Medal**: 1985
*   **Cothenius Medal**: 1985
*   **Wilhelm Leuschner Medal**: 1987
*   **Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany**: 1995

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## References

1. Konrad Zuse Obituary
2. MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
3. ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
4. Integrated Authority File
5. BnF authorities
6. [Source](https://softech.informatik.uni-kl.de/homepage/teaching/ProseminarWS0506/Materialien/Zuse_Ausarbeitung.pdf)
7. Find a Grave
8. [Source](https://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Zuse.html)
9. [Source](https://inf.ethz.ch/de/departement/auszeichnungen-und-rankings/ehrendoktoren.html)
10. International Standard Name Identifier
11. Virtual International Authority File
12. CiNii Research
13. [Source](https://kalliope-verbund.info/de/findingaid_toc?fa.id=DE-210A_NL_207&fa.enum=1&lastparam=true)
14. [Source](https://kalliope-verbund.info/DE-210A_NL_207)
15. SNAC
16. filmportal.de
17. Structurae
18. compArt database Digital Art
19. [Brockhaus Enzyklopädie](https://brockhaus.de/ecs/julex/article/zuse-konrad-ernst-otto)
20. Croatian Encyclopedia
21. Munzinger Personen
22. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
23. CONOR.SI
24. Quora
25. LIBRIS. 2012
26. Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands