“The Vogtland region is very important for me as a place of refuge – whether I go swimming in Altensalz or use the cross-country ski trail in Grünbach – they’re all “zones of stability” for me where it is possible to recharge your batteries.”

Professor Gunter Krautheim teaches at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences and is also a passionate physicist. You notice that when he explains how superconductivity works. That might sound boring to non-physicists? Maybe, but it is not, as Professor Krautheim proves with a twinkle in his eyes. A substance is cooled with liquid nitrogen and evaporates at room temperature because it is at minus 196 degrees Celsius. The supercooled sample then hovers over a kind of magnet motorway as if steered by magic – without any friction or contact. “We’re familiar with this principle on maglev trains,” the physicist Krautheim explains with a smile. He later adds that he does not need to give any more lectures, but he still does so. “For fun – it helps me keep up with physics and the students.” He has a keen interest in both – and wants to see progress take place in the whole region.

“I grew up in Plauen and went to school there and I’ve stayed in the town right up to the present day. My wife and I decided to live in the Vogtland region in our early 20s because things just worked out that way. Today I view things somewhat differently and would say that I want to do something for the region. I see that as my mission.”

“The Vogtland region is very important to me as a place of refuge – whether I go swimming in Altensalz or use the cross-country ski trail in Grünbach – they’re all “zones of stability” for me where it’s possible to recharge your batteries.”

“It’s great that so many companies have set up in business in the Vogtland region since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I wish, however, that people in the Vogtland area would be aware of this and it would affect their sense of self-confidence too. There are so many and I enjoy listing the individual company names. I can think of several at each motorway exit along the A 72. ”

“I wish that Vogtland people would be more confident in the face of international competition. They could definitely hold their ground; they’re very reliable and ambitious in their thinking. They could benefit from having fewer doubts about their abilities and being somewhat more willing to cooperate with others.”

A retired rector with clear visions

His work at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences – one of five such institutions in Saxony – is really Gunter Krautheim’s lifetime achievement. He started working here in 1974; he was an employee, a lecturer and later deputy rector; he was rector from 2011 until 2016 and therefore responsible for 5,000 students, 145 professors and 40 university courses in nine faculties. There are two university branches in the Vogtland region: the textile technology centre in Reichenbach and the musical instrument making centre in Markneukirchen. The technical, economic and medical engineering courses form a major focus alongside them. He summarises his main objective in three points:  

“First of all, we want to offer the young people here in the region internationally competitive training that will enable them to provide security for their future lives.”

“Secondly, it’s a question of attracting more young people. There are now more students coming to Saxony than vice versa. The university plays an important role here in drawing in high-quality workers and mitigating negative demographic effects. Here’s one example: more than 70 percent of our students deal with topics from the regional economy in their final dissertation.”

“And finally, we want to support companies and institutes professionally through our applied research so that they’re better able to survive in the market place.”

After spending more than 40 years at the University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, Krautheim has reached the following conclusion. “I’d have loved to study journalism when I was younger. But I wouldn’t have been happy with that in East Germany. I’m really a scientist through and through.” He adds that he is still keen to know what is happening in physics, biology and chemistry and is fascinated by innovations. He believes that we need more freaks and he therefore appeals to young men and women to believe that they can achieve something. “Getting enthusiastic about a profession and new discoveries is a matter that has been a key for living a fulfilled life for centuries, regardless of the problems of everyday life.”

“And finally, we want to support companies and institutes professionally through our applied research so that they’re better able to survive in the market place.”

Vita Prof. Gunter Krautheim

• Born in Plauen in 1951
• Studied physics at the University of Leipzig
• Gained his doctorate in 1979
• Gained his qualification to teach in higher education in 1991
• Worked at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences from 1974 onwards, initially as an employee and a lecturer
• 2006-2011: deputy rector responsible for research and knowledge transfer at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences
• 2011-2016: rector
• Married with two sons