Estates and autographs
Hellmut Wolff
About the person
Hellmut Wolff was born on 10 April 1876 in Frankfurt (Oder) and died on 20 February 1961 in Halle (Saale).
He studied economics and statistics in Berlin, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg and Freiburg (Breisgau). After obtaining his doctorate in 1902 in Breisgau as Dr. rer. nat. polit., he initially worked as a research assistant at the Statistical Office in Munich in 1905, then from 1906 to 1908 as an assistant to the director at the Statistical Office of the City of Zurich, and finally, from 1909 to 1933, as director of the Statistical Office in Halle. It was here in Halle that he qualified as a professor in 1909 with a habilitation thesis entitled: ‘Economic Quality Work’.
From 1933 to 1945, Wolff was Director of the Department of Transport at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. His main areas of research were: statistics as a science, economics, aesthetics and housing.
Archives open to research
It is not clear how or when this small collection came into the possession of the University and State Library. The collection consists mainly of manuscripts by Wolff, some of which are only fragments or consist of notes.
The volume of surviving correspondence is meagre and consists essentially of 23 letters from the philosopher Hans Vaihinger to Prof. Wolff’s wife, Irma, covering the period from 1917 to 1933.
Scope of the estates
8 boxes, 5 boxes of poems
Time frame
1893 - 1958
The following list contains estates that have been made available for research and prepared for consultation in the Reading Room for Historical Collections, and which are indexed via a detailed catalogue:
From the Life and Work of Hellmut Wolff
| Yi 45 I 1.1 | Certificate of appointment as extraordinary professor dated 25 August 1939 (original) and letter of appointment dated 25 August 1939, 2 portraits, 1 biographical newspaper clipping, 2°, 4° |
| Yi 45 I 1.2 | Teaching duties, termly statements, 22 sheets, 4° |
| Yi 45 I 1.3 | Semester reports from the Department of Transport, 1938–1946, 2 envelopes, 44 sheets, 4°, partly printed, partly handwritten or typewritten |
| Yi 45 I 1.4 | Doctoral theses, postdoctoral theses, 1 envelope, 49 sheets, 8°, 4°. |
| Yi 45 I 1.5 | PhD students from 1918 to 1923, 1 special edition, 8°, 12 business cards, 77 sheets, 8°, 4° |
| Yi 45 I 1.6 | Publications and peer-review work, 1 postcard, 85 sheets, 8°, 4° |
| Yi 45 I 1.7 | Bibliographical notes, 15 sheets, 8°, 4°, no place, no date. |
| Yi 45 I 2 | Literary and academic drafts by the student H. Wolff, c. 1900, 36 leaves, 2° First names and surnames in Russian, 5 sheets, 4°, 1 envelope |
| Yi 45 I 3a | Poems of Youth, Frankfurt (Oder), c. 1893–1900, Octavo booklet, 32 leaves, 8°, cardboard cover with green and black pasted paper, linen spine, title label: Hellmuth Wolff, stapled, pages detached, damaged, old pagination |
| Yi 45 I 3b | Poems from his youth, c. 1893–1900, Octavo volume, 98 leaves, 8°, cardboard cover with green and black pasted paper, stitched onto strips of parchment, linen corners, title label: Hellmuth Wolffi, 1 poem by another author enclosed, 2 sheets, 8° |
| Yi 45 I 4a | Letter from F.(?) Romanov, Russian Museum, St Petersburg, 26 July 1913, in Cyrillic, to H. Wolff, regarding photographs for an architecture exhibition in Leipzig, envelope 4° |
| Yi 45 I 4b | Letter from E. Selbmann, Library Director, Halle, 8 April 1957, to H. Wolff, expressing thanks for the donation of books; bears only a handwritten signature; 1 envelope, 4° |
| Yi 45 I 5 | 23 letters and postcards from Hans Vaihinger to Irma Wolff, 1917–1931, (No. 5 to Prof. H. Wollf). 1 photograph by H. Vaihinger, 1928, 3 special editions: ‘Fiction in Statistics (2x)’ by Wolff, ‘Self-Interest in Adam Smith’ and ‘Kant’s Categorical Imperative’ by Wolff |
Manuscripts, drafts and notes by Wolff
| Yi 45 II 1 | Notes from the Würzburg District Archives, 1903, Notes from the Aschaffenburg City Archives, 1 Advertising leaflet “The Struggle in the Cocoa Trade“, c. (1904), 362 leaves, 2°, 4°, partly with original pagination, left in the order in which they were found, including several letters concerning their use: Page 7: 1 Letter from the Royal Pensions Office in Aschaffenburg to H. Wolff, 20 March 1905 p. 195: Letter from the Eisenbahn- und Industrie-Gesellschaft Actien-Gesellschaft Schöllkrippen to the architect Zell, 22 March 1904 p. 230:1 Letter from Mr Stenga, Mönchberg, to Wolff in Hainbuchenthal, 7 September 1903 p. 231: Postcard from Z. Frank, Schöllkrippen, to Wollf in Frankfurt, 10 June 1903 pp. 232–233: 2 letters from Baron Fechenbach of Laudenbach and Sommerau, Wiesbaden, to Wolff in Aschaffenburg, 11 December 1904 and 15 December 1904 p. 234: 1 Letter from S. Hasenstal(?), Hainbuchenthal, 15 August 1903 p. 239: 1 letter containing a list of landowners in Hofstetten, with no sender’s address, addressed to Wolff in Hainbuchenthal, 10 September 190? pp. 240–243: Letters from Mr Völker, a teacher in Hofstetten, to Wolff in Frankfurt, 11 June 1903 and 12 July 1903 |
| Yi 45 II 2 | Inner Journeys handwritten manuscript, 32 leaves, 4°, in the process: Proof, 1910 = Trial lecture from 1910 14 leaves, 4° |
| Yi 45 II 3 | Cottage industry in the Aschaffenburg area Handwritten manuscript, no place, no date (before the First World War) 4 sheets with old numbering, 4° + 1 map, 2° in a folder |
| Yi 45 II 4 | Handwritten notes by H. Wolff, presumably excerpts from Russian works, partly in German and partly in Russian, on mining law, the situation in towns, the peasantry and peasant law, the social situation, and other topics. 25 sheets, 2° in the process: Excerpt from an essay: On School Reform, no place, no date (before the First World War) 8 sheets, 2°, unbound in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 5 | The economic measures taken by the city of Halle during the war years of 1914–15 handwritten manuscript, 15 leaves, 4°, and galley proofs, 10 leaves, 2°, 1915; Unbound, in a cover. . |
| Yi 45 II 6 | The tax systems of the Reich, the Länder and the municipalities, and capital formation. Galley proofs for „Schriften für Sozialpolitik“ No. 174, IV, 99–168. – With handwritten notes by Wolff (1928) 37 sheets, 4°, unbound in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 7 | Sport and Mind. – Handwritten manuscript, 1929 18 leaves, 4°, varying pagination, in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 8 | On the Law in Statistics. – Galley proofs for „Allgemeines Statistisches Archiv“, 1930, 26 sheets, 4°, in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 9 | Statistics Made Easy. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, 66 leaves, 4°, varying pagination; no place, no date, c. 1930; loose in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 10 | Economic rationalism and its impact on people working in the economy and their education. – Typewritten manuscript, c. 1930 60 sheets, 2°, in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 11 | The Roles of Arts and Crafts Associations. – Handwritten manuscript and galley proofs, after 1930? 21 sheets, 4°, unbound in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 12 | The Street. – Handwritten manuscript 71 leaves, 4°, varying pagination, unbound in a cover. in the process: * Letter from the General Statistical Archive to Prof. Wolff, Munich, 12 March 1932 * Reprint from: Chic, Emil, ‘District Roads in Bavaria as at 1 April 1924’, from: Journal of the Bavarian State Statistical Office, vol. 57, 1925, pp. 523 ff., 4 sheets, 2° |
| Yi 45 II 13 | British road accident statistics. – Galley proofs for *Verkehrswarte* with handwritten corrections, May 1937 3 sheets, 2°, loose in an envelope. |
| Yi 45 II 14 | Reports and correspondence concerning the Mittelland Canal, 1938 31 sheets, 2°, unbound in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 15 | The Mittelland Canal, 1938 33 numbered and 17 unnumbered sheets, 4°, loose in a white paper sleeve, in the process: 1 survey map sheet: Transport improvements in Silesia and the Ostmark |
| Yi 45 II 16 | The roads in Holland. – Galley proofs for „Die Betonstraße“, May 1939 16 sheets, 4°, 1 note, 8 postcards from the Netherlands (Hilversum, Utrecht and Fietspad), loose in an envelope. |
| Yi 45 II 17 | The Environmental Impact of Lignite. – Typewritten manuscript, 1939 292 leaves, 4°, bound in a black cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 18 | Commuting by residents of Halle, 10 October 1938 – 1 June 1940. – Typewritten manuscript 54 leaves, 2°: Supplement: 6 leaves + 1 map; bound in blue cardboard. – Also a second copy. |
| Yi 45 II 19 | The situation regarding lignite shipments. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, March 1942 217 leaves, 2°, unbound. |
| Yi 45 II 20 | Transport links between the Central German industrial region and the East-Central region. – Typewritten manuscript, 1942 42 leaves, 4°: Supplement: 133 leaves by H. Wolff and W. Frielingsdorf; in a blue cardboard binding. |
| Yi 45 II 21 | Chronicle of the parish of Sißdorf near Eckertsberga, 1941–1944. – Handwritten notes, 1945 19 leaves, 4°, with original pagination; unbound in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 22 | The expansion of inter-city railways in the wider Central German region: by the Halle branch of the Reich Working Group for Spatial Research. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, Halle, 30 January 1945 52 leaves, 2 maps, 4°, with original pagination; p. 22 is missing; in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 23 | The Limits of Commuting amongst the Working Population in the Central German Industrial Region. – Typewritten manuscript, Halle, February 1945 38 leaves, 4°, in a green cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 24 | The significance of the co-operative reform for the skilled trades. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, Halle, June 1946 18 leaves, 4°, in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 25 | The workforce at the Thale (Harz) Iron and Steel Works on 18 January 1946. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, 1946 60, VII leaves: 1 map, 4°, in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 26 | About the Thale Ironworks. – Handwritten manuscript (Parts 3–10 only), 1946 93 sheets: 2 maps, 4°, unbound in the process (Part 11): Mallwitz, A., A socio-hygienic analysis of the survey of 18 January 1946 concerning the Thale Iron and Steel Works. – Typewritten manuscript, 1946 7 sheets, 4°, unbound. |
| Yi 45 II 27 | The Integration of the Arts and Crafts Movement into the Craft Sector. – Typewritten manuscript, Halle, 15 June 1946 19 leaves, 4°, bound in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 28 | The Need for Apprenticeship Training. – Typewritten manuscript, Halle, 15 June 1946 18 leaves, 4°, bound in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 29 | The Viability of the Craft Trade. – Typewritten manuscript, Halle, 31 May 1946, 18 leaves, 4°, bound in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 30 | The Supply Situation in Germany. – Parts 1–3. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, Halle, 1946 30 sheets, 4°, bound in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 31 | The Supply Situation in Germany. – Parts 1–3 and 6–10. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, Halle 1946 137 leaves, 4°, plus 2 maps; in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 32 | The Supply Situation in Germany. – Parts 6–11. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, Halle 1946 104 leaves, 4°; including 2 maps and 4 newspaper cuttings [Tägliche Rundschau and Die Welt]; in a blue cardboard binding. Appendix: Space creation, edited by Eberhard Small, student of political science. 20 sheets, 4°, Halle, May 1946 |
| Yi 45 II 33 | The Revitalisation of the Road Transport Industry in Saxony-Anhalt. – Typewritten manuscript, Halle 1948 61 sheets, 1 note, 4°; in a yellow paper sleeve. Loose inside: Transcript: Resolution of the participants at the 4th Transport Conference of the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany, held on 21, 22 and 23 January 1949 at the Congress Hall in Leipzig. – Typewritten copy. – 3 sheets, 4° |
| Yi 45 II 34 | The economic significance of local railways in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. – handwritten manuscript, 1948. 143 sheets, 4°; loose in a cover. |
| Yi 45 II 35 | The economic significance of local railways in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. – Typewritten manuscript, 18 March 1948 62 leaves, landscape format, 4°; bound in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 II 36 | Handwritten drafts on „Currency Reform“ and „Currency Reform“ in Russia, 1948; 35 sheets, 4°; various pagination in the process: Draft of a letter from Wolff, written in Russian, to a colonel, Halle, 13 May 1948 |
| Yi 45 II 37 | The Ideology of Liberalism. – Handwritten manuscript, 1949 63 sheets, 4°; various paginations, typewritten table of contents |
| Yi 45 II 38 | The History of the Liberal Movement in Germany. – Handwritten manuscript, 1949 28 sheets, 4°; loose in a cover |
| Yi 45 II 39 | Transport in the Soviet Union. – Handwritten manuscript, Halle, 6 June 1950 24 sheets, 4°; various pagination, loose in a cover |
| Yi 45 II 40 | The Leuna Workers’ Commute. – Typewritten manuscript, 1952 68 leaves, 4°, bound in green enclosed: 2 sheets, handwritten notes |
| Yi 45 II 41 | Road Safety. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, 1953 17 loose sheets, 4°; in a slipcase. |
| Yi 45 II 42 | The Development of Waterways in the European Part of the Soviet Union: A lecture delivered on the occasion of German-Soviet Friendship Month, 9 November 1954. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes 18 sheets, 4°; in a cover in the process: 4 sheets, 4°, handwritten notes |
| Yi 45 II 43 | Old and new routes of international transport in Siberia. – Handwritten manuscript, 131 loose leaves, 4°; unnumbered, varying pagination, Typewritten manuscript, 1955 73 sheets, landscape 4°; – in a folder |
| Yi 45 II 44 | Handwritten drafts for a paper on Benjamin Franklin, c. 1957 163 leaves, 4°; partly with the original pagination, left in the order in which it was found. including: Letter from Prof. Wolff, Halle, dated 4 February 1958, to Dr Ralph Walker, New York (p. 123a), Letter from Prof. Wolff, Halle, dated 24 January 1958, to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Göttingen (p. 143) |
| Yi 45 II 45 | Benjamin Franklin’s Travels, typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, 110 leaves, 4°, varied pagination; including 4 photographs of Franklin; loose in a cover |
| Yi 45 II 46 | Fragments from the original manuscript of „Alexander von Humboldt’s journey through Siberia„. – Typewritten manuscript, 1959 73 leaves, 4°; various paginations, including: 1 Letter from the Institute of History, Halle, dated 25 November 1959, to Prof. Wolff (Sheet I) |
Works by Others and Anonymous Writings
| Yi 45 III 1 | Bielenberg, Hanna, ‘Meeting the Needs of the German People to Date’. – Typewritten manuscript, April 1946 55 leaves, 4°; in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 III 2 | Kirchhoff, Ilse, The impact of lignite mining on the landscape and the potential for influencing this through the tasks and objectives of spatial research. With particular reference to the land reclamation work in the Geisel Valley. – Typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes, 20 February 1945 54 sheets, 4°: 2 tables, loose, in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 III 3 | Small, Eberhard, The division of Germany (the ‘Old Reich’) into occupied zones. – Typewritten manuscript, 19 April 1946 58 sheets: 8 maps, 6 diagrams, 4°; in a blue cardboard cover. |
| Yi 45 III 4 | Schranil, Rudolf, ‘Where should the district capital be located?’ – typewritten manuscript, April 1945 35 sheets: 1 map, 4°; unbound. |
| Yi 45 III 5 | An Electricity Supply System for the German Reich. – Typewritten manuscript, author unknown, no place, no date. 19 leaves, 4°; stapled (author presumably not Wolff) |
| Yi 45 III 6 | „Collection of Ballads on National Economy: Christmas 1909“. – Academic – Political Science Society – Halle an der Saale. – Poems and portraits, handwritten, facsimiles, 5 sheets, 8°, loose in a green paper sleeve. |
Photo collection
| Yi 45 IV 1 | Goethe – Portraits – Pages from books and photocopies of Goethe, carriages and houses, in total: 1 leaflet: Goethe Exhibition, Jena 1949, 20 photographs, 7 photocopies, 8 negatives, 4 book pages, various formats, collected in 1949, left in the order in which they were found |
| Yi 45 IV 2 | Saale – Pictures – 31 photographs and postcards, 1940. in the process: 2 letters from the Halle Waterways Construction Authority, dated 1 and 12 July 1940, to the Department of Transport at Martin Luther University |
| Yi 45 IV 3 | Portraits of Benjamin Franklin – 36 photographs from books and 14 negatives in the process: 1 Letter from the Senator for Economic Affairs and Credit, Berlin, 22 December 1958, to Prof. Wolff in Halle |
| Yi 45 IV 4 | 11 photographic plates of Christian Wolff’s letter of ennoblement from 1747 in a small cardboard box |
Offprints
| Yi 45 V 1a | 10 articles by Wolf in the *Neue Zürcher Zeitung*:
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| Vi 45 V 1b | 5 diagrams (photocopies) from: „Technische Monatshefte“
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| Vi 45 V 2 | Reprints of Professor Wolff’s academic papers from various journals, yearbooks and similar publications.
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| unsigned | 5 boxes of poems by Hellmut Wolff, partly handwritten, partly typewritten, mostly after 1945. |