Grand opera

In 1896, when August Horch came in touch with an automobile for the first time, it was not much more than a carriage with combustion engine and had only been invented ten years prior. Cars were still in the early stages of development. August Horch did not invent the car – but he was one of the trailblazing engineers, who helped the motor vehicle in its evolution. The brand name Audi still exists today and is internationally renowned by now.

However, not many remnants about August Horch as a person have survived until today. Photographs and statements by either himself or people who knew him are, for the most part, the only relicts left.

Childhood and youth

“I went to school in Winningen and I can say, that learning never

caused me difficulties. Working on the vineyard and on the fields, however, never thrilled me. I preferred sitting around in my father’s workshop, and there I spent most of my freetime. But the boys out there should not think, that I did not play the games of robbers and Indians with my comrades! I played them quite intensely, down at the Moselle’s riverside.”
August Horch, 1937

On 12 October 1868, August Horch was born in Winningen, a small village near the river Moselle southwest of Koblenz. Since the 17th century, the Horch family resided in Winningen and since 1706 engaged in blacksmithing. In his young years, August Horch was already interested in engineering. For this reason he crafted a high wheeler in his father’s forge at the age of 13. Like most residents in Winningen his father was an avocational vintner. Still this traditional craft did not intrigue August Horch. After he graduated from school at the age of 14, he

learned blacksmithing from his father instead. He often had to compensate for his rather small physique and a height of merely 1.65 meters by strength and skill.

When his small home village Winningen was connected to the railroad network in 1880, August Horch found it to be a big influence on his life. Horch was thrilled and had – like many of his contemporaries – the great desire to become an engine driver. Surely the experience of this new gateway to the world sparked off Horch’s wanderlust. The end of his time as his father’s apprentice meant his taking to the road as journeyman. He left Winningen at the age of 15 years to start his journey.

Journeyman years

“I searched for new kinds of work, such, that would satisfy my technical curiosity and of which I could learn what was new and

difficult. I was obsessed with a thirst for knowledge and this craving is the most fertile and splendid, a young person can be obsessed with. It alone is the foundation for everything different and new; it opens doors and like a magnet attracts success.”
August Horch, 1937

After two and a half years, August Horch ended his apprenticeship under his father. Then he took to the road for four years, beginning in 1884. Being a journeyman has a long tradition among craftsmen. Horch as well wanted to perfect his skills under other craftsmen. For August Horch this time was reassurance and inspiration, since it satisfied his urge to always learn something new. A material incentive was never compelling, as the master craftsmen usually offered not much more than board and lodge. His journey took him mostly to southeastern Europe.

Studies in Mittweida

“The beginning of my studies was difficult beyond compare. I was lacking the scientific background and in this sense any theoretical prerequisites. I had learned how to work practically like no one else … but I had visited primary school only and never heard of algebra or geometry for instance. Sometimes it seemed as if I stood in front of a wall which I would never be able to overcome. But it was no use. With persistent effort I tackled this wall and I experienced the almost almighty miracle of a determined will: after the first difficult semesters my studies came more naturally. After six semesters I was at my best, and that meant in all fields, and hence passed my engineers examination with good results.”
August Horch, 1937

The impulse to deepen his skills was stimulated by his

journeyman years. Immediately after returning from abroad, Horch made an effort for his studies. He enrolled at the Technikum in Mittweida on 13 August 1888. His studies in the field of mechanical engineering lasted for six semesters. Although he could rely on good practical skills, he had to add a base of theoretical knowledge to his school knowledge. He accomplished this challenge by strength of purpose and diligence. On 30 September 1891, Horch received his diploma with an average grade of »good«. For a primary school student and fellow smith of that time this was a remarkable achievement.

On the way to the automobile

“The crucial part of my time in Leipzig was, that I was introduced to the secrets of the combustion engine for the first time, which was to become the mission of my life.”

August Horch, 1937

At the end of his studies August Horch had already dealt with machines and engines but never heard of the automobile. In 1892, after an employment at the Neptune dockyard in Rostock, he came to the machine factory Grob & Co. in Leipzig where he worked on an 800 hp strong petroleum engine. On a Sunday in 1896, a motorcycle by the company Hildebrand & Wolfmüller was demonstrated at the Leipzig hippodrome. This presentation turned out to be a key moment for Horch: The idea of installing an engine into carts began to fascinate him.

Bursting with curiosity he applied at Carl Benz in Mannheim and was hired promptly. After merely four months he was promoted to director of motorcar construction. After three years at Benz, different opinions among the engineers became insurmountable. Although Benz was the very father of the

automobile, he nonetheless refused technical improvements that Horch considered essential. Horch decided to leave Benz
and founded his own enterprise in Cologne on 14 November 1899.

From engineer to businessman

“In the middle of 1899 I came to the crucial decision
[…] I wanted to go into business for myself […] I went
to Mr. Benz and asked him to dismiss me. ‘You don’t
really want to leave, do you? We have worked so well
together for such a long time.’ […] For him that was
the end of discussion, so I had no choice but to repeat
my request for dismissal in due form.”
August Horch ,1937

August Horch was not only an automobile pioneer, who was able

to enforce many technical innovations in the fields of engine and automotive manufacturing. After leaving Benz in 1899, he also was entrepreneur. In the companies that were established by him he always was in managerial capacity. Yet he was never the sole owner, instead he was held accountable by the investors of the corporate enterprises.

Horch was a talented and motivated inventor, however, managerial process often proved to be a challenge he did not quite know how to face. After just three years of being self-employed in Cologne the looming bankruptcy of the young business became apparent. As enthusiastic engineer he was all about ideas and innovations, which he sometimes tried to enforce against the investor’s interest of profit and partially against the market’s laws.

But August Horch was a born fighter with great perseverence.

By consistingly searching for investors he eventually brought automotive manufacturing to Saxony – first to Reichenbach, then to the city of Zwickau, where the foundation for one of the most important brands in the luxury class segment was laid in the former factory rooms of an old canvas weaving mill.

In 1909, differing opinions in management – ultimately questions of profit maximization – resulted in Horch leaving the company, which beared his name and starting all over – this time under the brand name Audi. Since he made an effort for a paternalistic style of leadership and therefore had many personally committed employees, he succeeded in taking important personnel as well as favourable shareholders, such as the family Fikentscher, with him, to support the recommencement.

World War I demanded a significant intensification of

production from Audi. In 1915, Audi Automobil-Werke GmbH was converted to a public company (AG) in order to increase the capital ceiling. Horch’s field of activity shifted more and more towards administration and material procurement. His last engineering achievement was his contribution to the first German tank, the A7V. His active working period in automotive manufacturing ended with his move to Berlin in 1920.

Competition proves quality

“And from this point on I knew quite well and have emphasized it throughout my life: just how important competitions are.”
August Horch after his first successful race in 1901

Unlike today, races in the early days of the automobile weren’t about reaching high speed but about reaching the destination without a breakdown. The car was to demonstrate its reliability.

The competing cars were optimised for races. However, these models were originally from the catalogues available for everyone. They were often driven by their engineers, as in case of August Horch, or by their private owners.

The importance of races was soon realised by August Horch. In 1901, he was challenged in his first model by the supplier for his car bodies in a Falke car. He lost considerably after several malfunctions. Numerous improvements helped him win the revenge clearly.

Competition became his incitement for product development in consideration of the automobile market. Every success was thus used for publicity purposes. In 1909, Europe saw 29 different races announced. August Horch and a few of his co-workers and friends took part in various reliability races and hill climbs. Ratings were made in various categories, among them also

comfort and beauty of the vehicle. August Horch’s teams were particularly successful at the Herkomer challenge and in the Austrian Alpine Rally. World War I terminated Horch’s racing career.

After automotive engineering

“I wanted to leave Zwickau. During the war, I had worked extraordinarily often for the industry and particularly for Audi abroad. I have been to Berlin a lot and now I wanted to move to Berlin. That was where the strong heart of Germany was beating, this was the source, all decisions were made there. I wanted to be at the source.”
August Horch 1937

In 1920, August Horch left Audi and Zwickau after he had founded two automobile companies. He moved to the German

capital Berlin where he worked as publisher and advisor for automotive industries and public authorities. As an automotive pioneer he was also vested with several representative functions.

When the National Socialists came into power in 1933, he was neither enthusiastic nor reluctant. No political engagement is confirmed, however he did not refuse distinctions and public appearences with the new rulers.

Advisory and representative activities of this time

as of 1919:

Board member of the automotive technological journal (ATZ)

1921:

Member of the race management for the first AVUS race, 24 and 25 September in Berlin

as of 1924:

Director of the committee of standardization for German industry (DIN)

1925:

Founding member of German Motor Vehicle Inspection Association (DEKRA)

as of 1933:

Member of the supervisory board of Auto Union

1936:

Deputy chairman of the committee for the Deutsches Museum München to set up a collection of historic motor vehicles. Horch provided valuable exhibits

Poverty, hardship and honour

“Despite of all disappointments we must not lose our courage to work on the re-erection of a Germany that is well respected again in the world. We want and we have to prove that we are of good will to make good for what a blinded minority under the guidance of a megalomaniac has committed.”
August Horch, 1947

The end of World War II meant for August Horch – as for many Germans – suffering, poverty and uncertainty. His house in Berlin was destroyed by bombs of the Allied Forces. It was his doubts of the Soviets that eventually made him flee to the American occupation zone. He found shelter in Münchberg in the Oberfranken region, where he lived with his second wife Else until his death in 1951. His planned return to his hometown Winningen was denied by the French occupying powers. With disappropriation of Auto Union in the Soviet occupation zone, his bank savings were frozen and he received no further payments. Already well advanced in years, Horch managed to get by with publishing articles for magazines and newspapers. He also became an advisor to the Krupp daughter Südwerke in Kulmbach.

In 1949, August Horch was awarded honorary cititzenship by his hometown Winningen. In the same year, Horch became a

supervisory board member of the newly founded Auto Union GmbH in Ingolstadt. The cancelation of Auto Union AG in the Chemnitz trade register one year before had paved the way from Saxony to Bavaria. The winter of 1950/51 came with a sudden decomposition of strength for August Horch which resulted in his death on 3 February 1951 at the age of 82.