Georg Gimpl
Humanist of the day

Georg Gimpl

Georg Gimpl’s career at the University of Helsinki, spanning almost 40 years, was spent working with German language and Austrian literature. Dr Gimpl is fondly remembered by colleagues and students alike.

Georg Gimpl

Born May 26, 1949 Abtenau (Austria). Died October 10, 2014, Linz (Austria)

Master of Arts 1975 (Germanic philology, pedagogics), PhD 1980 (Germanic philology and psychology), University of Salzburg (Austria)

University lecturer 2004–2014, University of Helsinki
Acting associate professor 1993–1995, University of Helsinki
Docent in the history of science and ideas, University of Oulu
Lecturer in German language and Austrian literature 1975–2003 (permanent appointment 1981), University of Helsinki

Research themes:
The history of philosophy, particularly the history of Austrian philosophy; Austrian and German literature; the cultural history of Bohemia’s German speaking (including Jewish) population; the virtual museum of Russbach, his home village

Publications

Kuva: Hartmut Lenk
Written by Hartmut Lenk, Marja Ursin, Valtteri Hyvärinen, Jouni Heikkinen, Helena Leheckova, Susanne Frejborg, Kaarle Holmberg, Faruk Abu-Chacra, Ove Knekt, Mark Shackleton, John Calton, Liisa Tiittula, Andrew Chesterman, Anni Aarinen (Kaija Hartikainen, ed.)
Translated by  Matthew Billington

In Memoriam

Georg Gimpl, Doctor of Philosophy and university lecturer, was born on May 26, 1949 in Abtenau, Austria. After primary school, he studied at the private gymnasium Erzbischöf­liches Privatgymnasium Borromäum in Salzburg and completed his matriculation examination at the prestigious upper-secondary school Akademisches Gymnasium Salzburg. He completed his Master’s degree…

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A Student Reminisces

Firstly: who am I and what do I do? By the grace of my employer I am a lecturer in German language and Austrian literature, at least until the day I am kicked out. This is how Georg Gimpl began the interview that my fellow student Mikael Bertus and I had the pleasure of conducting in early 2014.

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Reconstructing the Past to Build the Future

The most striking feature in the career of Georg Gimpl was the high personal integrity that he maintained. He was independent-minded, forming his own view of what was going on in the world, whether it was the Austrian populist Jörg Haider, the European economic crisis, Greece’s Euro problems or the annexation of Crimea. The overemphasis that is placed today on economic neoliberalism and its speculative financial politics often troubled his mind. So did the endless warfare in the Middle East. He had an exceptionally wide range of interests. The domestic policy of Austria and the problems facing his hometown of Russbach, however, exceeded all other considerations.

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Lumberman

I was often surprised by the breadth of expertise possessed by Georg Gimpl and by his enormous network of contacts. When I showed him my plans for wooden furniture, right away I received expert feedback and suggestions for changes to make the product commercially viable. Georg told me that he had been an apprentice carpenter and joiner as a young man. His comments always hit the nail on the head, all the way to the joints!

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Memorial

Georg Gimpl’s friends sponsored a memorial bench in the Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden in his honour. Gimpl was an admirer of the garden and had a habit of grading exams there in springtime. The bench was unveiled on May 26, Georg’s birthday, in the presence of his friends and family.

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Church and Memorial Service

On October 10, 2015, a year had passed since the death of Georg Gimpl. A memorial service was held at St. Henry’s Cathedral in Helsinki, and at the same time church bells tolled in memory of Georg in Salzburg. There his brother conducted the memorial mass. What could have…

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