Wilhelm Albermann

His father was a cabinet maker. He attended the Rektoratsschule in Werden until he was sixteen, then served an apprenticeship as a wood sculptor, in Elberfeld. In 1855, he was drafted into the military and served with the 2nd Grenadier Regiment in Berlin. His Company Commander recognized his artistic talent, and allowed him to attend the Prussian Academy of Art while on duty. During this time, he joined the "Catholic Reading Association", the first student corporation in the Kartellverband. After his discharge from the army, he initially worked for his former teachers, Hugo Hagen and August Fischer (sculptor). In 1864, he found himself back in the army, during the Second Schleswig War. The following year, he settled in Cologne. There, he became a free-lance sculptor. At the suggestion of the regional government, he founded a commercial drawing school in 1871, where he taught and served as Director until 1896. From 1893 to 1900, he was a Stadtverordneter (City Councilor). He was named a Professor in 1902. His sculptural work was very extensive. Among his best known works are the statues of Ferdinand Franz Wallraf and Johann Heinrich Richartz, in front of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst, which they founded. Other notable works include the Johann von Werth Fountain, at the Alter Markt (Köln), the Hermann-Josef-Brunnen, at the Waidmarkt, and the Märchenbrunnen (Wuppertal) in Wuppertal; done in a similar configurations. He also created numerous architectural sculptures, for private as well as public structures, and religious figures for various churches. He was interred at Melaten Cemetery, where twenty of the graves are adorned with his works.