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Georg Krauß, from 1905Ritter von Krauß (25 December 1826 – 5 November 1906) was a Germanindustrialist and the founder of theKrauss Locomotive Works (Locomotivfabrik Krauß & Comp.) inMunich,Germany andLinz,Upper Austria. The spelling of the company name was later changed fromKrauß toKrauss, once the form of the name in capital letters on the company's emblems had become established.
Krauß was born inAugsburg as the eldest child of four, to master weaver, Johann Georg Friedrich Krauß and his wife Anna Margarethe, née Stahl. After attending primary school, he went to the Royal Polytechnic School, founded in 1833 (todayAugsburg High School). After completing his education, he worked temporarily in theMaffei Locomotive Works in Munich, then for theRoyal Bavarian State Railways (Königlich Bayerische Staatsbahn) inHof, Germany,Kempten andLindau. A decisive step in his development was his job as a master machinist with the Northeast Railway (Nordostbahn) inZurich, where he built his first four locomotives. From then on, he was already preparing for the founding of his factory in Munich. Despite opposition from a powerful figure in the industry,Joseph Anton von Maffei, the factory was founded in Munich-Neuhausen on 17 July 1866, and additional factories were opened in 1872 and 1880, to avoid import taxes of theDanube monarchy, and expand the business.
A locomotive built by Krauss, the "Degen und Wiegand KARL" (serial number 2062), was constructed in 1888.[1] Degen und Wiegand were a construction company in Kiel.[1] The locomotive was sold to and used by various construction companies, including Hermann Bachstein.[1] It was also used for rail services on theSued Harz Eisenbahn.[1] The Centrale Limburgsche Spoorweg (CLS) obtained thelocomotive through purchase in 1916.[1] It remained in service until 1921 and wasscrapped in 1923.[1]
In addition to locomotives, Krauß also supported other technological developments, such asLinde's first refrigerators. He took part in the expansion of railway lines in theSaxony,Thuringia andAlsace, in the conversion of the horse-drawn tramways to steam operations in Munich and Vienna, the building of theChiemsee Railway and the establishment of theLokalbahn AG. In 1876, he was one of the founders of the VDI, an association for German engineers, and in 1903, he donated 100,000 marks and the repurchase of his first locomotive, 'Landwührden,' to help create theDeutsches Museum.
In 1876, Krauß lost his first wife, Lydia, and in 1885 his only son, Conrad, died in an accident. After these losses, Krauß stepped back from active management of his company, transforming it into a public limited company.
As early as 1880, he was awarded the Knight's Cross 1st Class of theGrand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar, as well as the title of Royal Bavarian Industrialist (Königlich bayerischer Kommerzienrat) fromKing Ludwig II of Bavaria for his services.
In 1905, Krauß decided to move the location of the factory from the crowded town centre out toAllach, from where its successor organisation still operates today. He did not live to see the technical completion of theDeutsches Museum or the move to Allach. On 5 November 1906, the manufacturer Georg von Krauß died shortly before his 80th birthday in Munich. His friend and one of his first co-workers,Carl von Linde, took over the chair of the board. His factory made 7,186 locomotives from 1866 until its merger with the bankrupt Maffei locomotive works in 1931.
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