====== Lange, Ferdinand Adolph ======
{{wst>image_r|Lange,_Ferdinand_Adolph|Ferdinand Adolph Lange (1815-1875)}}
**Ferdinand Adolph Lange** was a significant Glashütte watchmaker with an international reputation and founder of the [[Glashütte]] watch industry. The famous watch [[manufacture]] [[A. Lange & Söhne]] is named after him.

Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born on February 18, [[1815]] in Dresden as son of a gunsmith. After the divorce of his parents, the family Heber took the young Adolph and enabled him from [[1830]] a training at the renowned court watchmaker [[Gutkaes, Johann Christian Friedrich|Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes]]. Here he could prove his technical skills. Already after a short introduction by his teacher, he was able to manufacture precise finished works. His used his spare time to visit the Polytechnical School and for language training in English and French.

These language skills benefited him, when, after his apprenticeship, he traveled to Paris with the recommendation of Gutkaes and entered in the services of the famous chronometer maker [[Winnerl, Joseph Thaddeus|Joseph Thaddeus Winnerl]]. Two years later, Lange was employed by Winnerl as foreman; the offer of Winnerl for a live-long job was however declined by Lange. After four years in Paris, he continued his wandering years and toured England and Switzerland, before in [[1841]] he returned to the art clock factory of Gutkaes with many new ideas .

[[1842]] Lange married the daughter of his master, Antonia Gutkaes, and became a partner and horological inspirer in the company of his father-in-law.

In December [[1845]] A. Lange, with the help of a loan from the Royal Saxon government, founded his own company in [[Glashütte]], which later became famous as [[A. Lange & Söhne]], and thus laid the foundation for the entire [[Glashütte]] watch industry.

For 18 years Lange influenced the fate of the city [[Glashütte]] as mayor.

From the marriage with Antonia Gutkaes resulted four sons - [[Lange, Richard|Richard]], [[Lange, Friedrich Emil|Emil]], [[Lange, Adolf|Adolf]] and [[Lange, Otto|Otto]] - and the three daughters Marie, Emma, and Antonie.

Ferdinand Adolph Lange died on December 3, [[1875]].

===== Literature =====
  *[[Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World]]; Author Baillie, G. H.; ISBN 140679113X


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