Walter Christaller (April 21, 1893 – March 9, 1969), was a German
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
whose principal contribution to the discipline is
central place theory
Central place theory is an urban geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and range of market services in a commercial system or human settlements in a residential system.Goodall, B. (1987) The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geo ...
, first published in 1933. This groundbreaking theory was the foundation of the study of cities as systems of cities, rather than simple hierarchies or single entities. He was primarily concerned with the urban space and worked on the role of towns as geographic-economic units, besides analyzing the relationships between towns of the same region.
Life
Walter Christaller was born to Erdmann Gottreich and
Helene Christaller, an author of Christian-themed children's novels at Berneck (today part of
Altensteig
Altensteig (; Swabian: ''Aldaschdaeg'') is a town in the district of Calw, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History
Altensteig was most likely given town rights by the Counts of Hohenberg around the middle of the 14th century. In 1398, the to ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. His paternal grandfather
Johann Gottlieb Christaller was a
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
and a
Christian missionary
A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
in
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
.
Before 1914, Christaller began studies in philosophy and political economics and subsequently served in the
German Army during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was
homeschooled
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...
and educated at the
Universities of Heidelberg and
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
. In the 1920s, he pursued a variety of occupations. In 1929, he resumed graduate studies, which led to his famous dissertation on
Central Place Theory
Central place theory is an urban geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and range of market services in a commercial system or human settlements in a residential system.Goodall, B. (1987) The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geo ...
, which he published as the ''Die zentralen Orte in Süddeutschland'' (The Central Places in
Southern Germany
Southern Germany () is a region of Germany which has no exact boundary, but is generally taken to include the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, historically the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia or, in a modern context, Bavaria ...
), in 1933.
In the late 1930s, he held a short-lived academic appointment at the University of Freiburg-in-Breisgau. Whether Christaller was a member of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
is disputed.
He moved into government service, for
Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
's SS-Planning and Soil Office, during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Christaller's task was to draw up plans for reconfiguring the economic geography of Germany's eastern conquests (
Generalplan Ost
The ''Generalplan Ost'' (; en, Master Plan for the East), abbreviated GPO, was the Nazi German government's plan for the genocide and ethnic cleansing on a vast scale, and colonization of Central and Eastern Europe by Germans. It was to be under ...
), primarily in Czechoslovakia and Poland but also, if successful, Russia itself. Christaller was given special charge of planning occupied Poland, and he did so by using his central place theory as an explicit guide. His work was extended by fellow German
August Lösch
August Lösch (15 October 1906 – 30 May 1945) was a German economist, known for his seminal contributions to regional science and urban economics.
Born in Öhringen, Württemberg, Lösch obtained his doctorate from the University of Bonn in 1 ...
.
After the war, he joined the
Communist Party of Germany and became politically active. In addition, he devoted himself to the
geography of tourism. Since 1950, his Central Place Theory has been used to restructure municipal relationships and boundaries in the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, and the system is still in place today.
In 1950, Christaller, together with Paul Gauss and Emil Meynen, founded the German Association of Applied Geography (DVAG). The Walter Christaller Award for Applied Geography is named after him.
He died in
Königstein im Taunus
Königstein im Taunus () is a health spa and lies on the thickly wooded slopes of the Taunus in Hesse, Germany. The town is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Owing to its advantageous location for both scenery and transport on the ed ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, on March 9, 1969.
[https://leibniz-ifl.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Bibliothek_Archiv/Archiv_Findb%c3%bccher_PDF/Christaller.pdf ]
See also
*
List of geographers
This list of geographers is presented in English alphabetical transliteration order (by surnames).
A
*Hardo Aasmäe (Estonia, 1951–2014)
* Aziz Ab'Saber (Brazil, 1924–2012)
* Diogo Abreu (Portugal, born 1947)
*John Adams, (England, pre– ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christaller, Walter
Economic geographers
Regional scientists
1893 births
1969 deaths
German geographers
Urban geographers
Human geographers
Victoria Medal recipients
Regional economists
20th-century geographers
et:Keskuskohtade teooria