Obituary for Prof. Dr. Wulf Schirmer

The KIT Faculty of Architecture and the Institute of Art and Architectural History (IKB) mourn the loss of

Prof. Dr. Wulf Schirmer,

who passed away on July 3, 2025 at the age of 91.

From 1971 to 2002, Prof. Dr. Wulf Schirmer headed the Chair of Building History and the Institute of Building History at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) with great impact and from 1989 to 2002 the Southwest German Archive for Architecture and Civil Engineering (saai).
With his passing, we have not only lost a renowned building researcher and university lecturer, but also the founder of the saai at the University of Karlsruhe.

During his many years as a researcher and teacher at the faculty and as director of the saai, he consistently championed the importance of architectural history and the preservation of historically significant buildings. His work was recognized far beyond the boundaries of his field.

KIT mourns the loss of an outstanding and influential personality in teaching and research as well as a highly esteemed university professor.

Our sympathy goes out to his family. We will honor his memory.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Engel
Dean of the KIT Faculty of Architecture

Prof. Dr. Joaquín Medina Warmburg
Speaker of the Institute for Art and Architectural History, Head of the Archive for Architecture and Engineering (saai)

Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister
Head of the Archive for Architecture and Engineering (saai)