The Artillerie Prüfungskommission , (Artillery Test Commission) was founded in 1809 as part of the artillery of the Prussian Army . It was responsible for answering technical questions, testing the quality of new artillery materiel, and executing experiments. The Artillerie Prüfungskommission later became part of the Imperial German Army . Other nations had equivalent authorities, e.g. the Austro-Hungarian was called Artilleriekomitee . The former headquarters of the Artillerie Prüfungskommission on the Bundesallee in Berlin are still standing.
17-541: In 1808, the Prussian Artillery was reorganized and put under the command of Prince August of Prussia . On 17 March 1809, King Frederick William III ordered the establishment of a special commission for Artillery affairs. Prince August became its first president. That same year, Johann Christian von Pontanus got in charge. The government also wanted Gerhard von Scharnhorst to become in involved, but he declined because of having too much work. On 29 February 1816
34-564: A lieutenant colonel, he and his battalion took part in the Battle of Auerstedt . His brother, Prince Louis Ferdinand , had been killed by the French army under Napoleon I four days earlier. August himself was captured and held by the French until 1807. In March 1808, his cousin, King Frederick William III of Prussia , made him brigadier general. The Prince spent the next five years reorganizing
51-608: A testing department was founded from the APK's staff. In 1869, the testing department got a special artillery company to conduct these tests. After the German unification, the APK became part of the Imperial German Army . By 1881 there were also Bavarian, Saxon, and Württemberg artillery officers sent to the APK. In Saxony, there was still a separate Artillerie Kommission. The eponymous Bavarian Artillerie Prüfungs Kommission
68-549: The APK started large scale exercises against a mock fortress target made after Prussian and French examples. In about 1875, the range at Kummersdorf was taken into use. After World War I, the Heeresversuchsanstalt Kummersdorf was built here. With the end of World War II, shooting at this range ended. In alphabetic order Between 1893 and 1895 the military construction office Berlin VII headed by
85-512: The Geheimen Oberbaurates Bernhardt and the architect Josef Wieczorek built a new office for the APK on what was then named Kaiserallee, and is now named Bundesallee. The APK used the building until 1918. The officers Erich Hoepner and Henning von Tresckow , who participated in the 1944 20 July plot , worked in the former APK office. There is a monument to them in the courtyard of the building. After World War II,
102-820: The Prussian artillery together with Gerhard von Scharnhorst . Seven years after the failure of the Prussian army at Auerstedt, the Prince distinguished himself at the Battle of Leipzig . He continued his campaign against Napoleon throughout 1814. In the winter 1814-1815, August attended the Congress of Vienna . He moved to the north of France in June 1818 and then back to Berlin after the war had ended. He spent his last years inspecting artillery units in various garrison towns. He died suddenly in Bromberg during one such trip, and
119-588: The damaged building was renovated. On 17 April 1950 it was reopened as the Bundeshaus . Until 1990 this housed the plenipotentiary of the German federal government as well as the representatives of several German ministeries. 52°29′53.06″N 13°19′52.33″E / 52.4980722°N 13.3312028°E / 52.4980722; 13.3312028 Prince Augustus of Prussia Prince Frederick William Henry Augustus of Prussia ( German : Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich August ; 19 September 1779 – 19 July 1843)
136-749: The following orders and decorations: Bundeshaus (Berlin) The Bundeshaus (Federal House) is a building in the district of Wilmersdorf in Berlin , Germany that is the domicile of Federal Government agencies in Berlin, among others the Federal Office of Administration. The Bundeshaus was built between 1893 and 1895 as an administrative building for the Royal Prussian Artillerie Prüfungskommission . After partial destruction during World War II , it
153-698: The kommission was renamed Artillerie Prüfungskommission (APK). The Artillerie Prüfungskommission (APK) consistited of senior Prussian officers. In 1871, it consisted of: The president; Those who were members on account of their office; The Feuerwerksmeister of the Artillery; The director of the Spandau gun foundry; The first teacher of the united artillery and engineering schools; and some special appointees. The APK had to answer all artillery questions that were laid before it. It also had to test materiel and execute experiments regarding new developments. Therefore,
170-412: Was Auguste Arend, later ennobled as Baroness von Prillwitz. They were together from 1818 until her death in 1834, and had seven children. Shortly after Baroness Von Prillwitz's death he began a relationship with and morganatically married Emilie von Ostrowska, a Polish noblewoman. They had a daughter, Charlotte, who was five when her father died, and was raised by her father's Jewish tailor. He received
187-490: Was a Prussian royal and general. Born on Friedrichsfelde Palace , he was the youngest son of Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia , the brother of King Frederick the Great , and Margravine Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt . August joined the Prussian army as a young man, earning the rank of captain by eighteen years old. In 1803, he became a major and was granted an infantry battalion of his own. Three years later, now
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#1732780431145204-618: Was also important in promoting the development of the German naval guns. In general, the private arms industry of Germany was also content with the APK. As of 1824, the exercise grounds in Jungfernheide included an (artillery) range. In 1828 the Reinickendorfer Artillerie-Schießplatz was moved to this location. The range then became known as the Tegel Range ( Schießplatz Tegel ). The range
221-656: Was buried in Berlin Cathedral in a service accompanied by the Staats- und Dom Choir Berlin. Although he was one of the richest landowners in Prussia, his estates reverted to the Crown upon his death, since he never left any legitimate heirs. His first mistress, Karoline Friederike Wichmann, with whom he cohabited from 1805 until 1817, bore him four children. She was ennobled as Baroness von Waldenburg. His second mistress
238-413: Was disbanded in 1878. In April 1883, the APK was split in two departments: Abteilung I (Feldartillerie) and Abteilung II (Fußartillerie). The department chiefs had the rank and pay of a regimental commander. The APK also had a depot authority, an artefact collection and an Ersatz-Bataillon . In 1909, the APK celebrated its centennary. After World War I, the APK was disbanded in late October 1919. It
255-525: Was in use till about 1875. Berlin Tegel Airport is now in this location. The Königliche Preußische Gewehrfabrique and Spandau gunpowder factories were near this location. The increased effective range of guns, security concerns, and the increased population density made the establishment of a new range at Kummersdorf necessary. In 1864 an artillery range was taken into use in Jüterbog . In 1886
272-538: Was replaced by the Inspektion für Waffen der Reichswehr . This was led by general Karl Becker . In the mid-1920s this led to the 'Inspektion für Waffen und Gerät' of the Heereswaffenamt (HWA). The Artillerie Prüfungskommission (APK) played a significant role in the development of the Prussian (Krupp) rifled breechloading field guns, which were so important during the 1870/1 Franco-Prussian War . The APK
289-643: Was restored and re-opened by the West German Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on 17 April 1950. Between 1950 and 1990 it served as the seat of the Federal Plenipotentiary (Bundesbevollmächtigter), Bonn 's representative in the city of West Berlin and as the West Berlin outpost of several federal government agencies, some of which have completely moved to Berlin in separate buildings since
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