From the Private Archive – Jules Scholten

Short Description

Julius August Lörzing is a botanist in former Dutch East Indies. Born on December 28, 1872, in Häselrieth, Thuringia, Germany, died on June 7, 1945, in the Japanese internment camp Bangkong near Semarang. During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (1942-1945), Julius August Lörzing documented his memories ' Erinnerungen' and botanical knowledge of Java and Sumatra in school notebooks, written mostly from memory. He had to leave behind his herbarium, library, and 1,000 slides in Medan. The notebooks were written in German, partly by hand and partly using a borrowed typewriter. Between 1942 and 1944, he transcribed his writings, though some sections remained handwritten. The text was bound during his time in the internment camps, with later additions of handwritten pieces or inserted pages.

Connection with Deli

Julius August Lörzing (1872-1945) was a botanist in the former Dutch East Indies. He contributed significantly to Botanical Research and Urban Forestry in Java and Medan.
He founded a Botanical Garden in Sibolangit, 40 km from Medan, from 1914 to 1930 as director-botanist on behalf of the National Botanical Garden in Buitenzorg (Bogor). The Botanical Garden Sibolangit became so well-known and admired that many botanists from Europe, the USA and Australia visited the Botanical Garden. Unfortunately in 1930 – due to lack of funds – the financial support was terminated, causing the garden to become overgrown and fall into complete disrepair.

Additional Information

Some stories from Julius August Lörzing's memoirs: On May 25, 1945, while interned in the Bangkong camp near Semarang, he sensed that his death was imminent. On this day, he dictated a farewell letter to his wife and daughter to a fellow prisoner, Mr. J.A.L. van Hasselt. He handed Van Hasselt his wedding ring, some clothes, and the notebooks containing his ‘Erinnerungen’ (Memories), asking him to give them to his wife after the war. Julius August passed away on June 7, 1945. After the Japanese surrender on August 15, Van Hasselt delivered the notebooks and other belongings to his wife and daughter in the Tjideng camp.