Information on Kottwitz's life is largely derived from a handful of letters and biographies of other individuals, and events prior to 1807 (when he settled in Berlin) are at best sketchy.
He travelled extensively through several German states, and in Silesia, is credited with establishing factories and institutions based on his personal ideals in an effort to alleviate poverty.
Here he developed institutions similar to those in Silesia, and also helped provide free housing for families of working men.
The costs of these philanthropic activities were largely financed by Kottwitz, and in 1823, economic circumstances forced him to relinquish his foundations over to the city of Berlin.
In Berlin, he had many influential friends that included theologians August Neander, Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Friedrich Tholuck, Richard Rothe, et al.