Hermann Gruson

Hermann August Jacques Gruson (March 13, 1821, in Magdeburg – January 30, 1895) was a German engineer, inventor and industrial entrepreneur.

He attended the Domgymnasium Magdeburg [de], but then switched to the industrial and trade school, which he graduated in 1839, and did his military service as a one-year volunteer in a pioneer unit.

He founded on 1 June 1855 in Buckau at Magdeburg the "Factory machinery and shipbuilding workshop H. Gruson Buckau-Magdeburg", located at the mouth of the Elbe.

The conservative Gruson felt compelled in the face of a stronger labor movement to pursue a more social wage policy.

At that time also, the Gruson company expanded in the Berggießhübeler iron ore mining area in Saxony.

Thus, several forts were in the Weser estuary for coastal defenses after 1871 that contained revolving turrets based on the Gruson system.

Gruson also designed the unusual "fahrpanzer" mobile turret, usually horse-drawn in the field but mounted on rails in some forts.

With his death, he donated his extensive collection of plants, including a large amount of money to the city of Magdeburg.

In 1896 were built the Grusonschen greenhouses, now a collection of many rare endangered exotic plants - made the Magdeburg accessible.