Wilhelm Lewicki Collection

Wilhelm Lewicki was born in Erfurt, Germany on September 21, 1935. He was the great, great grandson of German chemist Justus von Liebig.

Lewicki started his career by purchasing chemicals and raw materials for a Ludwigshafen company in 1960. In 1969 he became the founder, authorized signatory, and sole managing director of B.V. Prohama. He also founded the Epandage-Vinasse-Ausbringungs-GmbH in 1978 to sell Vinasse, a product intended to serve as an organic nutrient for soil microorganisms and plants. In 2000 his work led him to be the President of Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA).

Lewicki’s work prompted him to study the work of his ancestor Justus von Liegib and to make it available to the public. In 1996, Wilhelm presented von Liebig’s international reference library on the history of natural sciences to the public. Wilhelm Lewicki was on the board of the Justus Liebig Society for many years and supported the work to preserve and restore the famous Liebig Laboratory in Giessen, Germany. He also participated in a traveling exhibition “Everything is Chemistry” in 1998.

Wilhelm Lewicki. died in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany on October 10, 2001.

Sources

Wilhelm Lewicki Collection, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Wilhelm Lewicki.” Nachruf. Accessed February 4, 2022. https://www.vinasse.de/nachruf_wl.htm.