Franz Tausend
Encyclopedia
Franz Seraph Tausend, "Der Goldmacher" (July 5, 1884 - July 9, 1942) was a German
"alchemist
" with bigger dreams than business sense.
from base metals—a prospect of great interest to the then-fledgling Nazi party and a Germany staggering under runaway hyper inflation. The Nazis, through a number of Hitler's inner circle of friends introduced to Tausend, invested heavily in the project.
Unfortunately, the process was found to be economically unfeasible and quite possibly a sham, much to the chagrin of the Nazis' and their supporters' pocketbooks. Tausend had raised approximately half a million dollars (roughly $5.6 million in 2005 dollars) to fund five laboratories, one research institute and one mining operation; but most of the money went instead to fund extravagant lifestyles for the four main business partners. Many investors, including pensioners in his home village, lost their entire savings, while Tausend collected castles and country homes.
Tausend's three partners fled Germany: one each to South America
, Spain
and Russia
. Tausend fled to a castle he had purchased and put in his wife's name in Appiano, South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. In January 1929, he was involved in an auto accident, recognized by Italian
authorities, arrested and extradicted back to Germany to take the full brunt of the Nazis' anger. Even after his arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud, Tausend (who had liquidated and invested his entire family's fortune into this venture) felt confident that his formula would be vindicated by the courts.
In a highly sensationalized trial that forced Tausend to demonstrate his gold-extraction process first hand, the judge convicted the disgraced man and sentenced him to prison—not because the process itself was necessarily proved to be fraudulent, but because of misappropriation of venture capital invested in the project. Whatever property Tausend still owned outright was confiscated by the German state.
Whether Tausend committed fraud intentionally, acted as the front man of other con artists, or was merely a naive man with big dreams remains unclear. However, upon his release from prison after serving out his 4-year sentence, Tausend quickly began promoting his next "get-rich-quick" scheme. He was arrested again in 1937 and sentenced to prison in 1938 for check and money fraud. Tausend died while still in prison custody on July 9, 1942 at Schwäbisch Hall
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
"alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
" with bigger dreams than business sense.
Overview
A consummate social climber, manipulator, and schemer during the turbulent 1920s and 1930s, Tausend developed a process for extracting goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
from base metals—a prospect of great interest to the then-fledgling Nazi party and a Germany staggering under runaway hyper inflation. The Nazis, through a number of Hitler's inner circle of friends introduced to Tausend, invested heavily in the project.
Unfortunately, the process was found to be economically unfeasible and quite possibly a sham, much to the chagrin of the Nazis' and their supporters' pocketbooks. Tausend had raised approximately half a million dollars (roughly $5.6 million in 2005 dollars) to fund five laboratories, one research institute and one mining operation; but most of the money went instead to fund extravagant lifestyles for the four main business partners. Many investors, including pensioners in his home village, lost their entire savings, while Tausend collected castles and country homes.
Tausend's three partners fled Germany: one each to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Tausend fled to a castle he had purchased and put in his wife's name in Appiano, South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. In January 1929, he was involved in an auto accident, recognized by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
authorities, arrested and extradicted back to Germany to take the full brunt of the Nazis' anger. Even after his arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud, Tausend (who had liquidated and invested his entire family's fortune into this venture) felt confident that his formula would be vindicated by the courts.
In a highly sensationalized trial that forced Tausend to demonstrate his gold-extraction process first hand, the judge convicted the disgraced man and sentenced him to prison—not because the process itself was necessarily proved to be fraudulent, but because of misappropriation of venture capital invested in the project. Whatever property Tausend still owned outright was confiscated by the German state.
Whether Tausend committed fraud intentionally, acted as the front man of other con artists, or was merely a naive man with big dreams remains unclear. However, upon his release from prison after serving out his 4-year sentence, Tausend quickly began promoting his next "get-rich-quick" scheme. He was arrested again in 1937 and sentenced to prison in 1938 for check and money fraud. Tausend died while still in prison custody on July 9, 1942 at Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
.
Literature
- Wegener, Franz: Der Alchemist Franz Tausend. Alchemie und Nationalsozialismus. Kulturförderverein Ruhrgebiet e.V., Gladbeck 03/2006, ISBN 3-931300-18-8.