Kiesewetter dynasty

The Kiesewetter dynasty goes back more than a century.

The Russian history of the Kiesewetter family began in the middle of the 19th century, when Georgi (Georg) Kiesewetter, a Hanoverian citizen, moved to St. Petersburg. From 1848 he served at Bolshoi Theater, which was renamed the Mariinsky Theater in 1860.

- The only official documents about George's life I found in the archive of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters is the "Case of the service of George Kiesewetter, a foreign violinist, who was a member of the St. Petersburg theaters and was dismissed after receiving his pension" from 1848. Before his death he bequeathed his violin to his grandson and wanted his descendants to devote their lives to music. It is interesting that my ancestor became the prototype of the main character of the story "Albert" by Leo Tolstoy. The writer recorded in his diary in January, 1857: "The story of Kiesewetter is beckoning to me.... He is clever, ingenious and healthy. He is a genius fool".

Georg's son Edward worked as a Kapellmeister in Moscow in one of the Moscow theaters, and grandson Nikolai taught mathematics and physics in a gymnasium in Suwalki town of the Russian Empire. There he met his future wife Olga Konstantinovna (maiden name Zhurakovskaya), who worked as a teacher of Russian and French. On December 13, 1892 they gave birth to Evgeny Kiesewetter, who became the first polytechnic.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the family moved to Warsaw and then to Płock (Plock province of the Russian Empire). In 1911, Eugene graduated from gymnasium with a gold medal. Having found no talent for music, he decided to devote his life to electrical engineering, and in 1911 he enrolled in Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. Evgeny rented a room near the university, on Segal Avenue (now it is Raevsky Avenue). Physics was taught by V. V. Skobeltsyn, chemistry by N. S. Kurnakov, and electrical engineering by M. A. Chatelain. The theory of electric and magnetic phenomena was taught by V. F. Mitkevich, theoretical mechanics by I. V. Meshchersky, and mechanics by B. A. Bakhmetov. Laboratory classes in physics were conducted by A. V. Ivanov, A. F. Ioffe, and A. A. Shaposhnikov.

Sometimes Evgeny Nikolaevich would sit at the same desk with P. L. Kapitsa, who even then surprised with his ability to solve mathematical problems.

After the third course, in 1914, E. N. Kiesewetter had an internship at the factory "Volt" in Revel.

- Evgeny Nikolaevich used to remember that all the signs in Tallinn were in three languages: German, Russian and Estonian. The factory manufactured electrical machines for the navy, and all drawings and correspondence were in German.

After the outbreak of World War I, Eugene went to Plotsk to help his parents in evacuation. The family moved to Smolensk, then to Minsk. Returning to Petrograd in 1917, Evgeny left LPI and went to work in the electromechanical department of the Committee for Military and Technical Assistance, then as a draftsman in the Committee of State Buildings. In 1920 Kizevetter returned to LPI. A year later, having received his diploma, he started working at the institute.

- In his memoirs Evgeny Nikolaevich describes the event that influenced his further activity: "In the summer of 1922 there was a thunderstorm that caused a fire in the attic of the Main Building, and this thunderstorm turned me in another direction.... The discharge came on the lightning rod of the central part of the building, where the library is located. Secondary lightning activity ignited the bundled telephone wires attached to the rafters that ran to the telephone exchange, then located in the Main Building.... Books were carried by student chain from the library to the second building ... The fire was quickly extinguished." After this incident, Rector Boris Evdokimovich Vorobyov decided that it was necessary to have a specialist in charge of the institute's energy sector to fix the shattered facilities.

E. N. Kizevetter became this person, who was appointed head of the electric and telephone station of the Institute, and since 1926 also head of the gas plant of LPI. Evgeny Nikolaevich actively participated in the restoration and reconstruction of the complex energy facilities of the institute, which had suffered a lot during World War I and the Civil War.
 

E. N. Kiesewetter's scientific and pedagogical activities were also intensive: initially he taught at the departments of General Electrical Engineering and Electrical Measurements, and then in 1934 he became an associate professor at the Department of Electrical Stations. He worked there for more than forty years: he gave lectures, supervised coursework and diploma projects on electric power stations, power supply of industrial enterprises and traction substations.

Starting from 1930, Evgeny Nikolaevich worked in leading design organizations. Under his supervision and with his direct participation, projects of electrical equipment and power supply of a number of large plants of heavy engineering, non-ferrous metallurgy, shipbuilding were implemented. These were Petrovsko-Zabaikalsky metallurgical, Leningrad metallurgical, Volkhov aluminum and other plants. Е. N. Kiesewetter is the author of projects of the first high-power converter substations with mercury rectifiers for aluminum smelters. He also developed methods of designing high-power converter substations and calculating high-power high-voltage current conductors, and researched rational designs.

Polytechnic was awarded the medal "For Valorous Labor in the Great Patriotic War" for the organization of power supply of industrial enterprises during the war years, and in 1954 for the work on the restoration of the national economy - the medal "For Labor Distinction".

- Evgeny Nikolayevich wrote the textbook "Electrical part of substations" (co-authored), many textbooks, which are still used in the educational process. He had a wide range of interests. He was a connoisseur of Leningrad: he knew where any street of the city was located, could tell historical facts, visited new buildings with a pedometer and photographed them, and then put new streets and houses on the map. Evgeny Nikolayevich played the piano well, could, reading the notes, describe in words how a fragment of a piece of music would sound. Thanks to his nanny Franciska, he mastered the Polish language perfectly and even distinguished its dialects, and knew German and French well.

The Kiesewetters lived in the chemical building of the institute. His wife Maria Vasilievna (maiden name Rodinova) took care of the household. Their daughter Olga was born on July 30, 1921, and son Vladimir was born on January 23, 1924. Their childhood was connected with Polytechnic: friends and colleagues of their father came to visit, conversations were about the institute, and walks most often took place in the university park.

Vladimir practiced tennis from an early age: he played on the courts of the House of Scientists in Lesnoy and became a prize-winner in Leningrad several times. His coach was Evgeny Kudryavtsev, four-time USSR champion and multiple champion of Leningrad.

- At the beginning of the World War II the family was evacuated to the town Bereznyaki. In 1942, without having time to get a graduation certificate, Vladimir Evgenyevich went to the front. He recalled that the war in the infantry was, first of all, a great physical strain, hard, exhausting labor.
 

As a mortar gunner V.E. Kiesewetter participated in the liberation of Kharkov, the Battle of Orel-Kursk, was wounded twice during the forcing of the Dnieper. After hospitalization and training as a gunner-radiator he returned to the front in aviation. He participated in the forcing of the Oder River, in the storming of Berlin and liberation of Prague. Vladimir had 16 commendations by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree, medals "For military service", "For the capture of Berlin", "For the liberation of Prague", "For victory over Nazi Germany" and ten anniversary medals.

After the end of the war Vladimir served five years in Austria, got interested in soccer, tennis, became the champion of the unit in javelin throwing, participated in spartakiads.

- After demobilization in 1950, my father enrolled without exams in the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute at the Electromechanical Faculty. He did not even consider other options. He wrote about his studies in his memoirs: "Of course, at first it was difficult for me to study, especially since I was usually late for the beginning of classes for two months because of participation in all sorts of competitions. But the ability to 'pull myself together' at the right moment helped me get my diploma with honors." One of my father's classmates was German Abramovich Shneerson, currently a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

As a student, Kiesewetter continued to play tennis. He was a 15-time champion of Leningrad, including 13 times in doubles, twice champion of the All-Union Central Sports Union "Burevestnik", multiple prize-winner of the USSR championships and the USSR Peoples' Spartakiad, Master of Sports of the USSR. His partners were such famous athletes as A. Lukirsky, A. Potanin, A. Boytsov, G. Kokaya, T. Nalimova, N. Vetoshnikova.

After graduation Vladimir Evgenyevich followed in his father's footsteps - he stayed to work at Politech. In 1967 he became a candidate of technical sciences. He studied outdoor high-voltage electrical insulation and surge arresters.

- In the mid-50s of the last century, the scientists of Politech were given the task to obtain initial data for the design of power transmission lines at rated voltages of 750-1000 kV. There was a lot of research work to be done, as there was no such research in the world practice. My father created and put into operation a test bench for external high-voltage insulation testing, the main element of which was a cascade of transformers for rated voltage of 2250 kV. The unit was called "Cascade" and was created for the first time in the world. Naturally, it had to face great difficulties. Under the guidance of M. V. Kostenko and G. N. Aleksandrov, important studies of insulation of ultra-long-distance power lines were carried out at the stand. It became possible to design power lines for rated voltages of 1-1.2 million volts. Together with M. V. Kostenko, N. A. Kozyrev, G. N. Alexandrov and A. D. Petrov, my father presented the test stand at the All-Union Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR, where the installation received a 3rd degree diploma. 

В. Е. V.E. Kiesewetter gave lectures, conducted practical classes and traveled to other cities for practical training with students. He became one of the authors of the monograph "Electrical Strength of External High Voltage Insulation" and textbooks on high voltage technology, which are still relevant today. In 1975, he was confirmed in the academic rank of associate professor.

- On February 8, 1995, there was a severe fire in the TVN building. My father restored the educational laboratory installations for corona research on wires, saved from imminent death and rewired the 750 kV pulse voltage generator. Father put a part of his soul into the development of Politech. And this contribution was appreciated at its true value: the study room No. 108 in the TVN building is named after him.

He combined his work at Politech with playing tennis: he competed in competitions and was a multiple champion of Russia among veterans. The courts in the House of Scientists in Lesnoy also bear his name.

- Vladimir Evgenyevich, having gone through the Great Patriotic War, highly valued human communication. He liked to meet friends and colleagues, celebrated memorable dates with them, gathered with fellow soldiers both in Leningrad and in other cities. He also participated in meetings of graduates of the electromechanical faculty, usually they would take a boat ride on the Neva River.

In 1959, Vladimir married Svetlana Vasilievna Rasskazova, a resident of besieged Leningrad. After the war, she graduated from the Forestry Academy and worked as director of Sosnovka Park until her retirement. Their sons Dmitry and Alexey continued the dynasty of polytechnics. Dmitry was born on January 18, 1960. At school № 103 he was interested in chemistry and radio engineering, shortwave and ultra-shortwave radio communication, studied at the Palace of Pioneers named after A. A. Zhdanov and the radio club DOSAAF. In 1977 he enrolled in LPI Radiophysical Faculty. In the institute he was engaged in sports: he played tennis, participated in freestyle wrestling competitions, worked in student construction teams in the summer.

- I particularly remember the construction team "Danko-82" going to the town of Sharypovo of the Kansko-Achinsk Fuel and Energy Complex (KATEK). Concrete works often had to be performed in night shifts. As a rule, we worked 12 hours per day. At the same time, we learned to take some everyday inconveniences or small difficulties in life more easily, which became especially important in the challenging 90s.

In the third year, Dmitry started working at the Department of Physical Electronics (headed by Prof. N. N. Petrov) in the laboratory of coherent and corpuscular optics, which was headed by Prof. M. M. Butusov. The student investigated the optics of fiber optic light guides, his supervisors were O. S. Vavilova and V. I. Malyugin. Alexey Kizevetter is almost 3 years younger than Dmitry.

He joined the electromechanical faculty of LPI in 1980 and actively participated in the construction team movement. After graduation Alexey worked at large enterprises of the radio-electronic industry in Leningrad. Now he is an employee of a private company established by an LPI graduate.

Dmitry Vladimirovich was assigned to the Vavilov State Optical Institute. In 1985, he came back to his native department at Polytech, where he continued to study the propagation of optical radiation in fiber optic light guides.

- After several decades, it can be said that some results of theoretical studies remain relevant at present.

In particular, the obtained asymptotic expressions for calculation of the eigennumbers of waveguide modes of a multimode fiber optic light guide with a stepped refractive index profile, as well as the electric and magnetic field strengths of the outgoing radiation. However, for my Ph.D. thesis, my colleagues recommended me to take a topic closer to the practical application of fiber optic fibers. Therefore, for several years I studied light scattering by rough surfaces, in particular, the ends of fiber optic fibers.

In 1989, D. V. Kiesewetter became a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences. He was involved in the development of optical and radioelectronic devices and software. In 2008 he defended his doctoral dissertation "Polarization and interference effects in multimode fiber optic light guides".

- My thesis is devoted not only to polarization and interference effects, but also to studies of a phenomenon little studied in those years - optical vortices in fiber optic light guides.

Since 2008 Dmitry Vladimirovich has been working as a professor at the Institute of Energy (formerly Electromechanical Faculty). He studies electrical and fiber-optic cables, optical and fiber-optic devices, including sensors, dielectric materials and much more. D. V. Kiesewetter is the author of more than two hundred scientific articles, participant of more than 80 scientific conferences.

- I met my wife Lyudmila in 1998, and for over 25 years we have been living happily together. We love traveling: we have been to two dozen countries on various continents. We also enjoy supboarding, and most of the time we go sailing on Kavgolovskoe Lake.

There are other polytechnics in the large Kizevetter family, but they have other surnames. Dmitry's cousin Evgeny Mikhailovich Lubort studied at LPI and now works as a coach at the Zh. I. Alfyorov Academic University. His wife Irina is a master of sports in tennis and for many years was an employee of the Physical Education Department of LPI. Their children Sergei and Natalia, great-grandchildren of Evgeny Nikolaevich, with whom the dynasty began, are also graduates of Politech. Alla Yurievna Bogatyreva (Kudoyarova), great-granddaughter of N. E. Kiesewetter's sister, worked for many years as an engineer at LPI in the Department of Electrical Insulation, Cables and Capacitors.