Kurd von Hardt in the 1920s.
May the 5th, 1888
Richard Hardt, Kurd’s grandfather and a descendant of a dynasty of textile producers, was ennobled. The family received the barony of Wonsowo, named after their estate in East Prussia (now Poland).
December the 7th, 1889
Birth of Kurd von Hardt in Kassel, Germany, son of Friedrich Wilhelm and Anna Elisabeth (born Mumm von Schwarzenstein) of Frankfurt; he was the couple’s fifth child out of six.
Kurd von Hardt at the age of five.
1911-1913
Training at E. & W. Hardt, a firm specializing in the textile and wool trade, followed by a position at Engelbert Hardt & Co. in the primary materials purchasing department.
1914-1915
Suffering from tuberculosis, the baron is treated at the Schatzalp sanatorium in Davos. An avid reader, he immerses himself in books and art.
1915-1918
Secretary in the Commercial Division of the German Legation in The Hague in July 1916. Assignment to the German Embassy to the Sublime Porte in Constantinople in November 1917. Secretary at the German Legation in Bern in late 1918. Relapse of his tuberculosis.
Kurd von Hardt in Davos.
1919-1938
Established in Tuscany (Italy) and Ticino (Switzerland). Initial plans to establish a foundation aiming to support German artists and authors.
1938-1948
Residence in Ticino. Request for Swiss citizenship denied.
1948
Rental of “La Chandoleine”, Paul des Gouttes' estate in Vandœuvres, the future headquarters of the Hardt Foundation.
The Baron's Time Foundation, rear view.
1949
Welcoming its first guests in the field of Classical Antiquity.
1950
Acquisition of La Chandoleine.
1954-1958
Theodor Heuss, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded the baron the Grand Cross of Merit « Das grosse Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland » in 1954.
He received a "Doktors der Philosophie" degree from the University of Göttingen in 1954 and a "Doctor honoris causa" from the University of Geneva in 1958.
The Cross of Merit awarded in 1954.
29th November 1958
Death of the Baron. Thanks to a special permit, he was buried in the Foundation's park.
May the 5th, 1888
Richard Hardt, Kurd’s grandfather and a descendant of a dynasty of textile producers, was ennobled. The family received the barony of Wonsowo, named after their estate in East Prussia (now Poland).
December the 7th, 1889
Birth of Kurd von Hardt in Kassel, Germany, son of Friedrich Wilhelm and Anna Elisabeth (born Mumm von Schwarzenstein) of Frankfurt; he was the couple’s fifth child out of six.
Kurd von Hardt at the age of five.
1911-1913
Training at E. & W. Hardt, a firm specializing in the textile and wool trade, followed by a position at Engelbert Hardt & Co. in the primary materials purchasing department.
1914-1915
Suffering from tuberculosis, the baron is treated at the Schatzalp sanatorium in Davos. An avid reader, he immerses himself in books and art.
1915-1918
Secretary in the Commercial Division of the German Legation in The Hague in July 1916. Assignment to the German Embassy to the Sublime Porte in Constantinople in November 1917. Secretary at the German Legation in Bern in late 1918. Relapse of his tuberculosis.
Kurd von Hardt in Davos.
1919-1938
Established in Tuscany (Italy) and Ticino (Switzerland). Initial plans to establish a foundation aiming to support German artists and authors.
1938-1948
Residence in Ticino. Request for Swiss citizenship denied.
1948
Rental of “La Chandoleine”, Paul des Gouttes' estate in Vandœuvres, the future headquarters of the Hardt Foundation.
The Baron's Time Foundation, rear view.
1949
Welcoming its first guests in the field of Classical Antiquity.
1950
Acquisition of La Chandoleine.
1954-1958
Theodor Heuss, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded the baron the Grand Cross of Merit « Das grosse Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland » in 1954.
He received a "Doktors der Philosophie" degree from the University of Göttingen in 1954 and a "Doctor honoris causa" from the University of Geneva in 1958.
The Cross of Merit awarded in 1954.
29th November 1958
Death of the Baron. Thanks to a special permit, he was buried in the Foundation's park.
May the 5th, 1888
Richard Hardt, Kurd’s grandfather and a descendant of a dynasty of textile producers, was ennobled. The family received the barony of Wonsowo, named after their estate in East Prussia (now Poland).
December the 7th, 1889
Birth of Kurd von Hardt in Kassel, Germany, son of Friedrich Wilhelm and Anna Elisabeth (born Mumm von Schwarzenstein) of Frankfurt; he was the couple’s fifth child out of six.
Kurd von Hardt at the age of five.
1911-1913
Training at E. & W. Hardt, a firm specializing in the textile and wool trade, followed by a position at Engelbert Hardt & Co. in the primary materials purchasing department.
1914-1915
Suffering from tuberculosis, the baron is treated at the Schatzalp sanatorium in Davos. An avid reader, he immerses himself in books and art.
1915-1918
Secretary in the Commercial Division of the German Legation in The Hague in July 1916. Assignment to the German Embassy to the Sublime Porte in Constantinople in November 1917. Secretary at the German Legation in Bern in late 1918. Relapse of his tuberculosis.
Kurd von Hardt in Davos.
1919-1938
Established in Tuscany (Italy) and Ticino (Switzerland). Initial plans to establish a foundation aiming to support German artists and authors.
1938-1948
Residence in Ticino. Request for Swiss citizenship denied.
1948
Rental of “La Chandoleine”, Paul des Gouttes' estate in Vandœuvres, the future headquarters of the Hardt Foundation.
The Baron's Time Foundation, rear view.
1949
Welcoming its first guests in the field of Classical Antiquity.
1950
Acquisition of La Chandoleine.
1954-1958
Theodor Heuss, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded the baron the Grand Cross of Merit « Das grosse Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland » in 1954.
He received a "Doktors der Philosophie" degree from the University of Göttingen in 1954 and a "Doctor honoris causa" from the University of Geneva in 1958.
The Cross of Merit awarded in 1954.
29th November 1958
Death of the Baron. Thanks to a special permit, he was buried in the Foundation's park.
In order to ensure that our website functions properly, we need to analyze certain user interactions and settings, store them on the relevant device, and/or retrieve them. These include, for example, language settings or information related to your account.
We use services provided by third-party companies to offer you content enhanced with specific features and/or content (e.g., YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo). Through the services we use, these companies may access certain of your data and process it as part of their business operations. We recommend that you read the privacy policies of these companies. Your consent covers the processing of data by third parties, including in third countries where the level of data protection is not comparable to that of Switzerland (e.g., the United States). The third-party services used are listed on our privacy policy page.
