Friedemann Hellwig: I was born 1938 in Lübeck, is the son of maître luthier Günther Hellwig and the maître weaver and embroiderer Alen Müller Hellwig. I did my diploma as amaître luthier in 1963 and became a conservator of historic musical instruments at the Germansiches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (head of the collection was John Henry van der Meer). Of utmost importance proved the conservation work in Florence after the floods of November 1966 with the opportunity of intense exchange of experience and ideas. It was also in the Germanisches Nationalmsuem that I found a wife, the art historian Barbara Hellwig PhD (born Plate). During the years 1977 to 1983 I served two terms as the chairman of the Internaltional Committe of Musical Instrument Museums (CIMCIM) within the International Coucil of Museums (ICOM). - I headed the conservation department of the regional Rhineland Museum Office for eighteen months; after which I was ask to acecept the post as a professor for the conservation of cultural heritage, specialty wooden objects at University of Applied Sceinces in Cologne. I retired in summer 2003.

What about the retirement? My hearing has become so bad that I cannot enjoy music anymore. This I regret deeply since music has been the centre of my career for so many years. Still, music provided enjoyment and also friendship with so many people.

During the last ten years of my professional life the work excursions to Auschwitz have become a centre point of thinking. In Hamburg too, there is work waiting on the more recent years of German history, amongst others in the frame of the Society for Researching the History of Jews in Blankenese, the part of Hamburg we live in (Verein zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Blankenese). In November 2024, the comprehensive publication on Jewish life in Blankenese has appeared thus fulfilling the association's name (ISBN 978-3-96060-701-4).

Another major project was the new edition of Günther Hellwig's book on "Joachim Tielke. Ein Hamburger Lauten- und Violenmacher der Barockzeit". The resulting publication ("Joachim Tielke. Kunstvolle Musikinstrumente des Barock"), elaborated together with my wife, has appeared in 2011. In 2020 a small supplement was added. Quite recntly I handed over the archivial material of our research to the Hamburg Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe.

In autumn 2013 I have joined the "Friends of No. 5 Elbe", I took part in many sails, many times in the galley. Unfortunately the schooner of 1883 was rammed by a freighter in 2019, she sank. Work has started to restore her.

What is currently on? Besides doing research work for the local history I am managing archivial material of the family history which will soon be handed over to the Municipal Archives of Lübeck.

To my surprise three colleages and friends compiled a Festschrfit in German and English on the occasion of my eightieth birthday, with contributions from thirteen colleages. And in June 2025 the American Musical Instrument Society will bestow the Curt Sachs Award on me, a great, great unexpected honour.