author
Kurt Hielscher
1881–1948
Best known for lyrical travel photography, this German photographer captured landscapes, streets, and architecture across Europe in the early 20th century. His books gave readers a vivid look at places from Spain to the Balkans long before mass tourism made such journeys familiar.
1 Audiobook
Picturesque Spain: Architecture, landscape, life of the people.
by Kurt Hielscher
About the author
Born in Striegau, Silesia, on January 7, 1881, Kurt Hielscher was a German photographer and teacher. Reliable reference sources describe him as both a photographer and educator, and note that he traveled widely through Europe during the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s.
He became especially known for books built around his photographs of landscapes, towns, and historic architecture. Spain is closely associated with his work, and his albums from different parts of Europe helped make him a popular visual chronicler of the continent between the world wars.
Hielscher died on July 10, 1948, in Lichtenstein, Saxony. Today, his photographs are valued not only for their artistic style, but also for the way they preserve views of cities and regions that have changed dramatically since his time.