Konrad Zuse
German engineer who built the first working programmable computer
- Lived
- 85 yrs
- 1910 – 1995
- Works listed
- 3
- Computer, Programming language
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 1995
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Konrad Zuse was a German civil engineer who built the Z3 in Berlin in 1941, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic digital computer. He also designed Plankalkül, the first high-level programming language, and founded one of the first computer companies.
Biography
Background
Zuse studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Berlin and worked as a structural engineer at the Henschel aircraft company, where he faced endless repetitive calculations.
Z1 to Z3
Working in his parents’ living room, he built the Z1 (1938), a mechanical binary computer that was unreliable. The Z3, completed in May 1941, used about 2,600 telephone relays, binary floating-point arithmetic and programs read from punched film. It is recognised as the first working programmable, fully automatic computer. It was destroyed in an Allied air raid in 1943.
Plankalkül
Between 1942 and 1945 Zuse designed Plankalkül, the first high-level programming language, although it was not implemented until much later. He also saved his Z4 by moving it out of Berlin at the end of the war.
Zuse KG
In 1949 he founded Zuse KG, which built computers for German industry until it was taken over by Siemens. In later life he painted and wrote about the idea that the universe might itself be a computer. He died in 1995.
Timeline
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1910
Born in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Germany
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1935
Graduates in civil engineering
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1938
Z1 completed
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1941
Z3 completed
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1943
Z3 destroyed in a bombing raid
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1945
Designs Plankalkül; Z4 survives the war
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1949
Founds Zuse KG
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1950
Z4 installed at ETH Zurich
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1995
Died, aged 85
Notable works
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1941
Z3 Computer
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1945
Plankalkül Programming language
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1969
Rechnender Raum (Calculating Space) Book
Awards and honours
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Werner von Siemens Ring
1964
-
Wilhelm Exner Medal
1969
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Great Cross of the Order of Merit
1995
Did you know?
-
1
A working replica of the Z3 is displayed at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
-
2
His Z4 was rented by ETH Zurich and was the only working computer in continental Europe for a time.
-
3
He was also an accomplished painter.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Konrad Zuse?
Konrad Zuse was a German civil engineer who built the Z3 in Berlin in 1941, the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic digital computer. He also designed Plankalkül, the first high-level programming language, and founded one of the first computer companies.
When did Konrad Zuse die?
Konrad Zuse died on 18 December 1995 at the age of 85.
Where is Konrad Zuse from?
Konrad Zuse was born in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Germany.
What is Konrad Zuse known for?
Konrad Zuse is best known for Z3 (1941), the first working programmable, fully automatic computer; Plankalkül language.
What awards has Konrad Zuse received?
Notable honours include Werner von Siemens Ring (1964), Wilhelm Exner Medal (1969), Great Cross of the Order of Merit (1995).
References
- Konrad Zuse — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Konrad Zuse — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Konrad Zuse — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Konrad Zuse — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Konrad Zuse — Invaluable artist page. Invaluable. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Konrad Zuse (Q60093) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Konrad Zuse”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Konrad Zuse.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/konrad-zuse
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