Fernando Heydrich
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Fernando Heydrich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1827 |
| Died | 1903 (aged 75–76) |
| Burial place | Necrópolis de San Carlos Borromeo |
| Occupations | Engineer, sculptor, politician |
| Known for | Founder of the Acueduct of Matanzas |
Fernando Heydrich Klein (26 January 1827 – April 1, 1903) was a German businessman, politician, engineer and sculptor who lived in Matanzas, Cuba. Builder of the Aqueduct of Matanzas, he was politically engaged, playing a significant role during the Ten Years' War in Cuba.
Married to Maria-Candelaria Martínez y Valdez, he was father of American Consul Alfredo Heydrich and Emilio Heydrich; he was also an ancestor of the artists Daniel Garbade and Juan Esnard Heydrich. He died in 1903, and was laid to rest at the Necropolis San Carlos Borromeo, Matanzas.
In 1845, Manuel del Portillo successfully initiated the idea of an aqueduct for the supply of drinking water to Matanzas. Francis Albear y Lara, the engineer and chief, also encountered resistance. When Juan F. Sanchez and Bárcena also failed in a similar project, Fernando Heydrich proposed his own project together with G. Fabra and Cabanillas and his company, Heydrich & Cie, and received the order in 1870 to build a water channel from the springs of Manantial Bello y Benavides to Matanzas. They exploited the aqueduct til 1912.[1] It still stands as a landmark of the city, and was chosen as a monument of the nation in 2005.[2]