Robert Otzen
Engineer, inventor of word Autobahn
About Robert Otzen
Lived 1872 – 1934 (aged 61–62). Robert Otzen was a German engineer, university teacher and civil engineer.
Robert Friedrich Ehlert Otzen (9 May 1872 in Giesensdorf – 3 October 1934 in Hanover) was a German infrastructure engineer.
He is considered the inventor of the word Autobahn when he was head of the Stufa car lobby group (Bahn being the German word for railway), the equivalent of motorway (British English) or freeway (US English).. When a single high speed roadway was built on the Hamburg-Frankfurt-Basel route, Otzen felt that only an entire network of such roads would attract the political support needed for such a project to be built.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Robert Otzen?
Engineer, inventor of word Autobahn (1872–1934)
When was Robert Otzen born?
Robert Otzen was born in 1872 in Giesensdorf.
When did Robert Otzen die?
Robert Otzen died in 1934 in Hanover.
What was Robert Otzen's occupation?
Robert Otzen was an engineer, university teacher and civil engineer.
What nationality was Robert Otzen?
Robert Otzen was German.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Robert Otzen. https://biography.guide/robert-otzen/
MLA: "Robert Otzen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/robert-otzen/.
Chicago: "Robert Otzen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/robert-otzen/.
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