Michael Knieriem (born 24 May 1943 in Lahr) is a German historian and author and was director of the museum. The author of several historical textbooks on the Wuppertal area, where he had specialized in the life and work of Friedrich Engels, Knieren was director of the Historischen Zentrum for more than two decades until he retired in spring 2008. His successor was . In 2006, Knieriem was commissioned by the head of the cultural department to clarify the role of Eduard von der Heydt in Nazi Germany, which was to influence the future role and the naming of the Von der Heydt Cultural Prize. As a result, the expert commission could not find any confirmation of Eduard von der Heydt's role as a Nazi, and the cultural prize was renamed Von der Heydt Cultural Prize. References External links 20th-century German historians Directors of museums in Germany 1943 births Living people People from Lahr