Walter Borchardt-Ott was born in 1933 in Tempelburg (Pommern). He studied Mineralogy at Greifswald University and later at the Humboldt University, Berlin, placing a special emphasis on crystallography. He received his doctorate from Münster University, where he was engaged as a long term lecturer and tutor in crystallography and petrography. Throughout his long career he has published numerous scientific works in the fields of crystal growth and the morphology of crystals. He retired in 1998, but still retains an active interest in the world of crystallography.