Bernhard von Lindenau

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Bernhard von Lindenau Signature Bernhard von Lindenau.PNG

Bernhard August von Lindenau (born June 11, 1779 in Pohlhof , Altenburg , † May 21, 1854 there ) was a German lawyer , astronomer , minister and patron .

Life

Lindenau was the son of Johann August von Lindenau , Lord of Pohlhof, Windischleuba and Nobitz , Saxon-Altenburg appellate judge and landscape director , and his wife Agnes née Senfft von Pilsach . He studied law at the University of Leipzig , from 1798 he was a civil servant in the Duchy of Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg , initially in Altenburg, from 1801 as a chamber councilor in Gotha . Here his astronomical studies began with head stable master Georg Gottlieb Leberecht von Hardenberg and finally with Franz Xaver von Zach at the Seeberg observatory on the outskirts of the city.

Bernhard von Lindenau, painting by Johann Matthias Grassi , 1814

In 1804, as a result of Zach's departure, he had to take over the observatory on an interim basis. After an interim period in Altenburg, he was appointed director of the observatory by Duke August von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg . He maintained close contact with Carl Friedrich Gauß , who stayed on the Seeberg several times. After the observatory was looted by the French in 1813, he took part in the war of liberation as adjutant general to Duke Carl August von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach . He was seriously wounded in a duel in Paris .

From 1815 to 1818 he published the magazine for astronomy and allied sciences . During this time (1817) he was called back to the civil service and had to say goodbye to astronomy .

From 1820 he became Minister and Privy Councilor in Gotha and from 1822 had to take over the affairs of government for Duke Friedrich IV, who was mentally insane , which earned him the nickname "Duke Bernhard" in Gotha. Thanks to his careful work, the ducal house was able to act until Friedrich's death in 1825. In 1822 von Lindenau was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

After the subsequent reorganization of the Thuringian duchies , Lindenau entered the service of the Kingdom of Saxony in 1827 . Initially envoy to the Bundestag in Frankfurt am Main , he went to Dresden in 1829 , where he became a member of the Secret Council and cabinet minister in 1830 and, after the introduction of the first Saxon constitution on December 1, 1831, chairman of the newly created ministry . He held this position until he left in 1843. From 1831 to 1834 he also held the office of Minister of the Interior.

The Lindenau Museum in Altenburg

Lindenau received numerous honors for his scientific and political work and became a member of several scientific societies and academies. For Franz Xaver von Zach he remained the legal advisor and asset manager until his death in 1832. From this he formed the Lindenau-Zachsche Foundation to promote young artists and technicians. In Altenburg, the Lindenau Museum was created from his art collections .

From May 18 to September 18, 1848 he was a non-attached member of parliament for Saxony-Altenburg in the Frankfurt National Assembly . Among other things, he was a member of the Rules of Procedure committee and acted as the second senior president in the opening session.

He died on May 21, 1854 at the age of 75 in the Pohlhof, the manor of his parents and grandparents. The city of Dresden and the Royal Saxon Society of Sciences in Leipzig , of which he had been a full member since 1846, sent delegates to his funeral . He was buried in the cemetery in Altenburg not far from the Gottesackerkirche .

The asteroid (9322) Lindenau and the lunar crater Lindenau were named after him. Since December 6, 1999, the square in front of the Saxon state parliament has borne his name.

literature

Web links

Commons : Bernhard von Lindenau  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Procksch's biography (see link) as well as the obituaries in the Astronomische Nachrichten and Monthly Notices (see links) name May 21st as the date of death, the biographies in the ADB and the NDB (see links) name it 12th of May.
  2. ^ Members of the SAW: Bernhard August von Lindenau. Saxon Academy of Sciences, accessed on November 11, 2016 .
  3. ↑ The Altenburg Cemetery - One of the oldest city cemeteries still in use
  4. ^ Website of the Saxon State Parliament: Bernhard-von-Lindenau-Platz
predecessor Office successor
Detlev von Einsiedel Cabinet Minister of
the Kingdom of Saxony
1830–1831 		-
personal data
SURNAME Lindenau, Bernhard von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lindenau, Bernhard August von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German astronomer; Saxon head of government (1830–1843); Art collector
DATE OF BIRTH June 11, 1779
PLACE OF BIRTH Pohlhof , Altenburg
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 1854
Place of death Pohlhof , Altenburg