Emil von Sydow
Emil von Sydow (born July 15, 1812 in Freiberg , † October 13, 1873 in Berlin ) was a Prussian officer , geographer and cartographer .
Life
His parents, Friedrich von Sydow (1780–1845), a successful officer in the Napoleonic Wars, and his mother Wilhelmine , nee. von Warriors (1789–1867) worked as respected writers after their father left the military.
As a teacher at the cadet school in Erfurt from 1832 to 1843 for the subjects tactics , fortification, geography and terroirology, Sydow experimented with color lithography for wall maps until they were ready for production. He used the regional colors green for lowlands, brown for mountains and black for network and writing in the map design, later supplemented by blue for waters. The results convinced the publisher Perthes in Gotha, educators were enthusiastic, and maps of the continent and country quickly followed in 1838. Around 1842 the development of the methodical hand atlas for the scientific study of geography begins according to the same principles … . In 1843, Sydow was appointed to the "Upper Military Examinations Commission" in Berlin because of his educational qualifications. To make use of his important innovations in map technology and design, Sydow joined the publishing house in 1855 and quickly published his map series in Swedish, Russian and Italian. From 1888 this atlas was revised by Hermann Wagner and others under the title Sydow-Wagner's Methodical School Atlas and continued until the 23rd edition in 1944.
Two important publications on cartography come from the Gotha creative period . The Drei Karte -Klippen generalize the knowledge of the projection of the spherical surface onto the map, the representation of the three-dimensional surface of the earth on the two-dimensional paper and the selection and generalization of the map objects, basic questions with which Sydow pioneered. The cartographic standpoint of Europe ... analyzes in 12 essays the map series created in the European countries, in which he makes a significant contribution to the development of technical language, a contribution to cultural history, but also to military cartographic clarification.
Helmuth von Moltke appointed Sydow to the General Staff in 1860 with a lecture on military geography and as head of its geographic-statistical department. Because of secrecy, the creative period in Berlin is veiled and not very bright. The military historian Bernhard von Poten reports that Sydow provided the army with maps in the Austro-Prussian and French-German wars to the full satisfaction. Behind this there are important questions: What is the circulation of the cards? Which (especially French) templates did the department use to copy the cards? How long before the declaration of war was this task carried out? From 1865 on, Sydow experimented with photographic processes for map reproduction.
A son of Sydow was killed as an officer in the battle of Königgrätz , a second in the battle of Gravelotte , and a third was seriously wounded. Emil von Sydow dies of cholera.
Works
- Methodical hand atlas for the scientific study of geography. 1st and 2nd department. Perthes, Gotha 1842-1844. 21 colored cards and text. Thereof subsequent editions and derivatives.
- Wall Atlas No. 3. Asia 1: 8 Mill. Perthes, Gotha 1838. 2nd edition 1845. 12 sections in color. More wall maps followed.
- with H. Credner: Thuringia and the Harz. An orographic-geognostic sketch. Perthes, Gotha 1843.
- The cartographic standpoint of Europe at the end of 1856 with special regard to the progress of the topogr. Special work. In: Peterm. Mitt. 3, 1857, pp. 1-24, pp. 57-91. Eleven more reports followed by 1872.
- Three map cliffs. Geo-cartographic consideration. In: Ernst Behm (Hrsg.): Geographisches Jahrbuch. Volume 1. Perthes, Gotha 1866, pp. 348-361.
literature
- Bernhard von Poten : Sydow, Emil von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 37, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1894, p. 279 f.
- Wilfried Görtler: Emil von Sydow. Founder of methodical school cartography. In: Gothaer geographers and cartographers. Haack, Gotha 1985, pp. 69-76.
- Franz Köhler: Gothaer ways in geography and cartography. Haack, Gotha 1987.
- HP Brogiato, W. Sperling: Reflections on the wall map "Asia" by Emil von Sydow (1838). Perthes, Darmstadt 1989.
Web links
- Literature by and about Emil von Sydow in the catalog of the German National Library
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Sydow, Emil von |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prussian officer, geographer and cartographer |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 15, 1812 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Freiberg |
DATE OF DEATH | October 13, 1873 |
Place of death | Berlin |