Erich Philipp Ploennies
Erich Philipp Ploennies (born March 1, 1672 in Speyer ; † December 28, 1751 in Siegen ) was a German mathematician, builder and cartographer whose work was of great importance for the economic and social history of the regions of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg and the Principality Nassau Siegen owns.
Vita and work
He was the son of a respected lawyer at the Imperial Court of Justice in Speyer, D. Friedrich von Plönnies, who came from the Lübeck patrician family Ploennies . Following his studies, he worked as a master builder, professor of mathematics and medical / alchemical advisor to the Landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt .
On behalf of the Jülich-Berg and Nassau-Siegen government administrations, Ploennies mapped the respective domains from 1708 and, together with the textual and statistical description of the conditions found, laid the foundation for a more efficient fiscal, administrative and economic state administration of these domains. This combination of cartography and description of a descriptive-statistical nature was previously unique in this form and of importance for the management of the state. His discontinued surveys served as the basis for the economic and fiscal policy of the government administration even after his death.
His main works Topographia Ducatus Montani (Topography of the Duchy of Berg, 1715) and General Land Survey of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen (1726) formed the basis of cartography in northwest Germany and are an important source of research in the economic and social history of the Bergisches Land and Siegerland regions .
The aim of the survey carried out on behalf of Elector Johann Wilhelm was the statistical recording of the country in order to improve the tax system. Ploennies chose outdated methods and the maps produced were not suitable for the tax system, which was known at the Düsseldorf court (for example, the regions were examined and described differently). Ploennies probably wanted to secure his long-term position in this way. After measuring the Duchy of Berg, he began measuring the Duchy of Jülich. The work was stopped after the death of Johann Wilhelm on June 9th, 1716, after which Ploennies left Düsseldorf. On March 16, 1717, Ploennies appears on the pay list of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen as geographer and building director.
As the oldest topographical representation of the Bergisches Land, his work, in the interplay of text and map, creates a rather cohesive and varied picture of the landscape of the early 18th century, which deserves attention as a historical study. The dedication for Johann Wilhelm is dated May 1, 1715. It is not known whether Ploennies carried out the survey, on which he had worked for about ten years, alone or with colleagues. The 1988 edition of “Topographia” is a reprint of the original with a new German translation. The 96-sheet original is in the main state archive in Düsseldorf.
On April 20, 1707 Ploennies married Anna Magdalena Ernst from Wesel, with whom he had six children. His descendant is the writer Wilhelm von Ploennies (1828–1871).
Quotes
Ploennies over the Bergisches Land
- “ The inhabitants there are mostly hardworking people, and many of them are inclined to act, so their piece of bread nourishes to win, they try to correspond with foreign countries in various ways, so that when an opportunity might arise to win something, they themselves to be able to operate, which is why you read the newspapers diligently, and to hear new things curieus [curious]; Otherwise they are perky, sharp and thoughtful in their minds, and can often imitate other things they have not learned. The best way to find out whether they are peace-loving is on the Canzley. "
Works
- Topographia Ducatus Montani. (1715) (= Bergische Forschungen 20, 1–2). Edited and edited by Burkhard Dietz. 2 volumes (part 1: country description and views , part 2: maps ). Schmidt, Neustadt / Aisch 1988, ISBN 3-87707-073-6 (part 1), ISBN 3-87707-074-4 (part 2).
literature
- Burkhard Dietz: Erich Philipp Ploennies (1672–1751). Life and work of a mathematical practitioner of the early enlightenment (= Bergische Forschungen 24). Schmidt, Neustadt / Aisch, 1996, ISBN 3-87707-491-X .
- Wilhelm Güthling: Erich Philipp Ploennies (1672–1751). In: Düsseldorfer Jahrbuch. 50, 1960, ISSN 0342-0019 , pp. 102-119.
- Wilhelm Güthling: The measurement of the Siegerland by Erich Philipp Ploennies 1717–1726 (= Siegerland Contributions to History and Regional Studies 1, ZDB -ID 504235-5 ). Self-published by the Siegerland Heimatverein, Siegen 1950.
- Uta Lindgren : Ploennies, Erich Philipp v .. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 20, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-428-00201-6 , p. 546 f. ( Digitized version ).
Individual evidence
- ^ Erich Philipp Ploennies: Topographia Ducatus Montani. (1715). Part 1: Description of the country and views (= Bergische Forschungen 20, 1). Schmidt, Neustadt / Aisch 1988, ISBN 3-87707-073-6 , p. 38.
Web links
- Literature by and about Erich Philipp Ploennies in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ploennies, Erich Philipp |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German mathematician and cartographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1, 1672 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Speyer |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 28, 1751 |
| Place of death | Wins |