Georg Simon of Sina

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Georg Simon von Sina (contemporary portrait)

Georg Simon Sina, Freiherr von Hodos und Kisdia , ( Greek Γεώργιος Σίνας , born November 20, 1783 in Niš ; † May 18, 1856 in Vienna ) was one of the most important bankers and entrepreneurs in Austria in the 19th century, whose Greek Orthodox family grew up himself referred to as Aromanian origin and was not based in Greece , but rather in Bosnia .

Life

Vienna, Palais Sina on the Hohen Markt

He came from a well-known family of cotton traders and came to Vienna with his father Simon Georg Sina the Elder (1753-1822). He invested the family's capital mainly in transport projects such as the establishment of river shipping companies and railways or bridges over the Danube, as well as the Neusiedler Papierwerke (now the Mondi Group ). Its main competitor was the Rothschild family .

During the Napoleonic Wars he gave generous credits to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and also acquired large estates in Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia and Lower Austria ( Mauerbach , Rappoltenkirchen , Gföhl , Leopoldsdorf , Poděbrady , Brumov ). He was considered the largest landowner in Hungary.

Sina donated the state treasure of the newly founded state of Greece and was the royal Greek consul general in Austria. He had Theophil Hansen build a mausoleum for the freedom fighter Alexander Ypsilantis in the castle park of Rappoltenkirchen (today: Sieghartskirchen municipality ), and he donated the castle to his family.

His first son, Simon Freiherr von Sina , turned to science and philosophy and financed the establishment of the Sinai Academy of Athens . His second son Johann Simon Freiherr von Sina (born January 16, 1804, † May 4, 1869) worked as a banker and owner of a sugar factory. Thanks to the financial commitment of the brothers and the father, a monopoly position of the Rothschild family in the railway construction of the monarchy could be prevented. After a Majesty's request on February 17, 1836, the Sinas received permission to build two lines on March 5.

Trivia

Georg Simon von Sina brought the Athens- based architect Theophil von Hansen to Vienna for his projects , who became world-famous and also designed the Austrian Parliament.

On Sina's suggestion arose in Greek quarter in his own house on the meat market no. 20/22, the Greek cafe , it existed at any time since 1827 in the building to white oxen . The gastronomic business still exists today as a Cafe-Restaurant Vienne . Sina's portrait still hangs above the bar.

In 1877 the Sinagasse in Kaisermühlen was named after him.

Coat of arms at Lugeck 7

The family's motto in the coat of arms was SERVARE INTAMINATUM (preserve intact).

literature

Web links

Commons : Georg Simon von Sina  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Linzer Tages-Post . No. 89, from Wednesday, April 19, 1876, p. 1.
  2. ↑ Weimar historical-genealoges pocket book of the entire nobility of Jehudäischer houses, Kyffhäuser Verlag, Munich 1913, pp. 416-417.
  3. ^ Amelie Lanier on the economic history of Austria-Hungary
  4. ↑ Constantin von Wurzbach : Sina, Georg Simon (senior) . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 34th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1877, pp. 351–354 ( digitized version ).
personal data
SURNAME Sina, Georg Simon from
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sina, Georg Simon Freiherr von (full name); Σίνας, Γεώργιος (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek-Austrian entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH Niš
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1856
Place of death Vienna