Hans von Gasteiger

Hans von Gasteiger (* 1499 in Gasteig am Jaufen ; † December 27, 1577 in Nussdorf near Vienna ) was one of the most famous hydraulic engineers in Austria during the Renaissance .

Life

In some sources Munich is given as the place of birth. According to more reliable sources, Hans Gasteiger came from Tyrol and was born in Gasteig am Jaufen in 1499, where Gasteigers have been based since the 13th century.

Watchmaking

Gasteiger learned the watchmaking trade in Munich and, together with Hans Koch in Munich, was considered the leading force in his field and became a citizen of the city.

Hydraulic engineering

He later specialized in building wells and implemented several projects in southern German cities. Hans von Gasteiger also invented a mechanical pulling mechanism that revolutionized the important transport of iron products across the terrain.

Based on his experience, he was called to Vienna in 1555 . There he received the order to build three wells between the curtain wall and the city wall. He then devoted himself to regulating and removing obstacles to shipping in the Danube river between Krems and Vienna and making the “Vienna Arm” (now the Danube Canal ) navigable .

Wooden hydraulic structures followed in the rivers Enns in the Großreifling , Salza near Weichselboden and Ybbs near Waidhofen rivers . These wooden rakes were used to catch the logs that were floated on the rivers .

In 1559 Gasteiger began building the Treppelweg on the Enns above Steyr , which was completed in 1566. It was used to transport ships with horse-drawn trains up the river. In 1561 Gasteiger was elevated to the nobility by Archduke Charles II because of his great services . On the orders of the same, on April 5, 1565 a commission with Hans von Gasteiger, who had already worked in Vienna for his Imperial Majesty, was appointed to Steyr. This commission gave Gasteiger the contract on September 13, 1567 to build the Großreifling rake near Großreifling . He completed this between 1570 and 1575 as one of the largest hydraulic structures in the monarchy. This covered the need for charcoal for the local hammer and wheel works.

In the same year, Hans von Gasteiger began to build another stairway along the Enns between Heimbach and Hieflau . Construction was completed in 1583.

In 1568 the Lower Austrian Chamber placed an order with him for a large number of well sockets for the planned waterworks in Ebreichsdorf .

On June 15, 1570, Hans von Gasteiger married Margarethe, the daughter of wheel master Wolf Knotz from Eisenerz in Reifling . From this marriage there were eight children.

At the insistence of the emperor, Gasteiger was still working in 1575, at the age of 76, with three journeymen on the fountain work at the Laurenzermühle at the Neugebude Castle near Vienna.

In 1912 the Gasteigergasse in Vienna- Brigittenau (20th district) was named after him.

buildings

• 1570–1575 Großreifling rake
• 1574–? Hieflauer rake

literature

• Franz Huter (ed.): History of the farms and families of Ratschings and Jaufental with special consideration of the 16th century . Wagner, Innsbruck 1970 ( History of the farms and families of the Upper Eisack Valley 7 = Schlern-Schriften 174).
• Josef Nagler:  Gasteiger, Hans von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 87 ( digitized version ).
• Tiroler Heimatblätter , Vol. 5–6

Web links

• Entry on Hans von Gasteiger in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
• Hans von Gasteiger in the Seeau Foundation

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The New Building - A garden with a "belle vue", Verein Schloss Neugebauten, 2004 ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.