Heinrich Wilhelm von Pabst

Heinrich Wilhelm von Pabst. Lithograph by Franz Eybl , 1852

Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst , from 1846 by Pabst , (born September 26, 1798 in Maar near Lauterbach ( Hesse ), † July 10, 1868 in Hütteldorf near Vienna ) was a German agricultural scientist . As one of the most versatile agronomists of his time, he played a key role in shaping research and teaching in scientific agriculture in Central Europe for over four decades.

Live and act

Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst, son of a forester, first attended elementary school in Maar , from 1810 the Latin school in Laubach and entered 1812 as agricultural apprentice in the services of Georg Carl Riedesel to Eisenbach ( Karl Georg Freiherr von Riedesel Eisenbach ), one of the most progressive farmers Thuringia. In a five-year training period, Pabst got to know the theory and practice of agriculture. At the same time he received private tuition in mathematics and field fairs . In 1818, just twenty years old, he became an economic inspector on the property of his teacher.

Student and lecturer in Hohenheim

After three years of activity, Pabst gave up his position as economic inspector. His next goal in life was to continue his scientific education at a larger agricultural teaching institute. In the spring of 1821 he walked from Thuringia to Hohenheim , where in 1818 King Wilhelm I of Württemberg had founded an agricultural school. Its director, Johann Nepomuk Hubert von Schwerz , persuaded the young man, who is experienced in farming, to stay in Hohenheim. From then on, Pabst attended all the lectures of his teacher von Schwerz and deepened his specialist knowledge through several study trips . In 1822 he took on a position as an accountant at the college “as a secondary job” .

In 1824 Pabst was appointed economics councilor. Since then he has been in charge of the orphanage associated with the Hohenheim Agricultural School , which later became the agricultural school . Here he had to train servants , but he also gave lectures at the college. In the following years he mainly dealt with questions of animal breeding . In 1826 he published a book on sheep breeding and in 1829 a " Guide to Cattle Breeding " published several times , the first scientific presentation on cattle breeding at all. The civil servant position also gave Pabst the opportunity to get married. His wife, Sophie Kappel, came from the Eichhof near Hersfeld . The marriage has three daughters.

Agriculture Secretary in the Grand Duchy of Hesse

In 1831 Pabst moved to Darmstadt . Here he was again appointed as an economist and permanent secretary of the new arable farming societies to be established in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . In this function, he published the “ Journal for the Agricultural Associations of the Grand Duchy of Hesse ”, which under his editorship developed into one of the most respected agricultural journals in Germany. In 1833 Pabst founded a private, but subsidized, agricultural training institute on the leased Kranichstein estate near Darmstadt. 250 pupils visited the institute, which existed until 1838. His most important student was Wilhelm von Hamm , who would later become his successor in his last position in Vienna .

From 1832 Pabst published an extensive textbook on agriculture in partial volumes , which received high recognition in specialist circles. However, he turned down a call given to him in 1834 to take up a chair at the University of Giessen . He preferred to be involved in the idea, which has been discussed more and more frequently for two decades, of bringing farmers from the German-speaking areas of Central Europe together at an annual congress, exchanging experiences there, discussing common tasks and thereby promoting agriculture in all areas.

During his time in Darmstadt, the idea finally became a reality and he succeeded in establishing an annual " Assembly of German Farmers and Foresters " as a permanent institution. This organizational union of German farmers and foresters was essentially the work of Pabst. The planning and implementation of the first “hiking assembly”, which took place in Dresden in 1837, was largely in his hands. He has also attended most of the following annual meetings of this organization.

From 1835 to 1840 he was a member of the Second Chamber of the Estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse . He was elected for the constituency Starkenburg 5 / Pfungstadt .

Professor in Eldena and Finance Councilor in Berlin

In 1839, Pabst accepted a call from the Prussian government and, as the successor to Friedrich Gottlob Schulze, took over the management of the Royal State and Agricultural Academy Eldena , which was newly founded in 1835 and which was closely linked to the neighboring University of Greifswald . This educational institute, which is still in the process of being set up, has been organizationally reformed by Pabst in a short period of time. a. Implementation of agricultural study trips, designed more attractively. Within a few years the number of students doubled, most of whom were farmers or future administrators of larger estates.

In addition to his work as director of this academy, Pabst took over the chairmanship of the Baltic Association for the Promotion of Agriculture in Pomerania. In publications and through lectures, he brought new scientific knowledge to farmers. Through these activities, he quickly gained reputation beyond Eldena with the senior officials in the agricultural departments of the Prussian government.

In 1843 Pabst was appointed to the Ministry of the Royal House in Berlin as a secret finance advisor and lecturer , and he was given the management of the Prussian domain administration . At the same time, in January 1844, he was appointed a member of the Landesökonomiekollegium , but only until the end of May 1845 " due to reappointment to the Würtemberg State Service ".

Return to Hohenheim

In 1845 Pabst returned to Hohenheim to the agricultural college . As the successor to August von Weckherlin , who left the company prematurely , he became director of this agricultural school. Before he accepted, he had made high financial demands, but these were met, as were the wishes regarding his placement in the court ranking list. When he took office, he received the rank of collegiate director , in 1846 he was raised to the personal nobility by being awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown .

Hohenheim experienced a rapid upswing under the leadership of Pabst. In 1847 this agricultural training center was elevated to the status of an agricultural and forestry academy. During his time as director, Pabst had a strong impact on agriculture in Württemberg, above all through a large number of publications from all areas of agriculture.

As early as 1845 Pabst published the manuscripts left behind by his teacher Johann Nepomuk Hubert von Schwerz , a collection of empirical knowledge in the cultivation of cultivated plants and philosophical-theoretical considerations about the goals and tasks of agricultural theory. On behalf of the Württemberg Central Office for Agriculture, Pabst published a “ Guide to Potato Growing ” in 1846 and a book in 1848 on the cultivation of flax .

Since an agricultural equipment factory was attached to the academy , Pabst experimented with numerous agricultural equipment, especially plows. He has reported on the technical improvements he has suggested in both practical newspapers and scientific journals. In particular, the anthology “ Landwirthschaftliche Experiences von Hohenheim ”, edited by Pabst in 1849, with several contributions from his pen, documents the high level of the experimental research carried out in Hohenheim at that time.

The German Revolution of 1848 also had an impact on Hohenheim. Pabst felt more and more restricted in his work due to annoying administrative controls and the pressure to be thrifty imposed by the Württemberg government. At the beginning of 1850 he sent his resignation to the King of Württemberg.

Activities in Austria

After his departure from Hohenheim , a new sphere of activity opened up for Pabst in Austria. The Austrian government in Vienna had offered him to take over the reorganization of the agricultural college in Hungarian-Altenburg as a real councilor in the Ministry of Regional Culture . Until then, the Danube Monarchy had no higher state agricultural training institute. Pabst accepted the offer and, under his aegis, the school grew rapidly within a few years. In 1856 he added a test farm to the training center and in 1857 he founded a factory for agricultural machines in neighboring Wieselburg .

When a state ministry for trade and economics was founded in Vienna in 1861 and a department for state culture was set up there, Pabst changed his professional field for the last time. He was appointed to Vienna as a ministerial advisor and head of department . In this function he carried out, for example, studies on the promotion of soil culture, the amalgamation of properties and the intensification of fish farming. Representing Austria at the international agricultural exhibition in Hamburg in 1863 and selecting Austria's contributions to the world exhibition in Paris in 1867 also fell within his area of ​​responsibility . His last organizational activity was the preparations for the 26th " Assembly of German Farmers and Foresters ", which was to take place in Vienna in autumn 1868 under his chairmanship. A few months before this event, Pabst died of old age.

His scientific life's work

The main scientific work of Pabst is his "Textbook of Agriculture" . It was one of the most comprehensive and widely used textbooks of the 19th century in the German-speaking area of ​​Central Europe. The total of seven editions appeared in partial volumes and deal with the entire field of plant production theory, animal production theory and agricultural management. The first edition of this "classic" of agricultural literature appeared in 1832/1839, the sixth edition in 1865/1866 and a seventh edition after his death in 1878/1885. Pabst's textbook made the term “ plant production theory ” a common term in agricultural terminology and used synonymously for the term “ agricultural plant production ” until the beginning of the 20th century .

Pabst was the last great exponent of rational agriculture . He tried to incorporate the knowledge of the natural sciences into agricultural theory and practice. But preferably he tried, based on the conception of his teacher Johann Nepomuk Hubert von Schwerz, to derive direct action instructions for agricultural practice from many years of experience. He always emphasized the relative excellence of the cultivation systems. True to his motto "Our apprenticeship lasts until the grave" , he was ready to learn new things and to pass on what he had learned for the benefit of all.

Without reservation, Pabst is one of the outstanding agronomists of his time. For four decades he has played a decisive role in the development of agricultural research and teaching in Germany and Austria.

honors and awards

Pabst was showered with declarations of honor for his services to agriculture. The regents of Prussia, Württemberg, Austria and Russia have awarded him medals. A total of 49 agricultural societies made him an honorary member . Of the honors and awards, the following should be emphasized:

• 1839 honorary doctorate from the University of Giessen
• 1865 Awarded the star of the Order of Saint Stanislaus on the occasion of the centenary of the Petersburg Economic Society
• 1867 Awarded the Order of the Iron Crown by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The presentation of this order was connected with the conferment of the hereditary nobility title .

Most important books and writings

• About the improvement of agriculture, especially in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . Verlag Leske Darmstadt 1823.
• Contributions to higher sheep breeding with special consideration for the production of the very fine wool in the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg and the neighboring states . Verlag JG Cotta Stuttgart 1826.
• About education for agriculture and the means that are available for it. A program for the opening of the lectures at the Agricultural and Forestry Institute in Hohenheim in autumn 1829 . Publishers Müntler Stuttgart 1829.
• Instructions for breeding cattle and the various uses of horned cattle . Verlag JG Cotta Stuttgart 1829; 2nd edition, ibid. 1851; 3rd edition, ibid. 1859; 4th edition published by Albrecht Conrad Thaer, ibid. 1880.
• Agricultural textbook (general plant cultivation, special plant production theory, animal production theory, agricultural management theory), each published in two or four volumes. 1st edition Verlag Leske Darmstadt 1832–1839; 2nd edition ibid. 1840–1844; 3rd edition ibid. 1847–1850; 4th edition, ibid. 1853–1854; 5th edition Verlag Braumüller Vienna 1860–1861; 6th edition ibid. 1865–1866; 7th edition edited by Wilhelm Hamm, ibid. 1878; New edition of the 7th edition, Verlag Paul Parey Berlin 1885.
• Joh. Nep. v. Schwerz's agricultural estate. Contains the culture of commercial plants as a supplement to the third volume of his instructions for practical agriculture and the collection of scattered leaves and extracts about various agricultural objects . Edited and edited by Dr. HW from Pabst. Verlag JG Cotta Stuttgart and Tübingen 1845.
• Instructions for growing potatoes with regard to the potato disease that came to light in autumn 1845 and its consequences . Metzler publishing house Stuttgart 1846; 2. unchangeable Edition ibid. 1846.
• Instructions for the appropriate cultivation and preparation of the flax . Metzler Stuttgart publishing house 1848.
• Agricultural experience from Hohenheim . Edited with the participation of several teachers and officials from the Hohenheim Institute by Dr. v. Pabst. Publishing house JG Cotta Stuttgart and Tübingen 1849.
• The agricultural taxation theory . Publishing house Braumüller Vienna 1853; 2nd edition, ibid. 1863; 3rd edition completely revised and enlarged by W. von Hamm. Ibid and publisher Parey Berlin 1881.
• About agricultural advanced training schools and traveling teachers, as well as about the means of education and instruction of the peasant class in general . Publishing house Braumüller Vienna 1867.

literature

• K. Ehrendorfer: Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst, farmer . In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 Vol. 7, 1978, p. 277.
• "Our apprenticeship lasts until the grave". Life and work of the agricultural pioneer Heinrich Wilhelm von Pabst (1798–1868) . An exhibition ... in Hohenheim Palace (June 26th to July 15th 1991). Published by the Hessian State Archives Darmstadt and the Hohenheim University Archives under the overall direction of Ulrich Fellmeth . Hohenheim 1991, 27 pages.
• Ulrich Fellmeth:  Pabst, Heinrich Wilhelm von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-428-00200-8 , p. 738 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Günther Franz: Heinrich Wilhelm von Pabst. Teacher and writer of agricultural science, director in Hohenheim and other agricultural institutes . In: Lebensbilder aus Schwaben und Franken Vol. 15, 1983, pp. 239-253 (with picture and list of scriptures).
• Jochen Lengemann : MdL Hessen. 1808-1996. Biographical index (= political and parliamentary history of the state of Hesse. Vol. 14 = publications of the Historical Commission for Hesse. Vol. 48, 7). Elwert, Marburg 1996, ISBN 3-7708-1071-6 , p. 288.
• William Löbe:  Pabst, Heinrich Wilhelm von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 25, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 38 f.
• Klaus-Dieter Rack, Bernd Vielsmeier: Hessian MPs 1820–1933. Biographical evidence for the first and second chambers of the state estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse 1820–1918 and the state parliament of the People's State of Hesse 1919–1933 (= Political and parliamentary history of the State of Hesse. Vol. 19 = Work of the Hessian Historical Commission. NF Vol. 29) . Hessian Historical Commission, Darmstadt 2008, ISBN 978-3-88443-052-1 , No. 661.
• Hans Georg Ruppel, Birgit Groß: Hessian MPs 1820–1933. Biographical evidence for the estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse (2nd Chamber) and the Landtag of the People's State of Hesse (= Darmstädter Archivschriften. Vol. 5). Verlag des Historisches Verein für Hessen, Darmstadt 1980, ISBN 3-922316-14-X , p. 205.
• Heinrich Schreiber: Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst and his Saxon employees at the first merger of German farmers in 1837 . With a contribution by Sophie Walther: Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst. Life picture based on family papers . Work of the Leipziger Ökonomischen Societät , Leipzig 1939 (with picture and list of publications).
• Constantin von Wurzbach : Pabst, Heinrich Wilhelm . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 21st part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1870, pp. 154–156 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Pabst, Heinrich Wilhelm von. Hessian biography. (As of June 18, 2020). In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hohenheim's directors, rectors and presidents ( memento of the original from March 25, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Cf. GStA PK I. HA Rep. 89 No. 30081, fol. 63 r, 64 r
3. ↑ The Royal Prussian State Oeconomie Collegium in its ten-year effectiveness, Berlin 1853, p. 3
4. ↑ Court and State Manual of the Kingdom of Württemberg 1866, page 40