Joseph Hardtmuth

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Joseph Hardtmuth (born February 13, 1758 in Asparn an der Zaya in Lower Austria; † May 23, 1816 in Vienna ) was an Austrian architect , inventor, industrialist and patron.

origin

Joseph Hardtmuth's father Anton came from Bavaria , moved to Lower Austria around 1740 and settled in Asparn an der Zaya as a master carpenter and wood carver for several altars. His mother Theresia was the daughter of the master bricklayer Franz Meissl from Asparn an der Zaya. The couple had eight children, the fourth of which was Joseph Hardtmuth.

Live and act

In 1771 Joseph Hardtmuth began an apprenticeship as a mason and stonemason with his uncle Joseph Meissl the Elder in Poysdorf and also worked as a draftsman. After three years of apprenticeship, he was dismissed as a journeyman . When his uncle became Princely Liechtenstein Construction Director, he went to Vienna with him and was able to gain initial experience as a planner and master builder .

Amphitheater in Maria Enzersdorf

In 1787 his uncle received the order to expand the Palais Liechtenstein (Herrengasse) in Vienna, for which Joseph Hardtmuth designed the facade . After the death of his uncle in 1790 he became a Princely Liechtenstein architect and 1805 construction director in Vienna. In 1793 he married the widowed Elisabeth Marchand with whom he had four sons. Joseph Hardtmuth was later one of the leading architects of the Romantic period .

The extensive Liechtenstein possessions led him as building director to Bohemia , Moravia and again to Lower Austria . He was entrusted with the renovation of farm buildings and castles, the establishment of schools and patronage churches and other construction measures such as the creation and design of landscaped gardens. He built u. a. Obelisks, triumphal arches, exotic buildings and artificial ruins. In 1811 there was a construction accident when an observation tower collapsed on the Kleiner Anninger during construction. This incident led to the end of the activity as the princely building director in 1812.

Hardtmuth became famous not only for his architectural achievements, but also for his inventions, which he began to develop during his work as Liechtenstein construction director. His inventions and patents arose from his search for the use of materials in the work process and their efficient handling. In 1802, for example, he had designed a mechanical stone press for the production of stone blocks from artificial cement for the construction of the zoo wall in Valtice . In 1789 he invented a new type of earthenware for making dishes, the so-called Viennese earthenware . and in 1810 the artificial pumice stone , years later the so-called stone material, which was processed into mortars, funnels, etc., an elastic, unbreakable writing board and liquid ink .

Foundation of a pencil and earthenware factory in Vienna

The factory in Ceske Budejovice

In 1790 Joseph Hardtmuth founded a pencil and stoneware factory in Vienna after he had succeeded in making artificial pencil leads from clay minerals and graphite powder, and thus inexpensive pencils that surpassed those made with Cumberland graphite. Up until then, pencil leads had to be cut from much more expensive, whole pieces of graphite imported from England . In addition, different mixing ratios made it possible for him to offer pencils in 6 different degrees of hardness.

Company relocated to Budweis

In 1828 his son Carl Hardtmuth (born March 11, 1804 in Vienna, † September 19, 1881 in Grünau / Upper Austria) took over his father's company, which was relocated to Budweis in southern Bohemia in 1848 for reasons of profitability . After the death of his brother Ludwig Hardtmuth (born January 15, 1800 in Vienna, † January 26, 1861 in Weimar), Carl became the sole owner. He is the inventor of the Koh-i-noor pencils , which were produced in 17 degrees of hardness. The company L. & C. Hardtmuth got the reputation of a global company. Carl Hardtmuth was a member of the Bohemian state parliament from 1861 to 1865.

Since 1852, his son Franz Edler von (since 1873) Hardtmuth (born January 29, 1832 in Vienna, † July 25, 1896 in Bohemian- Budweis ) was a partner in the family business and consolidated the company's global reputation through constant expansion and expansion. The group of companies produced around 40 million pencils a year, which is said to have corresponded to 15% of global demand at the time. He was also an important manufacturer of tiled stoves . He established extensive social benefits for his employees . In 1873 he received the Franz Joseph Order and the associated increase in the nobility as Edler von Hardtmuth .

His son Franz Edler von Hardtmuth (born June 15, 1870 in Bohemian-Budweis, † March 14, 1927 ibid) took over the entire company with more than 1,300 employees in 1896, together with his two brothers-in-law. There was a further expansion with own branches in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Dresden, Paris, Milan, London and New York.

His son Franz Edler von Hardtmuth (* 1907 in Bohemian-Budweis) also joined his father's company after graduating from the University of World Trade in Vienna. His sister Mathilde, married Countess Lamezan-Salins (born March 11, 1864 in Bohemian-Budweis, † February 15, 1947 in Vienna) was the managing partner of his father's company from 1896. In 1899 she married the officer Oliver Ladislaus Hugo Graf Lamezan-Salins (born March 20, 1867 in Bad Radkersburg , † February 14, 1919 in Bohemian-Budweis), and was from 1927 to 1945 and the subsequent expropriation of the company in favor of Czechoslovakia Head with leadership of the Hardtmuth works in Bohemian-Budweis and member of the board of directors of the Romanian pencil factory in Sibiu.

After the Second World War (1939–1945)

After the expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia after the end of the Second World War in May 1945, the company of the large industrialists Hardtmuth also exists in the Czech Republic as Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth to this day. The Austrian Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth AG went bankrupt in 1996; their production was partly taken over by the company Cretacolor .

additions

In 1798 Joseph Hardtmuth had the Viennese earthenware patented after he had founded an earthenware crockery factory on Alserbach in Vienna three years earlier .

Hardtmuth also made a name for himself as a patron : in the musical field, he promoted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert as well as representatives of Viennese house music .

End of life and souvenirs

Joseph Hardtmuth died in Vienna in 1816 of dropsy of the breasts and was buried in the old Währingen cemetery next to Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven . After the Währingen cemetery was closed, his tombstone was brought to the Loduser cemetery in Bohemian- Budweis . In 1894 Hardtmuthgasse in Vienna- Favoriten was named after him and a plaque commemorates Joseph Hardtmuth on the house where he was born in Asparn an der Zaya .

Buildings

List of works (selection)

  • Vienna , Palais Liechtenstein, 1789–91 (renovation with J. Meißl, facade and interior design), demolished 1913–1917
  • Mödling , Black Tower, 1810
  • Hussar temple on little Anninger near Mödling in its original version, which was destroyed in the following year
  • Minaret in Eisgrub ( Lednice , Czech Republic), 1798–1802
  • Hansenburg in Eisgrub ( Lednice , Czech Republic), 1801–1802
  • Temple of Diana (Rendez-vous) in Feldsberg (Valtice, Czech Republic), built by Joseph Kornhäusel , 1810–1812
  • Raisten Colonnade in Feldsberg (Valtice, Czech Republic), 1810–1812
  • Pohanska hunting lodge in Lundenburg ( Břeclav , Czech Republic), 1810–1812

Illustrations

  • Palais Liechtenstein (engraving after Salomon Kleiner )

  • Raistenkolonnade in Feldsberg / Valtice

  • Diana temple in Feldsberg / Valtice

  • Hansenburg Castle in the Eisgrub / Lednice Castle Park

  • Black Tower in Mödling

  • Minaret in the castle park of Eisgrub / Lednice

literature

See also

Web links

Commons : Joseph Hardtmuth  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The somewhat different Weinviertel, p. 91
  2. ^ Vita of Joseph Hardtmuth in the architectural dictionary, accessed on February 20, 2014
  3. ↑ a b The somewhat different Weinviertel p. 92
  4. ↑ The somewhat different Weinviertel p. 93
personal data
SURNAME Hardtmuth, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian architect, inventor and manufacturer
DATE OF BIRTH February 13, 1758
PLACE OF BIRTH Asparn an der Zaya , Lower Austria
DATE OF DEATH May 23, 1816
Place of death Vienna