Joseph Pauer

Joseph Pauer (* 1758 ; † 1840 ) was an Austrian industrialist from Styria .

In 1805 Joseph Pauer bought the dominion of Friedau in Lower Styria (today Ormož in Slovenia ) and was elevated to the Austrian nobility on February 7, 1812 with the title "Edler von Friedau" . In 1814 he was awarded the Austrian knighthood , his name was now Joseph Pauer Ritter von Friedau. He ran iron works and processing plants. Due to his social attitude, he created social facilities for workers and miners early on, such as residential buildings, a factory hospital, a canteen and a school. In the time of famine from 1810 onwards, he supported his workforce, but also the general population in Graz , in the Ennstal , in the Liesingtal and in the Mürz Valley , with extraordinary funds and grain allocations . In 1819 the ironworks Franz Ritter von Friedau (the elder) bought Radwerk VII (a blast furnace ) in Vordernberg in Upper Styria , the ore rights along with forest and meadows. He took a leading position in the coal and steel industry throughout Europe over the next few decades. The former location of the ironworks in the southernmost part of Vordernberg is still called Friedauwerk today.

Among other things, he founded the first ironworks in the Weißkrain region (today Bela krajina in Slovenia ) in Gradac after the revolutionary year of 1848 . On the one hand, the increasing demand for iron and steel for the construction of the railways was decisive for this establishment . On the other hand, in the course of the revolution, obstacles that had previously made the founding of iron works more difficult or sometimes even impossible were removed. This included lengthy approval procedures in Vienna by the competent imperial court authority . After 1848 economic liberalism and capitalism could fully develop. Among other things, the free choice of profession, commercial activity and competition were allowed. As there were coal deposits, iron ore and wood (forests) for the production of charcoal in the Bela krajina region , it was decided to build the ironworks in Gradac.

It came to cooperation with Archduke Johann . Joseph Pauer was major in the Archduke's Landwehr and was in charge of negotiations with the French in Salzburg . As the largest ore mine owner in 1829, however, he did not join the "Radmeister-Communität" founded by Archduke Johann (this turned out to be a big mistake economically 50 years later).

His only son Franz Ritter von Friedau the Elder. Ä. (1786–1849) continued the company. His son Franz Ritter von Friedau the Elder. J. (1826–1888) was a naturalist and in 1851 financed a trip around the world for 20 people. Including natural scientists, such as the Graz zoologist Ludwig Karl Schmarda (1819–1908) or as a draftsman and landscape painter Hermann Freiherr von Königsbrunn (1823–1907). In 1852 Franz Ritter von Friedau d. J. elected a member of the Leopoldina .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ivan Mohorič in Kronika, časopis za slovensko krajevno zgodovino / Journal of Slovene Local History, 1953, Volume 1, No. 3, p. 183.
2. ↑ JDF Neigebaur : History of the Imperial Leopoldino-Carolinian German Academy of Natural Scientists during the second century of its existence. Friedrich Frommann, Jena 1860, p. 276 Archives
3. ^ Member entry by Franz Ritter von Friedau at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on March 19, 2016.

literature

• Margarethe Aigner, Karl Hödl (author): From the history of Liezen. Volume 1, 2009, p. 208.