Karl von Scherzer

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Karl von Scherzer, lithograph by Adolf Dauthage , 1857

Karl von Scherzer (born May 1, 1821 in Vienna ; †  February 19, 1903 Gorizia , Italy) was an Austrian explorer and diplomat .

Life

Scherzer came from a well-to-do middle class family and received a careful upbringing. He broke off his legal studies to devote himself to typography . He soon founded a typographic model institute. Even during his studies (1838–1842) he traveled extensively to South Tyrol , Italy , Germany , France and England .

In 1848 he founded the "Gutenberg Association", a union to improve the situation of printing workers. He was a member of the Liberal Party and friends of many revolutionary leaders. All of this even brought him to court martial in 1851. From 1852 to 1855 he carried out a research trip through North, Central and South America with the German traveler and geographer Moritz Wagner . When he returned to Vienna in 1855 from his trip with great scientific results, he was again brought to justice in a court martial for “unauthorized absence” and sentenced to 6 weeks' arrest, which was, however, converted to 8 days house arrest.

From 1857 to 1859, at the instigation of the then finance minister, and with the appointment of Archduke Ferdinand Max , the criminal took part in the Novara expedition as an expedition writer and trade delegate (subordinate to Captain Wüllerstorff). On his return he was knighted and appointed Ministerialrat in the Ministry of Commerce in 1866. In 1869 he accompanied the Austrian expedition to East Asia, from 1872 to 1875 he was consul general in Smyrna , from 1875 to 1878 in London , from 1878 to 1884 in Leipzig and from 1884 to 1896 in Genoa. He was a corresponding member of the Thuringian-Saxon Association for Geography.

In 1896 he retired.

He warned his patron Archduke Ferdinand Max, knowing the country well, against the Mexican adventure. By Alexander von Humboldt and Justus von Liebig , the publications of his trips were greatly appreciated.

Honors

Fonts

  • Travels in North America , 3 volumes, 1854, (with M. Wagner)
  • The Republic of Costa Rica , 1856, (with M. Wagner)
  • Wanderings through Central American Free States , 1857
  • Journey of the Austrian frigate Novara around the earth, descriptive part , 3 volumes, Vienna 1861–62
  • Journey of the Austrian frigate Novara around the earth, statistical-commercial part , 2 volumes, 1864
  • From nature and peoples life in tropical America , 1864
  • Expert reports on the Austro-Hungarian expedition to Siam, China and Japan , 1872
  • Smyrna , 1873
  • World Industries , 1880
  • The Economic Life of Peoples , 1886

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Directory of the members of the Thuringian-Saxon Geography Association on March 31, 1885 ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Member entry by Karl von Scherzer (with picture) at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences , accessed on June 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Member entry by Karl von Scherzer at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on June 21, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Scherzer, Karl von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian explorer and diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1821
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 1903
Place of death Gorizia