Karl Klaus von der Decken

Karl Klaus (Carl Claus ) from the ceiling, Baron, ( born August 8, 1833 in Suck, Brandenburg, † October 2, 1865 near Baardheere, Somalia ) was a German explorer and traveler Africa.

Life

Karl Klaus von der Decken was a member of the noble family of the ceiling. His father was Ernst Carl von der Decken (* 1796, † 1846) on Melkof, his grandfather of the Royal Hanoverian Prime Minister Claus von der Decken (* 1742, † 1826). His mother Adelheid, née von Stechow (* September 25, 1807; † August 24, 1868 ) married after the death of Ernst Carl from the ceiling in a second marriage on January 29, 1848 Hans Heinrich X of Hochberg, Prince of Pless. Julius von der Decken (* 1827, † 1867) was his older brother.

Having had resigned from the ceiling his military career, he explored inspired by Heinrich Barth East Africa. His first expedition in 1860 led him to the region of Lake Malawi. The goal to develop together with the geographer Albrecht Roscher East Africa, was prevented by the early death of Roscher in 1860 on Lake Malawi. The following year, reached from the ceiling and the British geologist Richard Thornton (1838-1863) the 5895 m high Mount Kilimanjaro - 13 years after the first ( European) sifting through the German missionary Johannes Rebmann, the discovery of which they confirmed it. From the ceiling and Thornton Mount explored on this expedition to a height of about 1580 m. Again, a year later, in 1862, returned from the ceiling back to Kilimanjaro, to dare the first European to an ascent of the mountain. He reached a height of about 4200 m, then the onset of snowfall forced him to give up. At the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the adventurer explored then the Pangani. Was accompanied by the blankets on his 1862er journey of Dr. Otto Kersten ( 1839-1900 ), who wrote a six -volume work on the two Kilimanjaro expeditions of his companion after his return home. Later, organized by the ceiling a large expedition to explore the Tana, the longest river in Kenya. On his final expedition to Somalia in 1865, where he sailed up the Juba, was from the ceiling at Baardheere ( Bardera ) involved in a fight with applied Somaliland, where he and many of his men lost their lives.

Honors

1864 was Karl Klaus von der Decken the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in London.

In honor of Karl Klaus von der Decken an East African bird from the order of coraciiformes ( Coraciiformes ) was named the "from - the - ceiling - Toko " (also "Ceiling Toko " Tockus deckeni ). A lemur in Madagascar is called after him: from - the - ceiling Sifaka. Also, occurring only on Kilimanjaro species of Lobelia is named after him deckenii Lobelia.

Financing the expeditions and the works

The cost of five-year expeditions can be estimated according to the data for the cost of the carrier, which describes from the ceiling in a letter to Heinrich Barth. The brother and the mother supported the research trips and the publication of the six volumes of travels. After the death of the father of the traveler in 1846 his mother married Adelheid nee von Stechow ( 1807-1868 ) 1848 Imperial Count Hans Heinrich X of Hochberg, married since 1848 Prince of Pless, who with her sister Ida previously ( 1811-1843 ) was who died after the birth of the third child. The Prince Pless had next to the big castle prince coal mines in Silesia. The family of Karl Klaus von der Decken owned several estates, which had acquired the grandfather, the Hanoverian Minister Claus von der Decken. He grew up in Castle Melkof Ludwigslust in Mecklenburg, which were inherited by his elder brother Julius von der Decken (1827-1867) and managed. Other goods such as Eickhof in Liebenau (Lower Saxony) in Nienburg / Weser were sold in order to finance, inter alia, the trips can.