Karl von Ditmar

Karl von Ditmar (born 27 Augustjul / September 8 1822greg in Vana- Vändra, Estonia today, .. .. † 13 Apriljul / April 25 1892greg in Tartu ) was an deutschbaltischer explorer and naturalist. He is considered one of the most important explorer of Kamchatka in the 19th century.

Training

Karl von Ditmar was born as the son of the Squire of Vana- Vändra ( German Alt- Fennern ) in today Pärnu County. The father, Woldemar Friedrich Karl von Ditmar (1794-1826), was a lecturer in Roman, livländisches and Criminal Law at the University of Tartu.

Karl von Ditmar attended from 1832 to 1840, a private high school in Võru. Then he studied from 1841 to 1846 at the University of Tartu, initially economics, then geology. From 1846 to 1850 he was a visiting student at the University of Leipzig, at the Mining Academy Freiberg and at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin under Gustav Rose ( 1798-1873 ).

Trip to Kamchatka

1850 received by Ditmar an invitation of the Governor General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Murawjow ( 1809-1881 ), and the local military governor, to undertake a geological mountain expedition to Kamchatka. From Ditmar was supported in his application of the well-known St. Petersburg Siberia researcher Alexander Theodor von Middendorff ( 1815-1894 ).

On the way from Western Europe to Siberia increased from Ditmar, among other deep research in Yakutsk before and examined further west Eismulden in the Siberian landscape. Before the onset of winter in 1851 reached by Ditmar with two accompanying soldiers first Kamchatka. There, the harsh climate and barren landscape hindered the work of the expedition. She moved away mainly on rivers. In addition, the Sredinny - ridge had to be overcome. Between 1851 and 1854 undertook von Ditmar still nine major and minor research trips to Kamchatka, during which he became familiar with the geological structure of Kamchatka and its natural resources. He also collected a large scale botanical and ethnographic material. In detailed diaries he recorded his impressions. In 1856 he published the first geological map of Kamchatka.

Research

From Ditmars was particularly interested in the volcanism of Kamchatka. He was of the view that the volcanoes stood together through tunnels in conjunction. From Ditmar also called seventeen volcanoes, which were previously remained undetected. At length he described the eruption of the volcano Awatscha on 27 May 1855.

In the summer of 1858 held from Ditmar in Berlin to discuss his ideas and views with the leading geologists and mineralogists of time. His collection caused a sensation. From Ditmar borrowed from the officially the Mineralogy Museum in St. Petersburg under standing petrological collection with the full catalog of Alexander von Humboldt ( 1769-1859 ). After Humboldt's death, she was tragically be lost. Only much later, it was rediscovered in Berlin.

Of particular interest are the ethnographic research of Ditmars. He described the manners and customs of the natives of Kamchatka, especially the Itelmens and Koryak, which have already been referred to by Ditmar as heavily Russified, as well as the Chukchi. He showed the linguistic relationship between the Chukch and the Koryak first.

Return to Livonia

1851 acquired by Ditmars mother for her son the manor Käru in the parish Vändra. Thither retired from Ditmar after his return from Kamchatka back. There he founded the first kindergarten Livonia. Between 1857 and 1887, he published only a few articles about his trips to Kamchatka, gave some lectures and dealt almost entirely with his estate. It was not until 1887, he moved to Tartu to devote himself again to science. In February 1890 his monograph on the voyages of discovery was completed. In it he shows himself a master of the precise landscape and nature descriptions and a good draftsman.

1892 died Karl von Ditmar. He is buried in Tartu today. The second part of his monograph was published only posthumously in 1900. According to von Ditmar now a 1301 m high volcano ( Lage53.859722222222159.532777777781301 ) is named in Kamchatka. A butterfly orchid described by him bears the name Plathantera ditmariana.

Works

• Contributions to the knowledge of the Russian Empire and the angränzenden Asian countries. Episode 3 Edited by Leopold von Schrenck and Carl Johann Maximowicz. Volume 7 travel and stay in Kamchatka in the years 1851-1855 / Karl von Ditmar. Part 1 Historical Report by the diaries. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1890.

• Contributions to the knowledge of the Russian Empire and the angränzenden Asian countries. Episode 3 Edited by Leopold von Schrenck and Carl Johann Maximowicz. Volume 8 travel and stay in Kamchatka in the years 1851-1855 / Karl von Ditmar. Part 2 General information on Kamchatka. Abth. 1 St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences 1900 ( posthumously )

Reproduction of both volumes in 1970