Viktor Pietschmann

Victor Pietschmann ( born October 27, 1881 in Vienna, † November 11, 1956 ) was an Austrian ichthyologist at the Vienna Natural History Museum. From 1919 to 1946 he was the administrator of the fish collection. During his life he visited many parts of the world, where he was also the first Europeans in some places. He described many new species of fish, including some sharks.

Life

Pietschmann was born the son of the landowner Karl E. Pietsch man and his wife Ida (nee Honny ). He received his schooling in 1899 at Piaristengymnasium in Vienna VIII After he had in 1904 completed his studies with a PhD Zoology, he came to the Natural History Museum in Vienna, where he became the assistant Franz Steindachner, who exercised the management of the fish collection at the time. A short time later he took the first of his many trips; to the Barents Sea. Four years later, he studied at the south coast of Greenland deep-sea fishing. In the following years he undertook a number of important expeditions to Mesopotamia around 1910, where he made many now classified as important finds. In 1914, he was surprised during an expedition to Armenia by the outbreak of the First World War, which is why he stayed in Turkey and there was serving as officer military service. In Erzurum, he assembled an alpine troops; there are photos in which he is to see how he teaches soldiers how to ski.

Beginning of 1919 was retired as head of the fish collection Steindachner, Pietschmann, succeeded him. A post he held until his retirement. 1927/28, he spent a year studying in Hawaii and the Pacific, further expeditions went to Kurdistan, Poland and Romania, and in 1931 to Anatolia. He also toured in 1925, 1934, 1935 and 1937, the Danube Delta.

In 1930 he married Margarete Auguste Keldorfer. With her he had four children, including the physics professor Herbert Pietschmann.

After the collapse of the monarchy Pietschmann was " Great German " and when Adolf Hitler took the connection, he wrote a letter to Hitler, which he, however, on the advice of good friends as a precaution never abschickte. In it, he suggested, " the thing from Vienna " to tackle and can commute the capital between Vienna and Berlin. That was probably the reason why Pietschmann not director of the Natural History Museum was when the guard Hermann Michels, who was relieved of his duties on March 14, 1938, was re- occupied. Actually, he was the only candidate for the succession Michels, yet the party member Hans Kummerlöwe was used.

1946 Viktor Pietschmann was retired. In November 1956, he died at the age of 75 of a stroke.

Works (selection)

Victor Pietschmann authored around 50 scientific works and a lot of popular science publications.

• Expedition to Mesopotamia in 1910. 1911.
• Ice and palm trees - Travel Sketches from North and South. Wilhelm Braumüller Verlag, Wien 1927.
• By Kurdish mountains, and Armenian cities. Adolf Luser Verlag, Wien 1940.
• Guide through the special show " Ostmark German as a researcher and collector in our colonies ": A portion of Ostmark on the exploration and development of the German colonial territories. Waldheim -Eberle, Vienna 1940.