Christoph Froschauer

Christoph Froschauer (* around 1490 probably in Kastl at Altötting, † April 1, 1564 in Zurich ) was the first printer in Zurich and particularly the printed translated by Zwingli called "Zurich Bible ."

Life

Froschauer learned the typesetter and printer craft probably with his uncle Hans Auer frog in Augsburg. Around 1515 he moved to Zurich and worked first as a clerk at Hans Ruegger, where he set up a printing house. After Rüeggers death married Froschauer 1517 his widow, took over the print shop and got awarded the 1519 civil rights in the city.

This he received print jobs from the city-state of Zurich. He printed in German translated works of Erasmus of Rotterdam, of Luther and Zwingli in particular. Zwingli made ​​use of the new medium with great ease, let sermons and other programmatic writings in a short time print at Froschauer. Froschauer was an important promoter of the Reformation in Zurich.

In Froschauer's house was attended by Zwingli the " sausage meal " during Lent in 1522 instead of a planned provocation, for which he had to defend himself before the city council.

Married Froschauer was in his first marriage with Elise Ruegger -Zimmermann († 1550), after her death, with Dorothea punch; Both marriages were childless. Froschauer died of the plague in 1564. The printing was carried on by his nephew Christoph Froschauer the Younger and, after his death in 1585 over the centuries hands several times.

Works

In frog Auer printing about 1000 books were printed in 1520-1564 nearly one million copies, including richly decorated Bibles, such as Luther's 1524 New Testament, Old Testament in 1525, 1530, " NRSV " with about 100 illustrations after designs by Hans Holbein J. Among the gems from the printing Frog Auer include the magnificently illustrated "Swiss chronicle » ( 1547/48 ) by Johannes Stumpf. The majority of these illustrations (400 woodcuts ) was created by Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder. Importance was Froschauer as publisher of cartographic works: Even the Bible of 1525 was provided with a map of the Holy Land. In 1546 he published the cosmography John Honterus ' cosmography 1541 in reprint, and the maps of the stump Chronicle published separately as "land boards ».

Froschauer not only printed, but cut his own writings, established a type foundry, became binding and the distribution of work in his own bookstore. With the lease of urban paper mill on the Papierwerd in the Limmat he produced his own paper.

Miscellaneous

The complex of buildings at today's Froschaugasse ( house number 4 was the medieval synagogue ) had «To Froschau " received the name after the lifting of the convent of St. Verena and sale of the building to Christoph Froschauer in 1551.

Today's Orell Füssli (publishing, bookstore, card and banknote printing ) conducts its beginnings back to Froschauer's print shop.