Karl Kořistka

Karl Kořistka ( Czech Karel František Edvard Kořistka; born February 7, 1825 Brüsau / Březova nad Svitavou; † January 18, 1906 in Prague) was an Austrian geographer and mathematician, who made significant fundamental work for the topographic survey of the land in Bohemia. He is considered a pioneer of modern land surveying, cartography and geography of Bohemia and Moravia with high importance for the entire Danube monarchy.

Life

Training

His schooling is detected from 1835 at the Gymnasium in Jihlava ( Jihlava ) and Brno. The subsequent study (1841-1843) was carried out at the University of Vienna in physics, mathematics and astronomy. From 1843 Karl Kořistka studied at the Mining Academy of Schemnitz (today Banská Štiavnica ) Mining Sciences. As of March 1848, he worked as an assistant at Christian Doppler.

Action in Brno

At the end of 1849 he joined the position of professor of practical geometry ( geodesy) at the Polytechnic Institute in Brno, where he had worked for almost 25 years. In this context, he also participated with lectures and explorations within the Science Department of the kk Moravian-Silesian Society for the promotion of agriculture, nature and geography and was a founding member of the Geological Society.

Work in Prague

As of September 1, 1851 Karl Kořistka was professor of elementary mathematics and practical geometry at the Polytechnic in Prague. In his efforts towards began 1864 in this educational institution comprehensive reforms. This also meant that he was appointed the first rector of the Polytechnic.

For the development of scientific research in the area of the Kingdom of Bohemia, he took an important position. In the Comité for scientific research by country of Bohemia Charles Kořistka held several functions that allowed him a high freedom of design. In the 1890s he worked as a deputy in the through research commission, which was headed by Prince Karl Schwarzenberg. In addition, he held the role of managing director of the Comité for scientific research by the country of Bohemia and managed together with Jan Krejčí and later with Antonín Fric the editor whose publication series archive of scientific research by the country of Bohemia.

The cartographic and scientific work in the field of Bohemia were started in 1864 (decision of April 10, 1864 of the Committees for the scientific research through the country of Bohemia ) under the direction of Karl Kořistka and continued until 1878. They included the following areas:

• Determining the height and terrain conditions
• Geological exploration work
• Exploration of the botanical relations between
• Exploration of zoological conditions
• Collection of meteorological data
• Research in soil science relationships
• Summary of this complex results.

Originally adopted a chronological sequence for execution in the sections. From this requirement in 1866 had to be waived because the participating geologists and zoologists continued the studies for other aspects in the neighboring areas of the map sheets. This meant that the entire work could be done only in sections I, II, III, V and VI and almost completely IV. The overview is shown the distribution of leaves in the scale 1: 200,000 again. It came to the pressure in the colored versions sections II, III and VI. Furthermore, the Section V was completed drawing, just as a manuscript map before.

At the very peripheral field work other people were involved, in detail were the: engineer Carl Freiherr von Callot (1864-1866), assistant Josef Kristen (1864-1866), assistant Gabriel Hendrich (1868-1872), Franz Müller ( 1868), Gabriel Blazek (1871-1876), Assistant Emanuel Czuber (1873 ) and assistant Joseph Kohut ( 1876-1877 ).

This extensive topographic work under the direction of Karl Kořistka had a significant effect on a new card system in the Austro-Hungarian Empire the system. In 1872, the Reich War Ministry decided to form a complete cartographic re-recording on the basis of scale of 1:25,000, but which was published in 1:75.000. The work on this monumental work began in the Alpine areas. Between 1877 and 1880 worked up to 48 Mappeure annually to this card system to measure completely Bohemia. It could be made of the various height measurements Kořistkas. For the k.k. geological Reichsanstalt he took geodetic measurements in the Eastern Alps.

After a very fruitful life Karl Kořistka occurred in 1893 in retirement. By the way is worth noting that many graphic illustrations of its geographical publications of which it is affiliated.

Memberships, appraisals, estate

Karl Kořistka was a member of the Royal Society of Science, Czech Academy and the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna and other relevant companies in Austria. In 1879, they raised him to the peerage.

For the State Technical Library of the Czech Technical University Brno (now Moravian Library - Moravian Zemská knihovna - Technická knihovna ) her first librarian Prof. Franz Karl Studnicka bought in part to the private library of Charles Kořistka.

Writings

• The Margraviate of Moravia and the Duchy of Silesia in their geographical environment. Hölzel, Vienna, Olomouc 1860.
• The higher polytechnic education in Germany, in Switzerland, in France, Belgium and England. Better, Gotha, 1863.
• Hypsometrie of Moravia and Austrian Silesia. Brno 1863.
• The High Tátra in the Zentralkarpathen. Gotha 1864.
• With Sterneck, R. of Daublebsky: directory in the years 1877-79 by the mil - geog. Institute trigonometric certain heights of Bohemia. III. B. Prague 1884.
• The Grand Ducal Technical University of Karlsruhe. Festschrift for the inauguration of the new buildings in May 1899. Stuttgart 1899.
• The eastern Bohemia, containing, orographic and hydrographic described the Eagle, the Králický and the Iron Mountains and the lowlands of Eastern Bohemia. Řivnáč, Prague 1903 -
• Height layers map of Bohemia in the Meuse character 1:200000. Section II I. B.
• Height layers map of Bohemia in the Meuse character 1:200000. Section III. II B.
• Height layers map of Bohemia in the Meuse character 1:200000. Section VI. VIII B.
• Height map layers of the Giant Mountains in the Meuse character 1:100000. II B. 1 Th
• Professor Gustav Schmidt. A biographical sketch on behalf of professors Collegium of kk German Technical University in Prague. Prague 1886. (Frontpage )