Karl Weyprecht
Carl (Karl) Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht ( born September 8, 1838 in Darmstadt, † March 29, 1881 in Michel City) was a naval officer, polar explorer and geophysicist in Austro-Hungarian service. His favorite residence was Trieste.
Life
Origin and education
On September 8, 1838, born as the third son of Louis Hofgerichtsadvokaten Weyprecht and his wife Marie Magdalene Sophie born Hohenschild Carl Weyprecht in Darmstadt. For health reasons, his father went in 1842 as a chamber director of the Counts of Erbach- Schönberg with the family after King, Bad King today in the Odenwald. The children were initially taught by private tutors. In 1852, Carl Weyprecht attended the Humanist school of Darmstadt, but switched after a year on the Higher Vocational School, from which today's Technische Universität Darmstadt has emerged.
Military career
At the age of 18 years Weyprecht occurred in 1856 in the Austro-Hungarian navy one. 1861 promoted to Midshipman he was driving on the frigate Radetzky under the command of Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, who fostered his scientific inclinations. In 1865 he studied the lecture by the geographer August Petermann, the latter had held on July 23rd at the Geografenversammlung in Frankfurt am Main. Petermann had stated that a German North ride should be fitted to the - to penetrate the ice-free waters between Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya, and perhaps even to the North Pole - he supposed. Weyprecht said Petermann his support and offered him in March 1866 to finance such an expedition with 2,000 thalers and conduct. But the outbreak of the German war plan did not take any concrete shape.
Weyprecht excelled in the recovered against the Italian fleet naval battle of Lissa as a navigation officer on the armored frigate dragon made. He was then sent on the paddle steamer Elizabeth to Mexico to support Maximilian. When the Elizabeth in 1868 returned to Pula, he traveled to Petermann to still implement its Arctic plans. It was agreed that Weyprecht should run a small ship to the east coast of Greenland to gain experience in the Arctic. But when Weyprecht suffered a relapse of his acquired in the Caribbean malaria, Petermann instructed the captain Carl Koldewey with the direction of the First German Arctic expedition.
First Arctic trip
1869 and 1870 mapped Weyprecht the eastern Adriatic coast. In 1870, he was assigned to the scientific observation of the total solar eclipse of 22 December to Tunis. Already in the autumn Weyprecht Julius Payer had met, who had just returned from the Second German Arctic expedition. The men agreed a common Erkundungsfehrt in the area northeast of Svalbard for the summer in 1871. The exact arrangements have been made with Petermann in the spring of 1871. As donors acted on the one hand Petermann, who still had funds from donations for the previous expeditions, on the other hand, Count Hans Wilczek, Emperor Franz Joseph I and the Frankfurt Geographical Society. The expedition left Tromsø on board the Isbjørn on June 21, 1871., The ice conditions were favorable this year, and the ship reached the position of 78 ° 43 'N and 42 ° 30' E in the Barents Sea on September 1, with only slight drift. Peter saw the man he represents theory confirmed by the ice-free Arctic Ocean and pushed on another expedition with a larger ship.
Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
In the spring of 1872 a Central Committee to promote the Austrian Polar Expedition was established in Vienna, who was able to raise enormous private funds in a short time. The most important patron was Count Wilczek again. It was decided that Weyprecht to sea, but Payer should lead to its command. On June 13, the screw steamer Admiral Tegetthoff photographed in Bremerhaven the anchor. In Tromsø the ice master Elling Olaf Carlson was taken on board, the rest of the crew consisted entirely of Austrians different nationalities.
On 21 August, Admiral Tegetthoff was trapped in the ice and drifted with this northwest. The ship did not come as expected in the summer of 1873. On August 30th we sighted the north country, the Weyprecht gave the name " Kaiser- Franz -Joseph -Land". On November 1, 1873, the ship of the Wilczek Island had so far approached that the crew could go ashore. While Payer in the spring of 1874 explored the newly discovered land and at Cape Fligely almost reached the 82nd degree of latitude, Weyprecht remained on the ship. On May 20, he gave up the Admiral Tegetthoff and led the team with entrainment of carriages and boats to the south. In Novaya Zemlya they met Russian ships that brought them back to Norway.
First International Polar Year
1875 submitted Weyprecht the proposal to explore the Arctic systematically in international cooperation. These research stations should be erected around the North Pole. Weyprecht incessant work on this project eventually led to the 2nd International Meteorological Congress in Rome in 1879 decided to launch an International Polar Year. Weyprecht was a member of the first led by Georg von Neumayer International Polar Commission, which took care of the preparation. As a result, 14 stations were built by eleven states ( 12 on the north and two in the southern hemisphere ) in which over a period of twelve months, a coordinated scientific program was carried out 1882/83.
Carl Weyprecht not live to see the culmination of his life's work. He died on 29 March 1881 in Michel city of pulmonary tuberculosis. His brother, the doctor Robert Weyprecht, got him when he was already dying, in a saloon car of the Austrian emperor from Vienna to his home. He was buried on March 31, 1881 alongside his father at the cemetery in honor of King in a grave.
Honors
Carl Weyprecht was honored frequently during his lifetime. The Royal Geographic Society in London awarded him its gold medal in 1874. Fiume made him an honorary citizen, the Frankfurt Geographical Society Honorary Member.
Weyprecht was able to prevent Petermann an island Franz- Josef- country named after him, but later received geographical places his name as the Weyprecht Glacier on the island of Jan Mayen, the Weyprecht fjord in northern Greenland, the Weyprechtberge in the East Antarctica and a cape in the east of the island of Spitsbergen in the Hinlopen Strait.
The German Society of Polar Research awards since 1967, the Weyprecht Medal for outstanding scientific achievements in the polar regions.
His birth town of Bad King Carl Weyprecht granted an honorary grave. The local school type cross comprehensive school bears his name as well as a circular route of Odenwaldklub.
According to Carl- Weyprecht named streets there are, among others, in Bad König, Vienna, Graz, Munich, Darmstadt, Michel city and Alzey.
Museale reception
The Marine Hall of Vienna's Museum of Military History, the Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition is documented in detail. On display are numerous paintings by Julius Payer, including the monumental painting " Never back ". In this picture, that situation is presented, as the commander of the expedition ship, battleship Lieutenant Carl Weyprecht, the team after leaving the ship to continue the march persuaded the south.