Alexander Ziegler (20 January 1822,

Ruhla is a town situated in the forest of Thuringia in the district of Wartburgkreis in Germany, immediately next to the Rennsteig. Thal and Kittelsthal are parts of the town. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), part of Ruhla belonged to t ...

- 8 April 1887,

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

) was a German travel writer, economist and government councilor.

Biography

He was born into the family of a factory owner. After completing his primary education in

Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...

, he studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

, but did not graduate. Then, attempting to follow his father's wishes and go into business, he went to Munich for lessons in brewing, but found it to be of little interest. During this time, he learned to speak English, French and Spanish. In 1857, he finally completed his doctorate in Jena. His parents were wealthy, so he began traveling at an early age. He made his first overseas trip in 1846, visiting New York City, Boston and other places in North America. His experiences with German immigrants there inspired him to become interested in reforming the emigration process. Further trips took him to Spain, Istanbul,

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

. After each of his travels, he would publish thoroughly researched accounts, often in several volumes, which included cultural, economic, historical and geographic information.Lotar Köllner: ''Bedeutende Ruhlaer aus vier Jahrhunderten vorgestellt von Lotar Köllner'' (= ''Beiträge zur Ruhlaer Heimatgeschichte.'' 7). Löhr, Ruhla 2005, His travels paused for only a brief time, during the Franco-Prussian War, when he devoted himself to caring for wounded soldiers. Ruhla remained his base of operations and he became involved in numerous civic affairs, including a railway extension, improving the schools, building libraries, and creating a foundation to care for the elderly. His work earned him numerous awards and honors. In 1861,

Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , image = Held Carl Alexander Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach@Weimar Schlossmuseum.jpg , image_size = , caption = , succession = Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , reign = 8 July 1853 – 5 January 1901 , predecessor = ...

named him a

Hofrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

and, in 1867, he received the Knight's Cross of the

Order of the White Falcon Order of the White Falcon (german: Hausorden vom Weißen Falken) is a grand-ducal order of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, founded by Duke Ernest Augustus on 2 August 1732, and renewed in 1815 by Charles Augustus. Description In the early 20 ...

from

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

, the King of Prussia. He died while staying at the spa in Wiesbaden.

Publications (selection)

*''Skizzen einer Reise durch Nordamerika und Westindien mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Staates Wisconsin.'' (two volumes, 1848) *''Meine Reise im Orient.'' (two volumes, 1855) *''Die Reise des Pytheas nach Thule.'' (1861) *''Der Rennsteig des Thüringerwaldes. Eine Bergwanderung mit einer historisch-topographischen Abhandlung über das Alter und die Bestimmung dieses Weges.'' Höckner, Dresden 1862
Online
*''Die Auswanderung der Thüringer Messerschmiede nach Preußen.'' (1865) *''Regiomontanus, Joh. Müller aus Königsberg in Franken, ein geistiger Vorläufer des Columbus.'', reprinted 2018, Forgotten Books

Biography

Publications (selection)

References

Further reading