![Karl von Scherzer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Karl_von_Scherzer.jpg)
Karl Ritter von Scherzer (sometimes written Carl; 1 May 1821 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
– 19 February 1903 in Görz) was an Austrian
explorer
Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians.
Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
,
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
and
natural scientist
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repea ...
.
Biography
He began his working life as a printer. After inheriting a fortune, Scherzer was able to travel extensively.
He took an active part in the
1848 revolution and was exiled to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in 1850. Here Scherzer became friends with German explorer and naturalist
Moritz Wagner Moritz Wagner may refer to:
* Moritz Wagner (basketball) (born 1997), German professional basketball player
* Moritz Wagner (naturalist)
Moritz Wagner (Bayreuth, 3 October 1813 – Munich, 31 May 1887) was a German explorer, collector, geographer ...
; together the men travelled through North and Central America and
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
(1852–1855).
After returning to Vienna, Scherzer, with the support of
Archduke Maximilian, became a member of a scientific expedition traveling via the frigate ''
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...
'' around the world (see
Novara expedition). From that expedition he brought back enough coca leaves that
Albert Niemann subsequently isolated
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
.
After returning in 1859, Scherzer was appointed as a councillor of the board of trade, held an office in the bureau of foreign relations, and was tasked with compiling the commercial statistics of the empire. As a reward for his publications, Scherzer was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed in 1866. During 1869 he was the leader of an expedition to eastern Asia.
Afterwards he served as a diplomatic consul in several places, including
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
(today's
İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...
). In 1886 Scherzer retired.
Books
* ''Reisen in Nordamerika in den Jahren 1852 und 1853.'' (''Travels in North America during 1852 and 1853''), 3 parts, Arnold, Leipzig, 1854. Written together with
Moritz Wagner Moritz Wagner may refer to:
* Moritz Wagner (basketball) (born 1997), German professional basketball player
* Moritz Wagner (naturalist)
Moritz Wagner (Bayreuth, 3 October 1813 – Munich, 31 May 1887) was a German explorer, collector, geographer ...
.
* ''Las Historias del origen de los Indios de Guatemala,'' par el R. P. F. Francisco Ximenes. Vienna, 1856. Copy of the Spanish translation of the ''
Popol Vuh
''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Q ...
'' manuscript (
more details).
* ''Wanderungen Durch die Mittel-Amerikanischen Freistaaten Nicaragua, Honduras und San Salvador'' ("Travels through Central American States of Nicaragua, Honduras and San Salvador"), Braunschweig George Westermann, 1857. Details of the 1852 - 1855 expedition.
* ''Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde, in den Jahren 1857 - 1859'' ("Narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by the Austrian frigate Novarra"), Vienna, 1861 - 1862, three volumes, with illustrations. First English edition by London Saunders, Otley, And Co. 1861.
* ''Aus dem Natur- und Völkerleben im tropischen Amerika''. ("About the nature and the life of people in tropic America"), Leipzig, Wigand Verlag, 1864.
* ''Statistisch-commerzielle Ergebnisse einer Reise um die Erde, unternommen an Bord der österreichischen Fregatte Novara in den Jahren 1857-1859''. ("Statistical and commercial results of the circumnaviagation of the globe, written on the board of Austrian frigate Novara during 1857-1859"), F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1867.
* ''Fachmannische Berichte über die Osterreichische-Ungarische Expedition nach Siam, China und Japan (1868-1871)'' ("Scholarly report about the Austro-Hungarian expedition to Siam, China and Japan (1868-1871)"), Stuttgart, Verlag von Julius Maier, 1872.
* ''Smyrna'' ("
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
"), Vienna, 1873. A monograph about the city.
* ''Das wirthschaftliche Leben der Völker. Ein Handbuch über Production und Consum''. ("Economic life of nations. Handbook of production and consumption."), Leipzig, Dürr, 1885.
Notes
References
External links
Extract from diary during Novara expedition (1857 - 1859)
New York Times obituary*
Another 1857 portrait
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scherzer, Karl von
Austrian explorers
Austrian knights
Diplomats from Vienna
People from Gorizia
Austrian Mesoamericanists
19th-century Mesoamericanists
Mesoamerican anthropologists
People of the Revolutions of 1848
1821 births
1903 deaths