Johann Sölch (16 October 1883 in Penzing, near

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

– 10 September 1951 in

Kitzbühel Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...

) was an Austrian

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

, largely known for his

geomorphological Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...

studies of the

Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in the ...

. He studied under

Albrecht Penck Albrecht Penck (25 September 1858 – 7 March 1945) was a German geographer and geologist and the father of Walther Penck. Biography Born in Reudnitz near Leipzig, Penck became a university professor in Vienna, Austria, from 1885 to 1906, ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

, and in 1917 received his habilitation for geography at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The unive ...

. In 1920 he became a professor of

physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

, where he founded a seminar for Alpine geography. In 1928 he relocated to the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

, and in 1935 returned to Vienna, where he was named director of the Geographical Institute.Austria-Forum
biography In 1947/48 he served as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the university.Scholars in Stone and Bronze: The Monuments in the Arcaded Courtyard
by Thomas Maisel He served as secretary (mathematics and natural sciences division) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and in 1951 was appointed president of the ''Österreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft'' (Austrian Geographical Society). He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

for his work involving the geography of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. Sölch Glacier,

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

commemorates his name, as does ''Sölchgasse'', a street in the 21st District of Vienna. Johann Sölch was the mentor and supervisor of Austrian geographers

Hans Kinzl Hans Kinzl (1899–1979) was an Austrian geographer and mountain researcher. Life Hans Kinzl was born in Upper Austria in 1899. After his studies of geography at the University of Innsbruck he became assistant of his mentor Johann Sölch—di ...

and

Hans Bobek Hans Bobek (17 May 1903, in Klagenfurt – 15 February 1990, in Vienna) was an Austrian geographer. After his studies in geography at the University of Innsbruck, where Johann Sölch—a pupil of Albrecht Penck in Vienna—was his main teacher ...

Selected works

* ''Die Formung der Landoberfläche'', 1914 – The formation of the land surface. * ''Geographischer Führer durch Nordtirol'', 1924 – Geographical guide to North Tirol. * ''Die Auffassung der natürlichen Grenze in der wissenschaftlichen Geographie'', 1924 – The conception of the natural boundary. * ''Die Landformung der Steiermark'', 1928 – The formation of the land in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

. * ''Die Ostalpen'', 1930 – The eastern Alps. * ''Fluss- und eiswerk in den Alpen zwischen Ötztal und St. Gotthard'', 1935 – – River and ice formations in the Alps between

Ötztal The Ötztal is an alpine valley located in Tyrol, Austria. The Ötztaler Ache river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. The valley is long. The nor ...

and St. Gotthard. * ''Die Semmeringgebiet'', 1948 – The Semmering area. * ''Die Landschaften der Britischen Inseln'', 2 volumes, 1951-52 – The landscapes of the British Isles.Most widely held works by Johann Sölch
WorldCat Identities

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solch, Johann 1883 births 1951 deaths Rectors of universities in Austria Scientists from Vienna University of Vienna alumni Academics of the University of Vienna Academics of the University of Innsbruck Heidelberg University faculty Austrian geographers 20th-century geographers Geographers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire