Marian Wolfgang Koller (31 October 1792 in Feistritz in

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...

, Austria – 19 September 1866 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 ...

) was a scientist and educator. After studying at Feistritz he went to Laibach (

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

), where he spent nine years (1802–11) in classical, philosophical, and scientific studies, and completed his school life by a course in

higher mathematics Further Mathematics is the title given to a number of advanced secondary mathematics courses. The term "Higher and Further Mathematics", and the term "Advanced Level Mathematics", may also refer to any of several advanced mathematics courses at man ...

at Vienna. From 1814 to 1816 he acted as private tutor in a family in Steinbach, and whilst here he was so attracted by the life and work of the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

of Kremsmunster that he finally entered their

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

on 5 October 1816, taking the name Marian in place of his baptismal name of Wolfgang. He was ordained priest on 18 August 1821, and after three years of work in the parish of Sippachzell he was recalled to Kremsmunster to teach natural history and physics. In 1830 he was relieved of the professorship of natural history and appointed director of the astronomical observatory, a position he retained for the next seventeen years. He continued also to teach physics until 1839, when he was given general charge of the student body. His administrative abilities attracted the attention of the authorities at Vienna whither he was called in 1847. From this time on he was employed in high offices either in 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 ...

or in the Department of Education, which was at that time undergoing a process of reconstruction. All matters pertaining to the

Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...

n, and to the polytechnic, nautical, and astronomical institutions, were placed under his immediate care, and, as a mark of appreciation for his share in the reorganization of the Realschulen, the emperor bestowed on him the Cross of the Order of Leopold on 27 May 1859. In 1848 he was elected member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, and took an active part in its proceedings. He was also an active writer, and contributed to various scientific periodicals many articles on astronomy, physics and meteorology. His principal work is the ''Berechnung der periodischen Naturerscheinungen'', published in the "Wiener Denkschrift" (1850). Koller died from

Cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

References

;Attribution * Cites: **WURZBACH, ''Biog. Lex. des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'', XII (Vienna, 1864), 346–7.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koller, Marian Wolfgang 1792 births 1866 deaths Austrian Benedictines Catholic clergy scientists Deaths from cholera Infectious disease deaths in Austria University of Vienna alumni Academic staff of the University of Vienna 19th-century Austrian astronomers Austrian physicists 19th-century Austrian Roman Catholic priests

See also

References

External links