Peter Kosler or Kozler (16 February 1824 – 16 April 1879) was a

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 ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

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 ...

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, and businessman. He was of

ethnic German , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

origin, but also identified with

Slovene culture Among the modes of expression of the culture of Slovenia, a nation-state in Central Europe, are music and dance, literature, visual arts, film, and theatre. A number of festivals take place, showcasing music and literature. Dance Ballet Pi ...

and advocated the peaceful coexistence of the Slovene and German cultures in

. Kosler was born in Koče, a village south of

Kočevje Kočevje (; german: Gottschee; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; it, Cocevie) is a city in the Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. It is the seat of the municipality. Geography The town is loc ...

Gottschee County Gottschee (, sl, Kočevsko) refers to a former German-speaking region in Carniola, a crownland of the Habsburg Empire, part of the historical and traditional region of Lower Carniola, now in Slovenia. The region has been a county, duchy, distric ...

, in what was then the Austrian Kingdom of Illyria, and is now

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. He is best known for creating the first map of the

Slovene Lands The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( sl, Slovenske dežele or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provinc ...

, called ''

Zemljovid Slovenske dežele in pokrajin ''Zemljovid Slovenske dežele in pokrajin'' (Map of the Slovene Land and Provinces, commonly known as Kosler's Map), made from 1848 until 1852 during the Spring of Nations by the Carniolan lawyer and geographer Peter Kosler, was the first map of ...

'' (Map of the Slovene Land and Provinces). Made already from 1848 until the end of 1852, it was published only in 1861. Despite this, it had a significant impact in the time of the Slovene national awakening. Born in a relatively well-to-do family, Kosler made a fortune with beer brewing and was the founder of the Union Brewery. He gave large amounts of money to support Slovenian cultural associations and institutions. He was close to the conservative Old Slovene political movement. Kosler bought

Cekin Mansion Cekin Mansion ( sl, Cekinov grad, german: Leopoldsruhe''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 113.) is a mansion on the northern edge of Tivo ...

just outside the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

of Ljubljana and renovated it in a neoclassical style. Today, the mansion houses the

National Museum of Contemporary History Cekin Mansion ( sl, Cekinov grad, german: Leopoldsruhe''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 113.) is a mansion on the northern edge of Tivo ...

. The Koslers also owned a mansion ( sl, Kozlerjeva palača) in the center of Ljubljana, close to

Congress Square Congress Square ( sl, Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. History The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign ...

() and

Čop Street Čop Street ( sl, Čopova ulica) is a major pedestrian thoroughfare in the center of Ljubljana, Slovenia and regarded as the capital's central promenade. Location The street leads from the Main Post Office () at Slovene Street () to Prešeren S ...

(), which was regarded as one of the finest Baroque buildings in the city. The building was slated for demolition in 1956 and torn down by the Communist authorities in 1961 in order to widen the nearby street, which caused a public outcry and marked a milestone in the development of postwar urban development in Ljubljana. According to an interview with art historian Damjan Prelovšek in October 2006, trees now grow at the site of the former building, demonstrating that its demolition was a political decision and unnecessary in order to widen the street. Kosler also owned a plot of land in the

Ljubljana Marsh The Ljubljana Marsh ( sl, Ljubljansko barje), located south of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is the largest marsh in the country. It covers or 0.8% of the Slovene territory. It is administered by the Municipalities of Slovenia, municipaliti ...

known as Kosler's Thicket ( sl, Kozlerjeva gošča). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the plot was used as a mass grave for victims of the

Slovenian Home Guard The Slovene Home Guard ( sl, Slovensko domobranstvo, SD; german: Slowenische Landeswehr) was a Slovene anti-Partisan military organization that was active during the 1943–1945 German occupation of the formerly Italian-occupied Province of Ljubl ...

torturer and killer

Franc Frakelj Franc Frakelj (a.k.a. Peter Skalar) (19 January 1917–?)Vidic, Joze. 1982. ''Po sledovih črne roke: dokumentarno-reportažni zapis''. Ljubljana: Borec. was a member of the collaborationist Slovene Home Guard (after the Italian fascist capitulatio ...

. Kosler died in

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 ...

and is buried at Žale cemetery in Ljubljana. In 1999, a Slovenian

postal stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

was dedicated to Kosler.PS , Poštne znamke
/ref> File:Koce Kocevje Slovenia - Kozler house.JPG, House in Koče where Kosler was born Image:Zemljovid slovenske dežele in pokrajin (Original).jpg, Kosler's map of the

File:Brest Ig Slovenia - Koslers Thicket 2.JPG, Kosler's Thicket in the Ljubljana Marsh Image:CekinovGrad-Ljubljana.JPG, Kosler Mansion in

Tivoli City Park Tivoli City Park ( sl, Mestni park Tivoli) or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the Vi� ...

(Ljubljana), now the

File:Kosler Peter 1824-1879 grave detail.JPG, Kosler family grave (detail)

References

External links

Peter Kosler Association, Slovenia

Peter Kosler's map on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kozler, Peter 1824 births 1879 deaths Austro-Hungarian lawyers Carniolan people of German descent Carniolan geographers Carniolan cartographers Carniolan lawyers Carniolan businesspeople People from the Municipality of Kočevje

See also

References

External links