István Fászl (6 February 1838 – 26 January 1900) was a Hungarian priest of the

Benedictine order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

, a teacher, naturalist, and ornithologist. He also took an interest in entomology and made a large collections of the flies of the

Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

region. Fászl was born in

Kőszeg Kőszeg (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is known for its historical character. History Medieval Period The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas (Eisenburg) go back to the third quart ...

where his father was a master shoemaker who decided that his son did not need to join him in the trade and enrolled him in the Gymnasium of the Benedictine order in 1855. He studied theology at

Pannonhalma Pannonhalma (; ), called Győrszentmárton until 1965, is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in western Hungary. With a little under 4,000 inhabitants, it is about south-southeast of Győr. Pannonhalma is home to the oldest extant religious and ...

. In 1862, he was ordained priest and spent his early years teaching. In 1866 he was transferred to the grammar school in Sopron where he taught mathematics and natural history until 1895. In his spare time he collected specimens of natural history and established a museum at the school. He began to explore the Fertő and Hanság regions. His ornithological collection in the museum grew to nearly 1000. The collection was often visited by the Archduke

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fran ...

. He influenced several young students including the ornithologists

István Chernel István Chernel (31 May 1865 – 21 February 1922) was a noble Hungarian naturalist, ornithologist and conservationist. He documented the birdlife of Hungary and established a national bird and tree day on the 10th of May. Life and work Chernel ...

and

Titusz Csörgey Titusz Csörgey (August 12, 1875 – December 15, 1961) was a Hungarian ornithologist and bird artist. He served as a director of the Hungarian ornithological institute after the death of Istvan Chernel. Life and work Csörgey was the son of K ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fászl, István 1838 births 1900 deaths Hungarian ornithologists Hungarian Benedictines