After his American journey Humboldt was first 20 years long in Paris, before he returned in 1827, to Berlin. In the following 30 years, he brought together the accumulated Knowledge in a work – the “cosmos”.
At the age of 34, Alexander von Humboldt had already climbed the highest known mountain in the world and a fortune in a South American Expedition invested. He had collected plants, animals, artifacts, and any amount of facts and Figures, and was returned with an impressive Report.
For the Rest of his life, Humboldt was heads, a welcome guest in the case of emperors, kings, princes, Government, waiter, ambassadors, artists, and scientists. Some wanted his advice, others wanted to stay just within the orbit of a genius. As a result, he achieved an unusual Status. A scientist who moved in the most exclusive social circles, as a legendary scholar. This reputation was built Humboldt tough.
Click here to read: reflections on a Prussian genius: What is a Humboldt?
Video 08 view:31
In Humboldt’s footsteps: Surveying the new world
Facebook Twitter google+ send Tumblr VZ Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LfMx
In Humboldt’s footsteps: Surveying the new world
After five years he returned in 1804, from his adventurous journey through the Spanish-American colonies to Berlin. In the home prevailed in turbulent times. Prussia and France were at war, and when Napoleon in October 1806, in the Prussian capital invaded, fled the Royal family from Berlin. Prussia lost half its territory and was forced to pay high reparations.
Humboldt was sent in November of 1807, the Prussian king to Paris, to the reparation payments to negotiate. He had, however, from the beginning, not only the interests of his country in mind, and so he remained for the next 20 years in Paris. During the war, Humboldt, as a German, not had it easy in France. Accusations that he was a spy, ignoring Humboldt is easy, even yet, as the Prussian troops in Paris marched. Humboldt saw himself as a scientist with a Mission.
Work in Paris
Humboldt knew in the world of scientific publications is good. He knew that Paris was the center of the academic world, and that the requisite illustrators, engravers, typesetters, printers, and other scientific cooperation partners were, with the help of which he wanted to make the results of his South American Expedition of the Public business.
As Humboldt has received no support from the Prussian government, or other Institution, he paid the production of his books from his fading heritage. Humboldt wanted to of any guide published. He wanted something very Special, something that had not yet established a private person in front of him in this way.
A Howler monkey of Humboldt’s Zoological work “Recueil d’observation de zoologie et d’anatomy comparée” (1811)
The first book was written in scripts in 1807, from hand-written manuscripts, and in co-operation with various experts, as well as artists. In the next 30 years published by Humboldt many other books. The last part of the series appeared in August 1838. Many of his materials remained unpublished.
Overall, Humboldt published 32 volumes. The exact number varies depending on how the books were bound, and what is counted to the series. The books were mainly written in French, covering a variety of topics from the field of botany, astronomy, Zoology, and geography. There were special books about Cuba and Mexico and a popular travel diary. Nine out of ten of the books are to show large image volumes with over 1400 opulent illustrations, snapshots, maps, mountains, plants, insects, and other animals. Some of these books are so heavy that you are wearing the best to the second, and standing at a Desk reading.
Back in the homeland
57 Alexander von Humboldt was broke. The financing of his travels, his expensive life in Paris and the production of the many opulent science books had ruined him financially.
Alexander von Humboldt on one of his favorite activities – the measured. Here he is in 1803, on the ruins of the Palace of Mitla, in the Mexican province of Oaxaca.
Humboldt had not completed its decade-long publication process, when he received a message from Berlin. Not of his brother who missed him at home, but from the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III, Humboldt, a Prussian Subject, and his financial future was depended by a grant from the king. So he returned in 1827, to Berlin. The king hoped, by the proximity of the greatest scientists of his country the prestige of his Kingdom. Humboldt should not disappoint him.
Directly after his arrival, Humboldt brought a breath of fresh Wind in Berlin’s academic circles. He spoke at the University of 61 lectures on nature and geography. The interest was so great that Humboldt took a month later, a shortened series of 16 lectures in a much larger concert hall.
These lectures, which held Humboldt about five months, moved Prussia’s king, scholars, students, and other listeners who were able to snag a seat. The lecture series should be the scientific event of the century in Prussia, and his remaining life a direction. Soon he got a contract about the publication of his lectures in book form. The Name of the plant was “cosmos”.
The last Chapter
In a letter to her friend, author Karl August Varnhagen von Ense Humboldt in 1834, wrote: “I have a great idea, the whole material world, everything that we today of the phenomena of the Heavens and of the earth, of life, of the nebula stars to the geography of mosses on granite rocks, know.”
Was Humboldt’s life time, the scope of human knowledge has grown exponentially. Nevertheless, Humboldt thought that he could limit his work about the universe in two volumes. You should cover everything from the plants, astronomy and the climate to the oceans, the atmosphere and the planet. In addition, Humboldt wanted to explain what the Association of all of these things together. For this ambitious project Humboldt chose for his mother language German. However, he bowed in all languages to a rambling, little bit of focused writing style, and he had probably underestimated the massive scope of the project.
The first “cosmos,”volume appeared in 1845, almost ten years after Humboldt had seriously begun with the work on this project. Volume two followed shortly after in 1847, and volume three followed in 1851. The contract with his publisher had met Humboldt, but he wrote more because he still had more to communicate. The fourth volume appeared in 1857.
Copies of Humboldt’s “cosmos” at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
Also, Humboldt has to eventually be clear that there is no plant in the world could describe the entire universe. Nevertheless, he still took six weeks before his death, pressure samples for the band.
The fifth book in the series should no longer appear to be Humboldt’s lifetime. What he called “the work of my life”, remained unfinished. The last volume was published, had already worn out his assistant, Johann Eduard Buschmann together. Unfinished of the part remained about humanity and your connection to the universe – so the most complex part of all.
Recognition, and sacrifice for his science
Probably Humboldt would have written still more, but the performance of its other obligations were very time-consuming. As one of the most famous men in Europe, he was constantly on the move.
Humboldt was since 1805, a Royal Chamberlain, and received a Pension from the court. Although Friedrich Wilhelm III gave him the freedom to live in Paris, had to Humboldt often eat with the Royal Entourage to dinner or travel, which could be dated in the summer for a month. When Friedrich Wilhelm IV was in 1840 king of Prussia, he appointed Humboldt to a member of the Prussian state Council, and bound him so close to the court.
The constant Planning, Packing, entertaining, and travel goods for Humboldt a great burden. An example of Humboldt’s calendar, the year 1845, he began with a visit to the Belgian king Leopold on new year’s day is. Six days later, he was France’s king Louis Philippe as a guest. He remained four and a half months in Paris, and was elected President of the Geographical society. The first volume of the “cosmos” was printed. Thereafter, Humboldt, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Weimar, traveled back to Berlin, before he joined in June the Prussian king on a Four-day trip to Copenhagen.
In July, he traveled for the inauguration of Beethoven’s Statue for a month to Bonn. The British Queen Victoria was also there and wanted to meet the famous scientist also. In the vicinity of Bonn, he conducted some experiments, before he went back to Berlin, where he was called in September, the Russian tsarina welcome. Towards the end of the year, he received another honorary doctorate, this time from the University of Tübingen.
As Alexander von Humboldt did not want to spend his life actually. He needed the money of the king, but not the company of Royal personages. He remained a bachelor, the writing on the beloved, and with scholars and talented people wanted to be surrounded by. Instead, his life is full of turning points, and it brought a flood of letters, guests, and costs.
Alexander von Humboldt Statue by Reinhold Begas, stands today in front of the Humboldt University of Berlin
In spite of his excellent education, Humboldt was not able to handle money. His South America trip had cost him between $ 40,000 and 52,000 thalers, of his of 90,000 thalers great heritage. Bank records show that Humboldt had, in 1822, only 14.600 dollars. In 1829 he already had debts in the amount of 2900 dollars. He lived in luxury and he spent no money for Redundant. The only extravagance, which he made, was the publication of its scientific books.
Even 30 years later, Humboldt could still feel the load of this life – and he still worried about his debts. Humboldt died on may 6. In may 1859, only a few months before his 90. Birthday. But what was this for a living! He had met Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, the Marquis de Lafayette, Charles Darwin and three Russian tsars. He has never denied a guest the property. He helped pass a law that slaves were free once they reached Prussian territory.
As Humboldt was still a young man, wrote of Germany’s most famous Poet, Goethe: “It is incalculabel what he can for the Sciences of tuna.” He was right. Humboldt has achieved more than the people of his time dreamed of. He had sacrificed his wealth and his privileged life science dedicated. From Berlin he travelled to Peru and up to the borders of China, and had published enough scholarly articles for 20 life. Alexander von Humboldt was a One-man educational institution, which changed our view of the world.