Plaque commemorating Christian Polykarp Erxleben

2006 

This site is marked by a plaque commemorating the chemist, pharmacist, botanist, industrialist and textile entrepreneur Christian Polykarp Erxleben, who was a versatile and gifted figure who combined rigorous scientific work with the enthusiasm of an inventor and the skill of an entrepreneur. Originally a chemist, a pupil of Ignác Born, he succeeded in applying his chemical experiments in manufacturing and was the man behind many improvements and new technologies in manufacturing. He became a successful textile entrepreneur, pharmacist and the founder of the private botanical gardens in Lanškroun.

 

Christian Polykarp Erxleben came from the educated family of a Protestant preacher in the German town of Parensen, where he was born in 1765. He showed an affinity for the natural sciences and decided to embark on a career in chemistry and pharmacy. He studied to be a pharmacist in Göttingen, Würzburg and Stuttgart. He was highly talented, and so spent the last part of his studies at the university in Vienna, where he became a pupil of the prominent Czech scientist and versatile educator Ignác Antonín Born. Under Born’s guidance, he devoted himself to chemical experiments, particularly with whitening agents and chlorine. It was also evidently at Born’s recommendation that, after completing his studies, he left Vienna and settled first in Náchod as a laboratory assistant and chemist in the service of the entrepreneur Franz Sperling, where he conducted experiments with bleaches and was to help introduce Born’s method of bleaching into the manufacturing process. However, soon afterwards he left Náchod and accepted an offer to work for the entrepreneur František Perníkář in Lanškroun. There, he continued in his research, designed chemical devices and focused on new methods of producing chemicals, until he finally decided to draw on his knowledge to set up his own business. He came up with new ways of making sulphuric acid and began to produce it. For this purpose he established the Good Samaritan Pharmacy in Lanškroun and built a botanical garden next to it. He produced medicines, herbal liqueur and chemicals, built a wine cellar, conducted experiments connected with producing sugar from sugar beet using a screw press, and wrote some specialised works on the topic. His efforts culminated in the establishment of a textile plant in Lanškroun, where he used bleaching methods that he himself had discovered. His business thrived, he expanded into other towns and also exported his products abroad. He was awarded the title of commercial councillor and was a member of professional societies and local patriotic associations. The plaque commemorating this famous chemist was unveiled in 2006 and is the work of the sculptor Zdeněk Kolářský.

 

References

DRÁBEK, P.; MACKOVÁ, M.: Christian Polykarp Erxleben. Biografický slovník českých zemí 16, Praha 2013, s. 21─22.

 

Fischer, W.: Historie rodu Erxlebenů. 240 let od narození Christiana Polykarpa Erxlebena. Lanškrounsko: vlastivědný sborník Městského muzea Lanškroun, 3/2005, s. 10─14.

PH

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