Tadeáš Antonín Peithner

1727 - 1792 

J. T. A. Peithner, enlightenment figure and founder of the first mining academy in Prague and then in Banská Štiavnica (the oldest mining and metallurgical college in the world); also the creator of mining law in the Habsburg monarchy. He was not only the founder of his academy, but for a long time was also the only teacher and the author of the textbooks. Those were no longer written in Latin, but in German. In the 20th century his work “Attempt to Describe the Natural and Political History of the Bohemian and Moravian Mines” (from 1780) was translated into Czech. The author’s wide scope of interest is clear from the title. He was awarded the title of Knight of Lichtenfels for his contribution to science.

 

Jan Tadeáš Peithner’s family came from Boží Dar – an area that is still associated with ore mining. His grandfather owned shares in mines there, and so it is no coincidence that the young Jan Tadeáš became interested in mining. However, he originally studied law and philosophy at university in Prague. He later became the highest-ranking mining official: the hormistr (mine manager) and mincmistr (director of the mint). However, during the course of his career he struggled against shortcomings in the system and the incompetence of key officials and in 1762 (he was 35 years old at the time) he decided to approach the ruler Maria Theresa directly and present her with a proposal for the creation of a new field of apprenticeship to promote and develop Austrian mining and metallurgy. In the following year the empress issued a patent that set up a new field of study at the Prague Philosophical Faculty, where subjects such describing the underground composition of the Earth, mineralogical and metallurgical science, mine surveying, and the basics of metallurgical chemistry and state mining law were to be systematically taught for the first time. Peithner himself was well aware that it would be difficult to find professors for the new field. Although mining and metallurgy  were well established at that time and used complex surveying practices, sophisticated mining machines, experience and knowledge, the latter tended to be passed down through oral tradition and did not constitute a “science”. (An attempt was made to put these findings into writing by Georgius Agricola in his work De re metallica libri XII, 1556, written in Latin). Initially Peithner proposed teaching mining law only. After 1770 the mining academy was moved to Banská Štiavnica, where Peithner also went to live and continued to write his textbooks. During his time in Prague he drew up mining regulations and outlined mining law, which was well ahead of its time (mining law was not constitutionally established in the monarchy until the mid-19th century).

When looking at a picture of Jan Tadeáš Peithner we see the perfect example of an enlightenment figure, who transforms fragmented mining experience and knowledge into science for the greater glory of the Austrian monarchy. From the name of his work we can see that he also sees mining minerals as a political issue. Although Peithner did not write a comprehensive doctrine of the formation of rocks (this was a matter of scholarly guesswork until the first half of the 19th century), he focused on the findings of mining practice, amassed a large collection of minerals and wrote guides on how to identify minerals. His followers and pupils include Ignác Born, the main figure associated with the later establishment of the Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences.

 

References

Bílek, J.; Jangl, L.: Osobnost Tadeáše Peithnera. Předmluva k: Peithner z Lichtenfelsu, Jan Tadeáš Antonín: Pokus o přírodní a politické dějiny českých a moravských dolů (Vídeň 1780). 1982; s. 3–31.

Jiřího Agricoly dvanáct knih o hornictví a hutnictví, Montanex 2007.

Kettner, R.: Geologické vědy na pražských školách. Univerzita Karlova. Praha 1967, s. 16–18.

Matoušek, O.: Dějiny československé geologie. Mladá generace československých přírodovědců a zeměpisců. Praha. 1935, s 13–15.

Urbanec, V.: Osobnost Jana Tadeáše Antonína Peithnera z Lichtenfelsu. URL: https://www.stavebni-technika.cz/clanky/osobnost-jana-tadease-antonina-peithnera-z-lichtenfelsu [26. 8. 2019].

MZ