On the facade of one of the former monastery buildings in Hrochův Týnec there is a memorial plaque commemorating Friedrich Simony, who was born here in 1813. Simony was the first professor of geology at the University of Vienna and one of the founders of the discipline in the monarchy. He was interested in the geology and geography of the Alps, alpine glaciers and geomorphology, and was one of the founding members of the Alpine Association (Alpenverein) and the first alpinists in general.

Although his name is almost unknown in Bohemia, Friedrich Simony (1813-1896) is very important. He was born in Hrochův Týnec as the son of a military doctor, graduated from the high school in Mikulov and became a pharmacist in Znojmo. Although his family was not wealthy, they enabled him to continue his studies at the University of Vienna, where, in addition to pharmacy, he became interested in other natural sciences such as botany and geography. In 1840 he undertook his first expedition to the Austrian Alps in order to explore some areas that were difficult to access at that time. He was so captivated by the wild nature of the Alps, especially the Salzkammergut, that he devoted himself to geographical and botanical exploration of the high mountains. Besides the Alps, he also went to the Krkonoše and Tatra Mountains, but in the end, he remained faithful to the Alps and became one of the first alpinists. In 1843 he made his first ascent of Dachstein and began to study the local glaciers in particular. Further explorations revealed, in addition to mapping glaciers, geomorphology associated with glacial activity, mountain lakes and karst phenomena. His reputation grew, and as an employee of the Imperial Geological Institute he made more and more expeditions and became an expert in the geology and geography of the Alps. In 1851 he was at length appointed the first professor of geology at the University of Vienna and became the founder of university geology in Austria-Hungary. In addition to his scientific career, he was also a passionate hiker and promoted the Alps as a destination for beautiful nature trips for anyone who dared to do more hiking. Together with other alpinists he subsequently founded the oldest mountaineering organization in the world - the Alpenverein. As an outstanding painter and pioneer in photography, Friedrich Simony is also one of the first authors of drawings and photographs of Alpine glaciers and Alpine peaks. He is not very well known in the Czech Republic, but abroad - and especially in his beloved Austria - he is a big name for everyone who is interested in (not only Alpine) mountains. A commemorative plaque to Simony was placed on the house where he was born in Hrochův Týnec in 1996 by the Austrian Friends of the Halstatt Museum.

Keywords: physical geography; geology; geography; geology; Alps; alpinism; Dachstein

Commemorative Plaque to Friedrich Simony