Plaque commemorating Jiljí Vratislav Jahn

The plaque on the house next to the Pardubice Chateau complex commemorates the chemist, pedagogue and writer Jiljí Vratislav Jahn, who was born here in 1838 to the family of the chateau’s revenue officer. He was a prominent figure in the cultural and social life of Pardubice, and wrote textbooks and popular books on the natural sciences, as well as many poems.

Jiljí Vratislav Jahn (1838–1902) was the author of the first Czech-language chemistry textbook and also penned a series of other textbooks and texts aimed at popularising the natural sciences. With a degree in chemical engineering he spent many years as the head of the Pardubice real grammar school and became a much respected person in his region and beyond. He was active in cultural and political life, contributed articles to the Národní listy newspaper and Rieger's Encyclopedia, associated with poets and writers, was a member of the Bohemian Diet from 1847 and was elected to the Imperial Council in 1885. In 1865 he had a son, Jiljí Jaroslav, who went on to become an acclaimed geologist. 

HANUŠ, M.: Jiljí Vratislav Jahn a Bedřich Smetana. Zprávy klubu přátel Pardubicka Pardubice: Klub přátel Pardubicka, 35/2000, č. 5–6, s. 150–152

 

POKORNÁ, M.: Jiljí Vratislav Jahn – první životopisec F. L. Riegra. In: František Ladislav Rieger a česká společnost 2. poloviny 19. století. Sborník referátů z vědecké konference konané 25.a 26. dubna 2003 v Semilech, Semily 2003, s. 227–232.

J. V. Jahn memorial plaque (Author: PH)