Clearly the most famous person born in Chomutov, Franz Josef Gerstner (1756–1832) was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, engineer and designer. He was the founder and first director of the Polytechnic in Prague (now CTU). One of his most famous achievements was his plan for a horse-drawn carriage route from České Budějovice to Linz. He was awarded a knighthood in 1810 in recognition of his work. He was formerly honoured by a commemorative plaque at the site of his birthplace in Chomutov.

Gerstner was born on 23rd February 1756 to the master strapmaker Florian Gerstner in Hottergasse street in Chomutov. At the age of eight the gifted lad was accepted at the Jesuit grammar school in Chomutov, and after graduating he went on to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and theology at the University of Prague.

In 1863 a plaque was installed at the site of his birthplace with an inscription commemorating this famous native of Chomutov. The street in which the house was situated was renamed Gerstnergasse in his honour. In 1932, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of Gerstner’s death, a memorial to Gerstner was erected on Siemensovo náměstí square (now náměstí T. G. Masaryka) and part of his remains was moved from his grave in Mladějov to a new grave set up in Chomutov cemetery.

Immediately after the end of World War II public memories of Gerstner fell victim to the enthusiasm of liberation and the efforts to deal with the German past. The memorial was destroyed; Gerstner street was renamed Hálkova, and the commemorative plaque was removed. To a certain extent this situation was remedied in 1957, on the 200th anniversary of his birth and 125 years after his death, when a new commemorative plaque was installed at the site of his birthplace (unfortunately this was removed during recent repairs to the building and has not yet been put back in place). In 1967 one of the streets on the new Horní Ves estate was renamed after Gerstner and in 2006 a new memorial was unveiled, which stands in Školní ulice just a few dozen metres from the original one.

Connected places: František Josef Gerstner

Grave of Franz J. Gerstner in ChomutovPamátník Františka Josefa Gerstnera v Chomutově; Hrob Františka J. Gerstnera v Chomutově

Památkový katalog. URL: https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/nahrobek-frantiska-josefa-rytire-gerstnera-12941625 [18. 5. 2021].
Schreiter, F.: Franz Josef Ritter von Gerstner. URL: http://www.komotau.de/walhalla-der-persoenlichkeiten.html [20. 5. 2021].
Prohlídkové trasy Chomutova. URL: http://cil3mapy.eu/cz/component/content/article/2-uncategorised/8-prohlidkove-trasy-chomutova [18. 5. 2021].
Psota, F.: Historie Gerstnerova náhrobku. Pokroky matematiky, fyziky a astronomie, 2/1957, č. 3, s. 333–335.

The original Gerstnergasse was renamed Hálkova ulice and the commemorative plaque is missing from the site of the house (photographed in 2020). (Author: AH)

The birthplace of Franz J. Gerstner in Chomutov