Adolf Benda

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Adolf Benda, in c.1870s

Adolf Benda (27 November 1845 – 12 November 1878) was a Bohemian regional historian, council administrator and glass and jewelry craftsman.[1] A glass engraver by trade, he was also a prominent figure in public and social life in Jablonec. He served on the board of directors of the council and the Duchcov-Podmokly Railway [cs]. Benda is best known as the author of the Geschichte der Stadt Gablonz und ihrer Umgebung (History of the Town of Jablonec nad Nisou), which was published in 1876–77.

Biography[edit]

Benda was born on 27 November 1845 as a German-speaking Bohemian in the town of Jablonec nad Nisou (now in the Czech Republic).[2][3] Most sources indicate he was born in 1845 and died in 1878 but several sources say he was born in 1841 and died in 1876.[4][5]

He was the last of a notable family of Jizera glass engravers in the region, going back several centuries.[6][7] His father, Edward Benda (1819-1901), was a member of the Rifle Brigade Jablonec (Schützenkorps).[2] Benda attended the local school and was then taught the glass family trade. In 1866, he was sent with the Imperial Army to participate in the Austro-Prussian War.[2] After returning, he began extensive research in local historical studies.[6]

Benda became a prominent figure in public and social life in Jablonec, a member of several associations and served on the council.[2] He was particularly involved in the Industrial and Educational Support Association (Industrieller Bildungs und Unterstützungsverein) and saw the importance of education in promoting economic development.[2] From 1872, he was responsible for the federal library and in 1875 he became president of the Pindter Heinrich Association, until his death.[2] Well connected politically, Benda was a noted liberal activist in the region and also served on the board of directors of the Duchcov-Podmokly Railway along with Herbert Gutman, Dr. Moriz Aron, and Richard Lederer.[8][9]

He is best known as the author of the Geschichte der Stadt Gablonz und ihrer Umgebung which was published in 1876–77,[7][10] shortly before his death. The book was the first complete history of the town,[7] and took the perspective of the Jablonec craftsman, with attention to the social and economic life of the town, history and business development and civil society.[2][11] In his work, Benda reported that in 1865 there were only 69 people in Jablonec, in comparison to 1876 when there were 145 in the whole district.[12] The third section of the book is devoted to the Hussite Wars of the Prussian-Austrians; Benda, like his father, was interested in the military and weaponry.[2] The fourth section is dedicated to local administration and the court and district affairs; and the fifth section, on industry, covers the important local industries including linen, cloth, manufacture of paper boxes, oil paintings and glass.[2] The book also covers the ethnographic history of the city including its superstitions, tales and legends.[2]

In the autumn of 1878 Benda contracted typhoid and died, on 12 November 1878, at almost 33 years of age.[2] Today, Benda's book on the history of Jablonec is permanently on public display in the reading room of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lobies, Jean-Pierre; Lobies, François-Pierre; Zeller, Otto (1978). IBN. p. 5369. ISBN 978-3-7648-0997-3. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Časopis Krkonoše - Jizerské hory". Krkonoše - Jizerské hory. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  3. ^ Machačová, Jana; Matějček, Jiří (2004). Studie k sociálním dějinám 19. století. Slezský ústav ČSAV v Opavě. p. 117. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  4. ^ Rohr, Robert (1988). Unser klingendes Erbe: Beiträge zur Musikgeschichte der Deutschen und ihrer Nachbarn in und aus Südosteuropa unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Donauschwaben : von den Anfängen bis 1918. Verlag Passavia. p. 259. ISBN 978-3-87616-134-1. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  5. ^ Ústav hudební vědy (Československá akademie věd); Ústav teorie a dějin umění (Československá akademie věd). Sekce hudební vědy (1 January 1982). Hudební věda. Academia. p. 299. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  6. ^ a b Pazaurek, Gustav Edmund (1923). Gläser der Empire-und Biedermeierzeit. o.O. 1923. 412 S. Klinkhardt & Biermann. p. 75. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Lützow, Karl Friedrich Arnold von; Graul, Richard; Thieme, Ulrich (1890). Zeitschrift für bildende kunst. E.A. Seemann. p. 355. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  8. ^ Machačová, Jana; Matějček, Jiří (2004). Studie k sociálním dějinám 19. století. Slezský ústav ČSAV v Opavě. p. 120. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  9. ^ The Jews of Czechoslovakia: historical studies and surveys. Jewish Publication Society of America. 1968. p. 428. ISBN 9780827602304. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  10. ^ Wiener staatswissenschaftliche Studien. J.C.B. Mohr. 1898. p. 241. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. ^ "Adolf Benda a Adolf Lilie". Government of Jablonec. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  12. ^ Stütz, Gerhart; Zenkner, Karl (1983). Gablonz an der Neiße. Leutelt-Gesellschaft. p. 128. Retrieved 19 February 2012.

External links[edit]

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