August Von Spiess
Encyclopedia
Col. August Von Spiess, also spelled von Spieß (August 6, 1864 — 1953), formally known as Oberst August Roland von Braccioforte zum Portner und Höflein, was an officer, writer, famous hunter and Hunting Master for the Romania
n royal court.
Von Spiess was born in Austria
and became a Romanian citizen after the Union of Transylvania with Romania
, following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary
. He was married to Auguste Herbert from Sibiu
. Their daughter was the ornithologist
Silvia Stein Spiess (1901–1993).
In 1875, at 11 years old, he entered the military school of Sankt Pölten
, after which he joined the Theresian Military Academy
of Wiener Neustadt
, Vienna
. After 10 years of military studies, in August 1885 he became a lieutenant in the Transylvania
n 64th Infantry stationed in the Orăştie
-Sebeş
-Alba Iulia
area. In May 1889 he advanced to the rank of Major and settled in Sibiu, where he acted as drill officer. In 1893 he became a professor at the Military Infantry Cadet School of Sibiu; in 1911 he was named commander of the school. In February 1915, he advanced to the rank of Colonel and took command of the 2nd Regiment Infantry in Sibiu.
Von Spiess finished his military career after the end of World War I
, and was appointed by King Ferdinand I of Romania
as Director of the Royal Hunts from 1 July 1921. He kept this function until 1939. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Commission for Protection of Nature and National Parks, alongside honorary memberships of many domestic and foreign societies and associations with similar interests.
In 1926, Von Spiess and his daughter initiated a project to tag the birds of Snake Island
, Romania
. He led two hunting expeditions in equatorial Africa, in Kenya
in 1936 and in Tanganika in 1938. He was a fine observer of nature, a connoisseur of game habits and a keen hunter, and gathered during his life an collection of over 1,000 hunting trophies. He also wrote a number of books pertaining to animals and hunting, mostly tied to the Carpathian Mountains
region.
In 1963 his entire animal and arms collection was donated to the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu. Later the collection became the August Von Spiess Hunting and Hunting Arms Museum and was expanded with similar collections. The museum is now hosted in a dedicated country villa.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n royal court.
Von Spiess was born in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and became a Romanian citizen after the Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.The national holiday of Romania, the Great Union Day occurring on December 1, commemorates this event...
, following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. He was married to Auguste Herbert from Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
. Their daughter was the ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
Silvia Stein Spiess (1901–1993).
In 1875, at 11 years old, he entered the military school of Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten is the capital city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria. With inhabitants , it is Lower Austria's largest city...
, after which he joined the Theresian Military Academy
Theresian Military Academy
The Theresian Military Academy is an academy, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. The Academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria.- History :...
of Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. After 10 years of military studies, in August 1885 he became a lieutenant in the Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n 64th Infantry stationed in the Orăştie
Orastie
Orăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
-Sebeş
Sebes
Sebeș is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania.-Geography:The city lies on the Mureș River valley and it straddles the Sebeș river...
-Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
area. In May 1889 he advanced to the rank of Major and settled in Sibiu, where he acted as drill officer. In 1893 he became a professor at the Military Infantry Cadet School of Sibiu; in 1911 he was named commander of the school. In February 1915, he advanced to the rank of Colonel and took command of the 2nd Regiment Infantry in Sibiu.
Von Spiess finished his military career after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was appointed by King Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand was the King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death.-Early life:Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, was a son of Leopold, Prince of...
as Director of the Royal Hunts from 1 July 1921. He kept this function until 1939. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Commission for Protection of Nature and National Parks, alongside honorary memberships of many domestic and foreign societies and associations with similar interests.
Snake Island (Black Sea)
Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island, , is a Ukrainian island located in the Black Sea near the Danube Delta.The island is populated. A rural settlement of Bile was established in February 2007, which is part of the Vylkove city, Kiliya Raion, Odessa Oblast...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. He led two hunting expeditions in equatorial Africa, in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in 1936 and in Tanganika in 1938. He was a fine observer of nature, a connoisseur of game habits and a keen hunter, and gathered during his life an collection of over 1,000 hunting trophies. He also wrote a number of books pertaining to animals and hunting, mostly tied to the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
region.
In 1963 his entire animal and arms collection was donated to the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu. Later the collection became the August Von Spiess Hunting and Hunting Arms Museum and was expanded with similar collections. The museum is now hosted in a dedicated country villa.
Books
- Karpathenhirsche. Waidwerk aus fünf Jahrzehnten (Carpathian Stags. Hunting Trophies Of Five Decades) Paul Parey, Berlin, (1925)
- Im Zauber der Karpathen. Fünfundfünfzig Jahre Waldwerk (Under The Spell Of Carpathians. Fifty-five Years Of Hunting) Paul Parey, Berlin, (1933).
- Siebzehn Jahre Im Rumänischen Hofjagddienst (Seventeen Years In The Service Or Romanian Royal Hunts), F.C. Maye, München, 1940.
- Din Ardeal In Kilimandjaro, Vanatori In Africa (From Transylvania to Kilimandjaro, Hunts In Africa).
- Caprele Negre Din Masivul Retezat (The Chamoises Of Mount Retezat), Editura Hora, Sibiu, 2005.
- Die Wildkammern des Retezatmassivs als königliches Gemsgehege. Sein Tier- und Vogelleben, seine Geschichte und Jagd, 1933, Krafft & Drotleff, Hermannstadt.
External links
- http://www.siebenbuerger.de/zeitung/artikel/interviews/5622-silvia-stein-von-spiess-erste.html {de}