Janez Vajkard Valvasor
Encyclopedia
Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor (baptized on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a Slovenia
n nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society
in London.
Neither the exact day nor the actual place of Valvasor's birth are known, but his baptism was registered at Saint Nicholas Church in Ljubljana
. He was the twelfth child born to Bartholomäus and Anna Maria Freiin von Rauber, who did not only live at their Medija Castle
in Izlake
but also had a town residence in Ljubljana at the Old Square. His godparents were Freiherr (Baron) Konrad Ruess von Ruessenstein from the Strmol Castle
and Regina Dorothea Rasp from the Krumperk Castle
.
Valvasor's father died when the boy was ten years old. At the time he was already attending the Jesuit
school in Ljubljana. Graduating in 1658 at the age of seventeen, he did not choose to continue his studies at a university but decided to broaden his horizons by meeting learned men on a journey across Europe. This journey lasted fourteen years and it even took him to northern Africa. During this period, he joined the army in the Austrian-Turkish War, where he became closely acquainted with the conditions on the Croatian Military Frontier.
Shortly after marrying Anna Rosina Grafenweger in 1672, Valvasor acquired the Bogenšperk Castle
near Litija
, where he arranged a writing, drawing and printing workshop. Valvasor spent a fortune on the publishing of his books; towards the end of his life, his debts forced him to sell Bogenšperk Castle, his vast library and his collection of prints. In 1690, Aleksandar Ignacije Mikulić, the Bishop of Zagreb, bought his library, along with some 7300 graphics, and moved it to Slavonia, where the collection became part of the library of the Zagreb Archbishopric, now part of the Croatian State Archives
. Valvasor died in September 1693 in Krško
.
(original title: Die Ehre deß Herzogthums Crain, Slovene: ), published in 1689 in 15 tomes, totalling 3532 pages and including 528 illustrations and 24 appendices, which provides a vivid description of Carniola at the time. He also recorded the first written document on vampire
s when he wrote on the legend of a vampire in Istria
named Jure Grando
.
Valvasor was a pioneer of study of karst phenomena
. Upon the proposal of Edmond Halley
, who was not only an astronomer but also a geophysicist, and in 1687 his extensive treatise on the hydrology
of the intermittent Lake Cerknica
won him a Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in London.
Biography
Valvasor was born in the city of Ljubljana, than Duchy of Carniola. In the 16th century, It was Johann Baptist Valvasor who established the family Valvasor in the Duchy of Carniola in central Europe in a part of Austria that is now the Republic of Slovenia. In medieval Latin "Valvasor" or "Valvasore" held the meaning "the carrier of the feud". In western Europe its use can be traced back to the 11th century.Neither the exact day nor the actual place of Valvasor's birth are known, but his baptism was registered at Saint Nicholas Church in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. He was the twelfth child born to Bartholomäus and Anna Maria Freiin von Rauber, who did not only live at their Medija Castle
Medija Castle
Medija Castle is a castle ruin located in the western part of the settlement of Izlake in central Slovenia. The castle and its stables were destroyed by the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II...
in Izlake
Izlake
Izlake is a settlement in the municipality of Zagorje ob Savi in central Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola...
but also had a town residence in Ljubljana at the Old Square. His godparents were Freiherr (Baron) Konrad Ruess von Ruessenstein from the Strmol Castle
Strmol Castle
Strmol Castle is a castle located at the foot of Dvorjanski hrib near the villages of Češnjevek, Grad and Dvorje, in the municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia. Named after its builders, the Strmol family, it is notable as one of the few castles in Slovenia to retain a Slovene name...
and Regina Dorothea Rasp from the Krumperk Castle
Krumperk Castle
Krumperk Castle is a castle or manor located in Gorjuša near the town of Domžale in central Slovenia.- History :According to Valvasor, the castle was built in the late 13th century by the noble Rabensbergs from Koprivnik. The predecessor of the current castle is first mentioned in 1338 as a...
.
Valvasor's father died when the boy was ten years old. At the time he was already attending the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
school in Ljubljana. Graduating in 1658 at the age of seventeen, he did not choose to continue his studies at a university but decided to broaden his horizons by meeting learned men on a journey across Europe. This journey lasted fourteen years and it even took him to northern Africa. During this period, he joined the army in the Austrian-Turkish War, where he became closely acquainted with the conditions on the Croatian Military Frontier.
Shortly after marrying Anna Rosina Grafenweger in 1672, Valvasor acquired the Bogenšperk Castle
Bogenšperk Castle
Bogenšperk Castle is a 16th century castle located in the municipality of Šmartno pri Litiji in central Slovenia. It is best known for its association with the 17th-century historian Janez Vajkard Valvasor.- Architecture :...
near Litija
Litija
Litija is a town and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is located in the valley of the river Sava, to the east of the capital Ljubljana. Traditionally, the area was situated on the border between the historical provinces of Carniola and Styria. Most of the municipality belonged to the...
, where he arranged a writing, drawing and printing workshop. Valvasor spent a fortune on the publishing of his books; towards the end of his life, his debts forced him to sell Bogenšperk Castle, his vast library and his collection of prints. In 1690, Aleksandar Ignacije Mikulić, the Bishop of Zagreb, bought his library, along with some 7300 graphics, and moved it to Slavonia, where the collection became part of the library of the Zagreb Archbishopric, now part of the Croatian State Archives
Croatian State Archives
The Croatian State Archives are the national archives of Croatia located in its capital, Zagreb. The history of the state archives can be traced back to the 17th century. There are also regional state archives located in Bjelovar, Dubrovnik, Gospić, Karlovac, Osijek, Pazin, Rijeka, Sisak,...
. Valvasor died in September 1693 in Krško
Krško
Krško is a town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
.
Legacy
Valvasor's most influential work remains The Glory of the Duchy of CarniolaThe Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's most important work on history and natural history of his homeland Carniola, a central part of the present-day Slovenia and Istria in Croatia....
(original title: Die Ehre deß Herzogthums Crain, Slovene: ), published in 1689 in 15 tomes, totalling 3532 pages and including 528 illustrations and 24 appendices, which provides a vivid description of Carniola at the time. He also recorded the first written document on vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s when he wrote on the legend of a vampire in Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
named Jure Grando
Jure Grando
Jure Grando or Giure Grando was the first classical vampire to be mentioned in documented records. In his native Istria, which is in present day Croatia, he was referred to as a štrigon or štrigun, a local word for something resembling a vampire and a warlock.-Story:Jure Grando was a peasant who...
.
Valvasor was a pioneer of study of karst phenomena
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
. Upon the proposal of Edmond Halley
Edmond Halley
Edmond Halley FRS was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's Comet. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, following in the footsteps of John Flamsteed.-Biography and career:Halley...
, who was not only an astronomer but also a geophysicist, and in 1687 his extensive treatise on the hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
of the intermittent Lake Cerknica
Lake Cerknica
Lake Cerknica is an intermittent lake near Cerknica in Inner Carniola, a region of Slovenia. When full, it is the largest lake in the country. It lies in the southern part of the Cerknica Polje...
won him a Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Works
- Dominicae passionis icones, 1679, reprint 1970
- Topographia arcium Lambergianarum id est arces, castella et dominia in Carniolia habita possident comites a Lamberg; Bagenspergi (Bogenšperg), 1679 , reprint 1995
- Topographia Archiducatus Carinthiae modernae: das ist Controfee aller Stätt, Märckht, Clöster, undt Schlösser, wie sie anietzo stehen in dem Ertzhertzogthumb Khärnten; Wagensperg in Crain (Bogenšperg), 1681 ; Nürnberg, 1688
- Carniolia, Karstia, Histria et Windorum Marchia, Labaci (Ljubljana) 1681
- Theatrum mortis humanae tripartitum: figuris aeneis illustratum : das ist: Schau-Bühne des menschlichen Todts in drey Theil : mit schönen Kupffer-Stichen geziehrt vnd an Tag gegeben; Laybach, Saltzburg (Ljubljana, Salzburg); 1682
- Topographia Archiducatus Carinthiae antiquae & modernae completa: Das ist Vollkommene und gründliche Land - Beschreibung des berühmten Erz - Herzogthums Kärndten; Nürnberg 1688,
- Opus insignium armorumque ... ;(1687–1688)
- Die Ehre dess Hertzogthums CrainThe Glory of the Duchy of CarniolaThe Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's most important work on history and natural history of his homeland Carniola, a central part of the present-day Slovenia and Istria in Croatia....
: das ist, Wahre, gründliche, und recht eigendliche Belegen- und Beschaffenheit dieses Römisch-Keyserlichen herrlichen Erblandes; Laybach (Ljubljana) 1689