Johann Heinrich Cotta (* 30 October 1763 with Wasungen; "† 25 October 1844 in Tharandt) was an important German forest scientist. As one the founder of this branch of science it received world validity.

Life and working

Johann Heinrich Cotta was born in the forestry house small Zillbach with Wasungen (in the and trained of its father, a Weimari starting from 1778 and acquitted 1780 as In the years 1784/1785 it studied at the University of Jena mathematics, nature and coming ral sciences and was busy thereafter with measurements. In this connection he began at 1786 together with its father to give forstlichen instruction. 1789 became Cotta Herzoglich of Weimari forest runners.

To 12. May 1795 married Heinrich Cotta its friend of many years Christiane local man, called Christel. His two oldest sons Friedrich William of Cotta (1796 to 1874) and Friedrich August von Cotta (1799 to 1860) hit likewise the forstliche career. His fourth son Karl Eduard Cotta (1803 to 1872) became lawyer, his youngest child, Carl Bernhard von Cotta, a well-known geologist. His 1801 born son Carl Emil and his 1806 born daughter Mathilda died however already soon after the birth.

In the year of its marriage 1795 Heinrich Cotta received besides as the place of its father in Zillbach, where the Grand Duke of Saxonia Weimar iron oh, Carl August also hunting seat and garden to him to his forstlichen instruction to the order placed. From this developed a private forstliche institute, whose call spread rapidly and as a outstanding teacher admits Cotta become let. To its pupils God praise king and August Adolph baron von Berlepsch belonged. 1801 were appointed Cotta the member of the Forstkollegiums in iron oh, continued to work however primarily in Zillbach.

Starting from 1809 it stood then with the administration of the king Friedrich August I. of Saxonia in contact, which looked for a new director/conductor of its institute for forest measurement. After some negotiations Cotta was finally sworn in on 12 December 1810 in Dresden as forest advice and a director of the forest measurement and rating. Since it besides the right ausbedungen itself had, its residence freely to select and also its institute there further to lead be allowed, it decided for the small town Tharandt. There it moved to 1816 with its Zillbacher forest institute in the spring 1811. it to the royal-Saxonian academy of forestry (today to faculty DO Dresden) was raised. It had soon also numerous foreign students, whereby as "foreigners "at the time at that time all nothing axles were considered. From the 1030 students of the years 1816 to 1844 472, thus 46 per cent was, nothing axles. From these 371 (36 per cent) from the remaining German countries, the remaining 101 (10 per cent) originated was actual foreigners, particularly from Russia, Switzerland, Austria and Spain. Thus Cotta affected the forest science in the whole world. Above all Russian students came gladly at the academy of forestry and Zar Nikolaus I. lent to him to the acknowledgment of his efforts around these 1841 a high Russian medal.

Cotta was well-known and estimated the far beyond actual forest circles and operated with numerous famousnesses of its time. Thus visited it already 1813 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Tharandt and 1819 and 1822 visited Cotta Goethe in Weimar. Discussion article were with these attendance apart from forstlichen questions above all geology and fossils. Cotta, which had been time life an eager collecting tank, possessed a famous mineralogical-geological "petrifying collection ", which was one of the most important collections of their time, and also different scientists after Tharandt it pulled, among them in the year 1830 Alexander of Humboldt which implemented after Cottas death that this collection for 3000 Taler for "citizens of Berlin the cabinet "was purchased. However this part of the collection covers approximately 5000 copies of vegetable and animal fossils. Today pieces of collection become from it in the museum for natural history of the Humboldt university Berlin (Institut for paleontology), in the museum for natural history Chemnitz, at the mountain academy free mountain, which Dresden keeps national nature-historical collections and in the British museum OF Natural History London.

In its later Lebensjahren Cotta held also lectures before not forstlichem public, for so for instance 1829 in "the society for Botanik and horticulture Flora "in Dresden. Cotta was a director of the forest-scientific department "of the Flora "and later their honour member.

To its 80. Birthday planted its students 80 oaks in the forest with Tharandt, one year later, on 25 October 1844 died Johann Heinrich Cotta and was here buried. The grave speech held from Berlepsch, which led the academy for a short transition period also, until in October 1845 with Karl Heinrich Edmund von Berg a successor for Cotta was found.

Cotta as consciously civil

Frequently also in forest circles one accepts, Johann Heinrich Cotta was ennobled or an aristocracy descriptor carried. This is however wrong, like Cottas bio count Albert Richter already 1950 stated (all following quotations from it). The family Cotta up to the fire of Ilmenau had therefore possessed 1752 still the original patent of nobility issued by emperor Sigismund 1420, had not however any longer led the aristocracy. The family was divided into a South German and a Saxonian-Thuringian trunk. After later investigations however in fact no relational relations is to have existed between these two Cotta lines. At the time at that time however one believed in a common descent of Bonaventura Cotta.

Before this background a note William of Cottas had requested 1817 Heinrich Cotta according to the famous bookseller and publisher Johann Friedrich Cotta in the year to undertake joint steps for the renewal of the aristocracy. That rejected these due to its democratic and completely consciously civil attitude however. Finally it had continued and did not lead already the 1796 of its father tried regaining of the aristocracy also the Cotta Petschaft not, but sealed with an impersonal. William of Cotta described the attitude of his father 1860 with these words:

"My father, who often experiences opposite enough noble ones insulting neglect, had acquired himself indess by its earnings/services a large reputation and into a position had brought, in which he believed to be able to miss the aristocracy, rejected, because he meant, its sons would like nevertheless to out-do, then they would require no aristocracy renewal, because it in addition for too little wealthy judged themselves, in order such a step to do, and because he lived at all hope that it will go with the preferences of the aristocracy to the end."

An attitude, which did not only obstruct Heinrich Cottas vocational progressing substantially, but also in addition led that only one part of the South German family trunk was raised 1817 into the nobility and 1822 into the baron conditions. Another part renewed the aristocracy 1859. After Heinrich Cottas death however also to his three sons William, August and Bernhard on request 1858 the title of nobility again one lent - which led in forstlichen newspapers also to various criticism.

Articles in category "Heinrich Cotta"

We found here 9 articles.