This is the door to the historic house in the German spa resort of Bad Steben, in which Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859), famous German geographer, naturalist and explorer, lived from 1792-1795. His work on laid the foundation for the field of biogeography. Between 1799 and 1804, Humboldt travelled extensively in Latin America, exploring and describing it for the first time from a modern scientific point of view. His description of the journey was written up and published in an enormous set of volumes over 21 years. Humboldt was also one of the first proposing that the land masses on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, in particular South America and Africa, were once joined.
Humboldt worked for the Prussian government position in the Department of Mines as an inspector in Bayreuth and the Fichtelgebirge, a mountain range about 100 kilometers north of Nuremberg. During his period as a mine inspector, Humboldt lived in Bad Steben. Being excellent at his job, he also demonstrated his deep concern for the men laboring in the mines. In the city hall building of Bad Steben he opened a free school for miners, paid for out of his own pocket, which became the worlds first vocational training school for labor (Berufsschule). He also sought to establish an emergency relief fund for miners, aiding them following accidents.
Entrance to Humboldt’s house
Olympus PEN-F with m.Zuiko 17mm f/1,8 | 1/800 sec @ f/6,3 ISO200
Bad Steben City Hall – site of the world’s first vocational school (Berufsschule)
Have a great day
Marcus
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