Gabelsberger Shorthand Silver Award Medal

Franz Xaver Gabelsberger (9 February 1789,

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

- 4 January 1849, Munich) was a German stenographer; the inventor of Gabelsberger shorthand.

Biography

His father was a wind instrument manufacturer, originally from Mainburg, who died while Franz was still in school. As a result, he was transferred to a convent school and finished his studies at the Alten Gymnasium in 1807. He was unable to pursue his education further, due to lack of funds and poor health. Instead, he entered the civil service of the newly established

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

. His superiors were impressed by his skills in

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. Meanwhile, he was contemplating a system that would make writing faster and easier. In 1817, he began to develop his system. As the German bureaucracies expanded, rapid transcription became essential. England and France already had such systems, but they proved difficult to adapt to German. Gabelsberger's method caught on quickly, and he became the first stenographer for the Bavarian State Parliament. He was also promoted to Ministerial Secretary, and his system was certified by the

Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

as being more reliable and legible than previous systems. Later, he was awarded 1,000 Gulden per year, half of which was to be used for his shorthand students. His method was officially named and published in 1834. He designed an abbreviation

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

in 1840. In 1849, he suffered a stroke while out for a walk, and died shortly after. He was interred in the Alter Südfriedhof. From then until 1902, his system was revised three times. By that time, the number of users was estimated to be four million. Monuments have been dedicated to him in Munich, Vienna, and

Traunstein Traunstein (; ) is a Town#Germany, town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger Traunstein (district), district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health se ...

. Streets in numerous German and Austrian cities are named after him. The medal of honor awarded by the German Stenographers' Association bears his likeness.

Sources

* ''Franz Gabelsberger und seine Kunst''.

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

. G. Franzscher Verlag, Munich 1890
Online
* * * Jürgen Wurst: "Franz Xaver Gabelsberger". In: üAlexander Langheiter (Ed.): ''Monachia. Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus''. Munich 2005, , pg.169 * Emil Zehl: ''Der Gabelsberger Stenographen-Verein zu Leipzig von 1846–1896''

* Joseph Alteneder, ''Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, Erfinder der deutschen Stenographie'', Vol. 1: "Gabelsbergers Lebensverhältnisse und öffentliche Tätigkeit", G. Franzscher Verlag, 1902

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabelsberger, Franz Xaver 1789 births 1849 deaths People from Munich People from the Kingdom of Bavaria 19th-century German inventors Creators of writing systems People educated at the Wilhelmsgymnasium (Munich) Burials at the Alter Südfriedhof