August Zang (; 2 August 1807 – 4 March 1888) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n entrepreneur who founded the
Viennese Viennese may refer to:
* Vienna, the capital of Austria
* Viennese people, List of people from Vienna
* Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna
* Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city
* Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance
* ...
daily ''
Die Presse
''Die Presse'' is a German-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vienna, Austria. It is considered a newspaper of record for Austria.
History and profile
''Die Presse'' was first printed on 3 July 1848 as a liberal (libertarian)-bourgeoi ...
''. He also had a major influence on
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
baking methods.
Soldier and baker
The son of Christophe Boniface Zang, a
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
surgeon, August Zang became an artillery officer before he went to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, probably in 1837, to found a bakery, Boulangerie Viennoise, which opened in 1838 or 1839.
[The 1839 date and most of what follows regarding Zang's role in baking are documented in Jim Chevallier, "August Zang and the French Croissant: How Viennoiserie Came to France", p. 3–30. For the 1838 date, se]
Giles MacDonogh "Reflections on the Third Meditation of La Physiologie du goût and Slow Food".
(p. 8); an Austrian PowerPoint â€
Ess-Stile
– gives the date of 1840 (slide 46). The bakery itself later claimed that it had been founded that year, but earlier references have been documented. The bakery was quickly imitated, and its Austrian
kipfel became the French
croissant. Baking historians, who often qualify Zang as "Baron", "Count" or "Royal Chamberlain" though he did not hold those titles, sometimes claim he introduced the
baguette
A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust.
A baguette has a dia ...
, but that is not supported by any period source. However, he introduced the Viennese steam oven, which became standard in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Journalist and publisher
In 1848, when censorship was lifted in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, he returned to Vienna and founded ''
Die Presse
''Die Presse'' is a German-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vienna, Austria. It is considered a newspaper of record for Austria.
History and profile
''Die Presse'' was first printed on 3 July 1848 as a liberal (libertarian)-bourgeoi ...
'', a daily newspaper that still exists today though after several interruptions. The paper was modelled on
Émile de Girardin's ''
La Presse'' and introduced many of the same popularising journalistic techniques, including a low price supported by volume and advertising; serials; and short, easily-understood paragraphs. In 1864, a dispute led two key journalists to leave ''Die Presse'' to found ''Die Neue Freie Presse''. The original ''Die Presse'' was soon known as ''Die Alte Presse'', and Zang sold it in 1867.
Later life
In his remaining years, he owned a bank and a mine in
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...
, the site of which is still known as Zangtal ("Zang Valley").
When he died, he was most known as a wealthy press magnate. His obituary in ''Die Presse'' said only that he had spent some years in Paris and omitted all mention of his role in baking.
His ornate tomb in Vienna is still a tourist attraction.
See also
*
Vienna bread
*
Viennoiserie, a French term referring to baked goods in the style of or influenced by Viennese baking
Notes
References
*
Wurzbach, C. (1891). ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, enthaltend die Lebensskizzen der denkwürdigen Perosnen, welche seit 1750 in den österreichischen Kronländern geboren wurden oder darin gelebt und gewirkt haben'', (162-165)
Article in "Die Presse" on its foundingAnother article in "Die Presse" on its founding
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zang, August
19th-century Austrian businesspeople
Bakers
Austrian publishers (people)
Businesspeople from Vienna
1807 births
1888 deaths
19th-century newspaper publishers (people)
Austrian Empire military personnel