Count Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (also: ''Caspar Maria'', ''Count Sternberg'', german: Kaspar Maria Graf Sternberg, cs, hrabě Kašpar Maria Šternberk), 1761,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

– 1838, Březina Castle), was a

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

, geognost,

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as ara ...

and

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. He is known as the "Father of Paleobotany".. His parents were Count Johann Nepomuk von Sternberg and Countess Anna Josefa Kolowrat-Krakowsky. He established the Bohemian National Museum in Prague — his collection of minerals, fossils and plant specimens formed the core collection of the museum,Česká pošta
Philately, Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (1761 - 1838) and he is deemed to be the founder of modern

paleobotany Paleobotany, which is also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeog ...

. As of 1820 he was on friendly terms with

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

. Originally a student of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, he attended the Collegium anglicum in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, from where he obtained a lower ordination. Inspired by the newly founded Regensburg Botanical Society (1790), he became an avid naturalist, subsequently becoming a prominent member of the society, making contributions to its ''Botanisches Taschenbuch'' and also establishing a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

. In 1805, during an extended stay in

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 ...

, he met with

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister ...

and came under the influence of a number of French

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

s and botanists. Afterwards, he relocated to an estate in

Radnice Radnice () is a town in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Svatá Barbora is an administrative part of Radnice. Geography Radnice is located about no ...

. Here, he created a botanical garden, and conducted important paleobotanical research at recently opened

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

s located in the surrounding areas. The botanical genus ''

Sternbergia ''Sternbergia'' is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.Waldstein, Franz de Paula Adam von & Kitaibel, Pál. 1804. Descriptiones et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae 2: 172 The genus ...

'' is named in his honor.

Publications

* ''Abhandlung über die Pflanzenkunde in Böhmen'' (rwo volumes 1817-1818) - Treatise on the botany of Bohemia. * ''Briefwechsel (1820-1832)'' - Correspondence with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
''Versuch einer geognostisch-botanischen Darstellung der Flora der Vorwelt''
(with

August Karl Joseph Corda August Carl Joseph Corda (1809–1849) was a Czech physician and mycologist. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing a botanical name. Early life and education Corda was born in Reichenberg (now Liberec), Bohemia on Nov ...

, 1820-1825; two volumes) - Attempt at a geognostic-botanical description of primordial flora.Online Books
Versuch einer geognostisch-botanischen darstellung der flora der vorwelt

1902 - Selected works of Count Kaspar von Sternberg.

2010 - The life of Count Kaspar von Sternberg. The standard botanical author abbreviation Sternb. is applied to

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

he described.

References

External links

The Sternberg Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sternberg, Kaspar Maria Von 1761 births 1838 deaths Bryologists Pteridologists Botanists with author abbreviations Paleobotanists German entomologists Czech paleontologists Scientists from Prague Kaspar Maria von Bohemian nobility