Johann Haller or Jan Haller (1463–1525) is considered one of the first commercial printers in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

Early life

Haller was born in Rothenburg, Franconia, Germany. After his studies at the

Kraków Academy The Jagiellonian University ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university i ...

, Haller became a merchant in wine, copper and tin.

Printing activity

Haller' merchant activity enabled him to engage, at a later time, in the production of printing elements and finally establishing a printing press in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

. His first printing products were

almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and othe ...

s, followed by a breviary for the clergy. Haller acquired a partial monopoly on them, thereby protecting himself from competition. He soon expanded his business to include scientific and scholarly books in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

, mathematics, philosophy and law, as well as royal and church statutes. Altogether Haller produced 3,530 prints. His masterpieces are illustrated books containing 354 sheets of woodcuts. He published the first print in Polish, ''Historyja umęczenia Pana naszego Jezusa Chrystusa'' (''The Story of the Martyrdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ''), in 1508.

Copernicus translation

Haller is perhaps best known for publishing in 1509 a volume of poems by

Theophylact Simocatta Theophylact Simocatta (Byzantine Greek: Θεοφύλακτος Σιμοκάτ(τ)ης ''Theophýlaktos Simokát(t)ēs''; la, Theophylactus Simocatta) was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian o ...

which had been translated from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

Greek into Latin by

Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulat ...

, ''Theophilacti scolastici Simocati epistolae morales, rurales et amatoriae interpretatione latina''. At the time there was no printing press in Copernicus' area— Lidzbark (Heilsberg),

Frombork Frombork (; german: Frauenburg ) is a town in northern Poland, situated on the Vistula Lagoon in Braniewo County, within Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 2,260. The town was first mentioned in a 13th-cen ...

(Frauenburg),

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

(Thorn)— therefore Copernicus' translation could have been printed only in Breslau (Wrocław),

or farther afield. Copernicus, who had studied in Kraków, opted for Johann Haller, who together with

Kasper Hochfeld Florian Ungler (died 1536 in Kraków) and Kasper Hochfeder were printers from Bavaria that after 1510 became pioneers of printing and publishing in the Polish language. *1512 ''Introductio in Ptolomei Cosmographiam'', with maps of America *1 ...

had already published the first illustrated work in Poland, Jan Łaski's ''Statutes'' (1506), and one of 25 works by

Laurentius Corvinus Laurentius Corvinus (german: Laurentius Rabe; pl, Wawrzyniec Korwin; 1465–1527) was a Silesian scholar who lectured as an "extraordinary" (''i.e.'' untenured) professor at the University of Krakow when Nicolaus Copernicus began to study t ...

(1508). Corvinus had lectured at the

while

Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formula ...

studied there, and they were well acquainted. Corvinus took a job at Thorn, but in June 1509 traveled to the printer Haller in Kraków, bringing with him the manuscript entrusted to him by Copernicus. Corvinus (Rabe) added a poem, and Copernicus wrote a dedication to his uncle,

Prince-Bishop of Warmia This is a list of Bishops and Prince-Bishops of the Diocese of Warmia ( pl, link=no, Diecezja warmińska, la, link=no, Dioecesis Varmiensis, german: link=no, Bistum Ermland), which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Warmia in 1992. The Bishop ...

Lucas Watzenrode. Haller published the book before the end of 1509. Its cover featured the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

, Lithuania and

Notes

External links

*''Communicating Europe to the Region: Breslau in the Age of the Renaissance'' Lambrecht, ''German History'', 200
(pdf file)

Collection of books printed by Johann Haller
in digital library Polona {{DEFAULTSORT:Haller, Johann German diaspora in Europe Polish publishers (people) Polish printers 1463 births 1525 deaths People from Ansbach (district) Printers of incunabula 16th-century Polish businesspeople

Early life

Printing activity

Copernicus translation

See also

Notes

External links