Peter Kosler or Kozler (16 February 1824 – 16 April 1879) was an Austrian-Slovene

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

, and businessman. He was of Gottscheer origin, but also identified with Slovene culture and advocated for the peaceful coexistence of the Slovene and Germanic cultures in

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

. Kosler was born in Koče, a village south of

Kočevje Kočevje (; ; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; ) is a town and the seat of Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. Geography The town is located at the foot of the Kočevski Rog karst plateau on t ...

in Gottschee County, in what was then the Austrian Kingdom of Illyria, and is now

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. He is best known for creating the first map of the

Slovene Lands The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provinces, the Austrian Empi ...

, called '' Zemljovid Slovenske dežele in pokrajin'' (Map of the Slovene Land and Provinces). Made already from 1848 until the end of 1852, it was published only in 1861. Despite this, it had a significant impact in the time of the Slovene national awakening. Born in a relatively well-to-do family, Kosler made a fortune with beer brewing and was the founder of the Union Brewery. He gave large amounts of money to support Slovenian cultural associations and institutions. He was close to the conservative Old Slovene political movement. Kosler bought Cekin Mansion just outside the center of Ljubljana and renovated it in a neoclassical style. Today, the mansion houses the National Museum of Contemporary History. The Koslers also owned a mansion () in the center of Ljubljana, close to

Congress Square Congress Square () is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. In the late 1930s, the square was renovated by the prominent Slovene architect Jože Plečnik. Since August 2021, it has been inscribed as part of Plečnik ...

() and Čop Street (), which was regarded as one of the finest Baroque buildings in the city. The building was slated for demolition in 1956 and torn down by the Communist authorities in 1961 in order to widen the nearby street, which caused a public outcry and marked a milestone in the development of postwar urban development in Ljubljana. According to an interview with art historian Damjan Prelovšek in October 2006, trees now grow at the site of the former building, demonstrating that its demolition was a political decision and unnecessary in order to widen the street. Kosler also owned a plot of land in the Ljubljana Marsh known as Kosler's Thicket (). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the plot was used as a mass grave for victims of the

Slovenian Home Guard The Slovene Home Guard (, SD; ) was a Slovenes#World War II and aftermath, Slovene anti-Slovene Partisans, Partisan militia that was founded and supported by the Germans and fought alongside them against the Partisans. It operated during part of ...

torturer and killer Franc Frakelj. Kosler died in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

and is buried at Žale cemetery in Ljubljana. In 1999, a Slovenian postal stamp was dedicated to Kosler.PS , Poštne znamke
/ref> File:Koce Kocevje Slovenia - Kozler house.JPG, House in Koče where Kosler was born Image:Zemljovid slovenske dežele in pokrajin (Original).jpg, Kosler's map of the

File:Brest Ig Slovenia - Koslers Thicket 2.JPG, Kosler's Thicket in the Ljubljana Marsh Image:CekinovGrad-Ljubljana.JPG, Kosler Mansion in

Tivoli City Park Tivoli City Park () or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the Vič District to the sout ...

(Ljubljana), now the National Museum of Contemporary History File:Kosler Peter 1824-1879 grave detail.JPG, Kosler family grave (detail)

References

External links

Peter Kosler Association, Slovenia

Peter Kosler's map on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosler, Peter 1824 births 1879 deaths Lawyers from Austria-Hungary Carniolan people of German descent Carniolan geographers Carniolan cartographers Carniolan lawyers Carniolan businesspeople People from the Municipality of Kočevje Gottschee Germans

See also

References

External links