Editing Julius von Payer

{{Short description|19th-century Austro-Hungarian army officer, mountaineer, arctic explorer, and cartographer}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Julius von Payer
| image              = Luckhardt - Julius von Payer (ÖNB 8080757).jpg
| caption            = Julius Payer as First Lieutenant (around 1865)
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=y|1841|9|2}}
| birth_place        = [[Teplice|Schönau]] (Šanov), [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]]<br>[[Austrian Empire]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1915|8|29|1841|9|2|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Bled|Veldes]] (Bled), [[Duchy of Carniola|Carniola]]<br>[[Austria-Hungary]]
| resting_place      = [[Vienna Central Cemetery]]
| nationality        = [[Austria]]n
| occupation         = 
| known for          = [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition]]
}}
'''Julius Johannes Ludovicus Ritter von Payer''' (2 September 1841 &ndash; 29 August 1915), ennobled '''[[Ritter]] von Payer''' in 1876, was an officer of the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]], mountaineer, [[Polar exploration|arctic explorer]], [[Cartography|cartographer]], painter, and professor at the [[Theresian Military Academy]]. He is chiefly known for the [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition]] in 1872–74 and the discovery of [[Franz Josef Land]].

== Early life and military career==
Born in [[Teplice|Schönau]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], his father Franz Anton Rudolf Payer was a retired officer of the Austrian [[Imperial and Royal Uhlans|Uhlans]] who died when Julius was only fourteen. His mother was Blandine, née John. Payer attended the ''[[Imperial-Royal|k.k.]]'' cadet school in Łobzów near [[Kraków]], [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]] (present-day [[Poland]]). Between 1857 and 1859 he studied at the Theresian Military Academy in [[Wiener Neustadt]].

From 1859, Payer served as a [[Unterleutnant|sub-lieutenant]] with the Austrian 36th infantry regiment in [[Verona]], [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia|Venetia]]. He participated in the disastrous [[Battle of Solferino]] on 24 June 1859 and was honoured for his service. After promotion to the rank of [[lieutenant]] first class, he was posted to the garrison of [[Chioggia]], Venetia in 1864. On 24 June 1866 he served the [[Battle of Custoza (1866)|Battle of Custoza]], seizing two guns, for which he was decorated and elevated to the rank of [[Oberleutnant|senior lieutenant]].

Since 1863 Payer was assigned as a history and geography teacher to the cadet school in [[Eisenstadt]], Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867) (present-day [[Austria]]) and to the Theresian Military Academy. In 1868 the Austro-Hungarian [[Minister of War (Austria-Hungary)|Minister of War]] [[Franz Kuhn von Kuhnenfeld]] appointed him a general staff officer at the ''k.k.'' Military Geographic Institute in [[Vienna]], where he worked with [[August von Fligely]].

==Alpine exploration==
In 1862 Payer had started exploratory tours of the [[County of Tyrol|Tyrolean]] Alps and the [[High Tauern]] range in his free time. After 1864 he explored the [[Adamello-Presanella]] Group and the [[Ortler Alps]], making more than 60 first ascents. In 1864 he was, with his guide Giovanni Caturani, the first to climb [[Adamello]] (3,554 m) and missed making the first ascent of the [[Presanella]] (3,558 m) by just three weeks. All his explorations in the Ortler massif (from 1865 to 1868) were guided by [[:de:Johann Pinggera]] from [[Sulden]]. Together, often accompanied by a porter, they ascended almost all significant unclimbed summits, including the [[Hoher Angelus]] (3,521 m), [[Vertainspitze]] (3,545 m), [[Palon de la Mare]] (3,703 m), [[Monte Zebru]] (3,735), and [[Monte Cevedale]] (3,769 m). Their new approach to the [[Ortler]] (3,905 m) became the normal route of ascent ever since.

His tours resulted in creating a detailed [[topographical map]] at a scale 1:56,000. Due to his achievements, Payer was transferred to the Austrian Military Geographic Institute. When in 1875, the first [[Alpine club hut]] above 3000 m was built on the normal route to the Ortler, it was named ''[[:de:Payerhütte]]'' in his honor.

==Polar expedition==
[[File:Julius Payer.jpg|thumb|Payer in snow suit]]
In 1868 he was invited by the German geographer [[August Petermann]] to participate in the 2nd [[German North Polar Expedition]] as a [[Topography|topographer]]. Travelling to the coast of [[Tunu|East Greenland]] on the ''[[Germania (ship, 1869)|Germania]]'' under Captain [[Carl Koldewey]] in 1869–1870, they reached as far north as [[Shannon Island]]. In 1871 he participated in the preliminary [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]] expedition to [[Novaya Zemlya]], with [[Karl Weyprecht]].

From 1872 to 1874, Payer led the [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition]] with [[Karl Weyprecht]], who was Commander at sea, while Payer was Commander on shore. During this voyage they made the discovery of Franz Joseph Land, however upon their return to Vienna many critics voiced doubts about its existence and about the experiences of other participants in the expedition.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Payer could have proven his statements using testimonies, diaries and sketches, however his efforts were thwarted, including his promotion to captain. In 1874 he resigned from the army because of political maneuvers against him and his brother officers' doubts about his discovery and his sledge journeys. He was awarded 44 [[Austro-Hungarian florin|florins]] on 1 October 1874 for the discovery of Franz Joseph Land (about equal to the monthly salary of a Sub-lieutenant at the time).
He was also awarded the 1975 [[Royal Geographical Society]]s [[Patron's Medal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/C5962519-882A-4C67-803D-0037308C756D/0/GoldMedallists18322011.pdf|title=List of Past Gold Medal Winners|publisher=Royal Geographical Society|access-date=24 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927221002/http://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/C5962519-882A-4C67-803D-0037308C756D/0/GoldMedallists18322011.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref>

However, on 24 October 1876 he was elevated to the [[Austrian nobility]] which entitled him and his descendants to the style of ''Ritter von'' in the case of male and ''von'' in the case of female offspring.

==Later life==
In 1877 Ritter von Payer married the ex-wife of a banker from [[Frankfurt am Main]]. They later had two children, Jules and Alice.

From 1877 to 1879 he studied painting with [[Heinrich Hasselhorst]] at the [[Städelschule]] in Frankfurt am Main. From 1880 to 1882 he continued his study of art at the [[Academy of Fine Arts, Munich]].

From 1884 to 1890 he worked as a painter in [[Paris]].

In 1890 he divorced his wife, returned to Vienna and founded a painting school for ladies.

In 1895 he planned a trip for painting to [[Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord]] in northeastern ([[Greenland]]).

In 1912 he planned (at the age of seventy) an expedition in a submarine to the [[North Pole]].

He died in [[Bled|Veldes]], in historic [[Upper Carniola]], today part of Slovenia, in 1915.

==Named after Julius von Payer==
[[File:Hotel Payer Teplice D - deska.JPG|thumb|Memorial in Teplice]]
Besides the Payerhütte mentioned above and several streets in Vienna, an island of Franz Josef Land ([[Payer Island]]), the [[Payer Mountains]] in [[Antarctica]] and Payer Land in eastern [[Greenland]] have been named after Julius von Payer.

The southern satellite camp for the PolAres MARS2013 analog mission by the [[OeWF]], approximately 80&nbsp;km south of the base camp near [[Erfoud]], [[Morocco]], was named ''Station Payer'' during February 2013, after the main base camp had been called ''Camp Weyprecht'' during the landing ceremony in the morning of 11 February 2013.

== See also==

* The Austro-Hungarian polar expedition led by Julius von Payer was selected as main motif for the Austrian [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2005 coinage|Admiral Tegetthoff Ship and The Polar Expedition commemorative coin]] minted on 8 June 2005. The reverse side of the coin shows two explorers in Arctic gear (one of them resembling von Payer) with the frozen ship "Admiral Tegetthoff" behind them.
* [[Payer Island]]

== Bibliography ==
* Julius von Payer, ''Die Österreich-Ungarische Nordpol Expedition in den Jahren 1869–1874'' (Wien 1876) (The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition of 1869 to 1874", Vienna, 1876)
* [http://www.poeschek.at Andreas Pöschek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622075404/http://www.poeschek.at/de/research/index.php |date=2006-06-22 }}: ''Geheimnis Nordpol. Die Österreichisch-Ungarische Nordpolexpedition 1872–1874.'' - Wien: 1999 ([http://www.poeschek.at/files/publications/expedition.pdf download as PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721050614/http://www.poeschek.at/files/publications/expedition.pdf |date=2006-07-21 }})

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Internet Archive author|sname=Julius von Payer}}
* [http://www.payerhuette.com/ Website of the Payer Hütte located in the Ortler Alps]
{{wikisource author}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/013335}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Payer, Julius Von}}
[[Category:1841 births]]
[[Category:1915 deaths]]
[[Category:Austrian explorers]]
[[Category:Explorers from Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:Austrian mountain climbers]]
[[Category:Explorers of the Arctic]]
[[Category:Franz Josef Land]]
[[Category:German Bohemian people]]
[[Category:People from Teplice]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Vienna]]
[[Category:People from Bled]]
[[Category:Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery]]
[[Category:Theresian Military Academy alumni]]