Product Code Database
Johann Dzierzon, or Jan Dzierżon or Dzierżoń , also John Dzierzon (16 January 1811 – 26 October 1906), was a Polish people apiarist who discovered the phenomenon of parthenogenesis in .
Dzierzon came from a Polish people family in Silesia. Trained in theology, he combined his theoretical and practical work in apiculture with his duties as a Roman Catholic priest, before being compulsorily retired by the Church and eventually excommunicated over the question of papal infallibility. In 1905, he was reconciled with the Catholic Church.
His discoveries and innovations made him world-famous in scientific and bee-keeping circles, and he has been described as the "father of modern apiculture".
It was at gymnasium and at the theological faculty that he became acquainted with German scientific and literary language, which he subsequently used in his scientific writings, rather than his native Polish-Silesian dialect. He used Silesian-Polish in some press publications, in his private life, and in pastoral work, alongside literary Polish. Kwartalnik opolski, vol. 31, Opolskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, 1985, p. 86. Dr. Jan Dzierzon considered himself a member of the Polish nation.L. Brożek "Jan Dzierżon. Studium monograficzne" Opole 1978A. Gładysz "Jan Dzierżoń, pszczelarz o światowej sławie" Katowice 1957H. Borek i S. Mazak "Polskie pamiątki rodu Dzierżoniów" Opole 1983
Dzierzon's manuscripts, letters, diplomas and original copies of his works were given to a Polish museum by his nephew, Franciszek Dzierżoń.Danuta Kamolowa, Krystyna Muszyńska, Zbiory rękopisów w bibliotekach i muzeach w Polsce, Biblioteka Narodowa (Polish National Library, p. 68. Following the 1939 German invasion of Poland, many objects connected with Dzierzon were destroyed by German gendarmerie on 1 December 1939 in an effort to conceal his Polish roots. Mówią wieki: magazyn historyczny (The Ages Speak: Magazine of History, published the Polish Historical Society), vol. 23 (1980), p. 26. The Nazis made strenuous efforts to enforce a view of Dzierżoń as a German.
"Korzh's report continued with a list of the achievements and inventories done by Prokopovich:
(1) sleeved/framed rotary beehive;
(2) movable frames;
(3) cassettes for movable frames;
(4) packages of honey combs for transportation;
(5) reproduction of bee colonies by artificial swarms;
(6) separate grill in a beehive;
(7) wintering of bee hives in heated rooms;
(8) technology to cure foulbrood;
(9) school of beekeeping;
(10) technology of honey crops.
M L Gornich (Kyiv), in his report titled "Petro Prokopovich and World Beekeeping", indicated that papers of Prokopovich were translated into German and French in his time and were well known in Europe. He suggested that some experts consider that the movable frame bee hive of Johann Dzierzon was also constructed on the basis of Prokopovich's invention."
In 1838 he devised a movable-comb beehive, which allowed manipulation of individual without destroying the structure of the hive. The correct distance between combs had been described as from the center of one top bar to the center of the next one. In 1848 Dzierzon introduced grooves into the hive's side walls, replacing the strips of wood for moving top bars. The grooves were – the exact average between , which is the range called the "bee space." Such designs quickly gained popularity in Europe and North America. On the basis of the aforementioned measurements, (May 1852) in Thuringia and L.L. Langstroth (October 1852) in the United States designed their own movable-frame hives.
In 1835 Dzierzon discovered that drones are produced from unfertilized eggs. Dzierzon's paper, published in 1845, proposed that while and female worker bees were products of fertilization, drones were not, and that the diets of immature bees contributed to their subsequent roles.
With his discoveries and innovations, Dzierzon became world-famous in his lifetime. He received some hundred honorary memberships and awards from societies and organizations. In 1872 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Munich. Other honors included the Austrian Order of Franz Joseph, the Bavarian Merit Order of St. Michael, the Hessian Ludwigsorden, the Russian Order of St. Anna, the Swedish Order of Vasa, the Prussian Order of the Crown, 4th Class, on his 90th birthday, and many more. He was an honorary member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. He also received an honorary diploma at Graz, presented by Archduke Johann of Austria. In 1903 Dzierzon was presented to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. In 1904 he became an honorary member of the Schlesische Gesellschaft für vaterländische Kultur ("Silesian Society for Fatherland Culture").
Dzierzon's questioning of papal infallibility caused him to be retired from the priesthood in 1869. This disagreement, along with his public engagement in local politics, led to his 1873 excommunication. In 1884 he moved back to Lowkowitz, settling in the hamlet An der Grenze, ( Granice Łowkowskie). Of his new home, he wrote:
He died in Lowkowitz on 26 October 1906 and is buried in the local graveyard.
Dzierzon's manuscripts, letters, diplomas and original copies of his works were given to a Polish museum by his nephew, Franciszek Dzierżoń.
In 1936 the Germans renamed Dzierzon's birthplace, Lowkowitz, Bienendorf ("Bee Village") in recognition of his work with apiculture." Niemcy "przechrzcili" miejscowość znaną pod polską nazwą w całym świecie (Łowkowice = Bienendorf)", Ilustrowany Kuryer Codzienny, no. 280, 8 October 1936. At the time, the Nazi Germany government was changing many Slavic peoples-derived place names such as Lowkowitz. After the region came under Polish control following World War II, the village would be renamed Łowkowice.
Following the 1939 German invasion of Poland, many objects connected with Dzierzon were destroyed by German gendarmerie on 1 December 1939 in an effort to conceal his Polish roots. The Nazis made strenuous efforts to enforce a view of Dzierżoń as a German.
After World War II, when the Polish government assigned Polish names to most places in former German territories which had become part of Poland, the Silesian town of Reichenbach im Eulengebirge (traditionally known in Polish as Rychbach) was renamed Dzierżoniów in the man's honor.
In 1962 a Jan Dzierżon Museum of Apiculture was established at Kluczbork. Dzierzon's house in Granice Łowkowskie (now part of Maciejów village) was also turned into a museum chamber, and since 1974 his estates have been used for breeding Krain bees. The museum at Kluczbork houses 5 thousand volumes of works and publications regarding bee keeping, focusing on work by Dzierzon, and presents a permanent exhibition regarding his life presenting pieces from collections from National Ethnographic Museum in Wrocław, and Museum of Silesian Piasts in Brzeg
In 1966 a Polish-language plate was added to his German-language tombstone.
Magazines published by Dzierzon:
Articles published by Dzierzon since 1844 in Frauendörfer Blätter, herausgegeben von der prakt. Gartenbau-Gesellschaft in Bayern, redigirt von Eugen Fürst ("Frauendorf News" of the Bavarian Gardeners Society) were collected by Rentmeister Bruckisch from Grottkau (Grodków) and re-published under the titles:
English translations:
(2025). 9781402004957, Springer. ISBN 9781402004957 His results caused a revolution in bee crossbreeding and may have influenced Gregor Mendel's pioneering genetic research. The theory remained controversial until 1906, the year of Dzierzon's death, when it was finally accepted by scientists at a conference in Marburg. In 1853 he acquired a colony of to use as genetic markers in his research, and sent their progeny "to all the countries of Europe, and even to America." In 1854 he discovered the mechanism of secretion of royal jelly and its role in the development of .
In every direction, one has a broad and pleasant view, and I am pretty happy here, despite the isolation, as I am always close to my beloved bees – which, if one's soul be receptive to the works of the Almighty and the wonders of nature, can transform even a desert into a paradise.
From 1873 to 1902 Dzierzon was in contact with the Old Catholic Church, but in April 1905 he was reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church.
Legacy
Johann Dzierzon is considered the father of modern apiology and apiculture. Most modern beehives derive from his design. Due to language barriers, Dzierzon was unaware of the achievements of his contemporary, L.L. Langstroth, the American "father of modern beekeeping", though Langstroth had access to translations of Dzierzon's works.
Hier ruht in Gott
der hochverehrte Altmeister
der Bienenzucht
Pfarrer
Dr. Johann Dzierzon
Ritter p.p.
* 16. Januar 1811
† 26. Oktober 1906
Ruhe sanft!
Wahrheit, Wahrheit über alles!| style="text-align:center;"Here rests in God
the revered old master
of beekeeping
Pastor
Dr. Johann Dzierzon
knight etc.
* 16 January 1811
† 26 October 1906
Rest in peace!
Truth, truth above all!Tu spoczywa wielki uczony
twórca nowoczesnego pszczelarstwa
żarliwy patriota i obrońca polskiego ludu na Śląsku,
Ks. Dr Jan Dzierżoń
Płytę ta ufundowało w 60 ta rocznice śmierci
Społeczeństwo Ziemi Kluczborskiej
26 X 1966| style="text-align:center;"Here lies the great scientist,
founder of modern beekeeping,
ardent patriot and defender of the Polish people in Silesia,
Father Dr. Jan Dzierżoń.
This tablet placed on the 60th anniversary of his death
by the people of the Kluczbork Lands,
26 Oct 1966
Selected works
Dzierzon's works include over 800 articles, most published in Bienenzeitung but also in several other scientific periodicals, and 26 books. They appeared between 1844 and 1904, in German and Polish. The most important include:
See also
Notes
Further reading
External links
Categories: Beekeeping Pioneers, 1811 Births, 1906 Deaths, People From Kluczbork, People From The Province Of Silesia, German Beekeepers, German Entomologists, 19th-century German Zoologists, University Of Breslau Alumni, Polish Entomologists, 19th-century Polish Roman Catholic Priests, 19th-century Polish Zoologists, Catholic Clergy Scientists, Recipients Of The Order Of Franz Joseph, Recipients Of The Order Of St. Anna, Recipients Of The Order Of Vasa
|
|
