The Earliest Instructions for Weather Observations in Bohemia from the 1st Half of the 19th Century (A Historical Note)

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the history of meteorological observations in Bohemia in the first halfof the 19th century in the context of such observations in the then Central Europe. It concerns thetime period between observations conducted by the Mannheim Meteorological Society and the foundationof the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geomagnetism in Vienna. In this period, twoguidelines for weather observation were published in Prague in German (at that time the onlyofficial language in the Austrian Monarchy). The first one was issued in 1817 and its author was A.David, director of the Prague astronomical observatory Klementinum. The second one was issued in1827 by the Imperial-Royal Patriotic-Economic Society in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and is devotedamong other things also to the relation of weather to agriculture and forestry. It was compiled by amultitude of authors who are not mentioned though. The meteorological part is doubtlessly a workof Professor David, too.It appeared that the guideline from 1817 was dwelling among other things on instructions compiledby J.J. Hemmer for the need of observers from the Mannheim Meteorological Society (Societasmeteorologica Palatina) in 1780. Only two stations from the Austrian Monarchy became involved inobservations conducted by its observation network: The observatory Prague-Klementinum and theobservatory in Ofen (municipal part of today’s Budapest).The other guideline for meteorological observations originates from Prague, too, and was compiledby Professor K. Kreil, native from Upper Austria and director of the Prague observatory in1845–1851. This was the first instruction valid for the entire Austrian Monarchy, issued for thepurpose of a uniform system of meteorological observations, which was gradually published in Viennain the period 1848–1850. After the establishment of the Central Institute for Meteorology andGeomagnetism in Vienna, Kreil left Prague to become its first director.