Jan Dzierżon

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Jan Dzierżon^[1] sometimes Germanised into Johann(es) Dzierzon^[2] (Polish: Jan Dzierżon, (16 January 1811 – 26 October 1906) was a Polish apiarist and Roman Catholic priest who was born in the Kingdom of Prussia. He was a renowned apiarist best known for his discovery of parthenogenesis among bees, and for designing a movable-frame beehive.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Legacy 3 Selected works 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

[edit] Biography

Dzierzon was born and died in Lowkowitz (Łowkowice) near Kreuzburg (Kluczbork) in Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia (later Germany).He was an ethnic Pole, and considered himself a member of the Polish nation,^[3] In 1822 he moved to Breslau (Wrocław), where he attended a middle school commonly know in that area as a gymnasium. In 1833, he graduated from the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Breslau University, and, in 1834, became chaplain in Schalkowitz (Siołkowice). As an ordained Roman Catholic priest he took over a parish in Karlsmarkt (Karłowice) in 1835. Years later his religious authorities took offence at his scientific research and retired him in 1869.^[4]

In his apiary, Dzierzon studied the social life of honeybees and constructed several experimental beehives. In 1838, he devised the first practical movable-comb beehive, which allowed manipulation of individual honeycombs without destroying the structure of the hive. The correct distance between combs had been described as 1 and ½ inches from the center of one top bar to the center of next one. In 1848 Dzierzon introduced grooves into the hive’s side walls replacing the strips of wood for moving top bars. The grooves had been 8 x 8 mm – exact average between 1/4 and 3/8 of an inch, which is range recently called bee space. His design quickly gained popularity in Europe and North America. On the basis of the aforementioned measurements, August von Berlepsch (May 1852) in Thuringia and L. L. Langstroth (October 1852) in the United States designed their frame-movable hives.

In 1835, Dzierzon discovered that the drones are produced from unfertilized eggs. The discovery was publicised in 1845. His results caused a revolution in bee crossbreeding. In 1854, he discovered the mechanism of secretion of the royal jelly and its role in the development of queens.

In 1872, Dzierzon received a honoris causa doctorate from the University of Munich. In 1874, he moved back to Lowkowitz.

[edit] Legacy

Dzierzon is the father of modern apiology and apiculture. All modern beehives are descendants of his design.

While Dzierzon considered himself a Pole and was born to Polish parents, several modern English language sources name him German^[5], others call him an ethnic Pole recalling his statement that he is a member of the Polish nation,^[6][7] having been born to ethnically Polish parents.^[8] Some sources also stress his region of birth (Silesia), and refer to him as Silesian.^[9]

In 1936, his hometown of Lowkowitz was renamed by Nazi Germany to Bienendorf (German for "Bee Village") and kept the name until 1945.^[10] It was renamed Łowkowice after the region came under Polish control following World War II.

Also, after 1945, the town of Reichenbach was first renamed Rychbach, then Dzierżoniów in Dzierzon's honor^[11]. In 1962, a Jan Dzierżon's Museum of Apiculture was established in Kluczbork (Kreuzburg). Another was established in the town of Maciejów, which was called Matzdorf when he worked there.

Dzierzon received many honors, among them the Austrian Order of Franz Joseph, the Bavarian Merit Order of St. Michael, the Hessian Ludwig Order, the Russian Order of St. Anna, the Swedish Order of Vasa, the Prussian Order of the Crown (4th Class) at his 90th birthday, and many more. He was an honorary member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, among others. Dzierżon received an honorary diploma at Graz, presented by Archduke Johann of Austria. In 1903 he 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").

[edit] Selected works

His works include 800 articles in several scientific magazines and 26 books, published in German and Polish. The most important include:

• 15 Nov 1845: Sztuka zrobienia złota, nawet z zielska Tygodnik Polski Poświęcony Włościanom, Pszczyna.
• 1848-1852: Theorie und Praxis des neuen Bienenfreundes ("Theory and Practice of the Modern Bee-friend")
• 1851 and 1859: Nowe udoskonalone pszczelnictwo księdza plebana Dzierżona w Katwicach na Śląsku. Leszno
• 1852: Nachtrag zur Theorie und Praxis... (Appendix to "Theory and Practice")
• 1853: Najnowsze pszczelnictwo. Lwów
• 1854-1856: Der Bienenfreund aus Schlesien ("The Bee-friend from Silesia")
• 1861-1878: Rationelle Bienenzucht ("Rational apiculture")
• 1890: Der Zwillingstock ("Semi-detached beehive")

Articles by Dzierżon in Frauendörfer Blättern were collected by Rentmeister Bruckisch from Grottkau (Grodków) and re-published under the titles:

• Neue verbesserte Bienen-Zucht des Johann Dzierzon, Brieg 1855
• Neue verbesserte Bienen-Zucht des Pfarrers Dzierzon zu Carlsmarkt in Schlesien, 1861
• Lebensbeschreibung von ihm selbst, vom 4. August 1885 (abgedruckt im Heimatkalender des Kreises Kreuzburg/OS 1931, S. 32-28), 1885 (Dziergon's biography, reprinted in 1931)
• Der Zwillingsstock, 1890

[edit] See also

• Apiology

[edit] References

• Martin Müllerott: Dzierzon, Johannes. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Bd. 4, Berlin 1959, S. 214–215. (German)

[edit] Further reading

• L. Brożek "Jan Dzierżon. Studium monograficzne" Opole 1978
• W. Kocowicz i A. Kuźba "Tracing Jan Dzierżon Passion" Poznań 1987
• A. Gładysz "Jan Dzierżon, pszczelarz o światowej sławie" Katowice 1957
• H. Borek i S. Mazak "Polskie pamiątki rodu Dzierżoniów" Opole 1983
• W. Chmielewski "World-Famous Polish Beekeeper - Dr. Jan Dzierżon (1811-1906) and his work in the centenary year of his death" in Journal of Apicultural Research, Volume 45(3), 2006
• S. Orgelbrand "Encyklopedia ..." 1861
• “ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture” 1990, article Dzierzon pg 147

[edit] External links

• Rational Bee-keeping online English translation of Jan Dzierzon's book (London: Houlston & sons, 1882)
• Jan Dzierżon at History of Kluczbork (English)
• Jan Dzierżon Museum in Kluczbork (Polish)
• Jan Dzierżon Museum in Kluczbork (English)
• Family Photos on Website with grave of Johann Dzierzon (German)
• Silesian article from 2006 (German) Polish version (Polish)
• Church Records of Lowkowitz, Silesia from 1765- 1948, where Johann Dzierzon was born in 1811 and died in 1906

Persondata
NAME	Dzierzon, Jan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Dzierzon, Johann
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Beekeeper
DATE OF BIRTH	16 January 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH	Łowkowice
DATE OF DEATH	26 October 1906
PLACE OF DEATH	Łowkowice