Gregor Johann Mendel

G. J. Mendel is the discoverer of the basic principles of heredity and the world-renowned founder of genetics. He worked as a priest and later abbot of the Augustinian monastery in Old Brno.

En mendel

En mendel
Meteorologist - Mendel was deeply interested into meteorology especially in anomalies. He was the first ever to describe a tornado. Genius - Thanks to experiments in the plants hybridisation he was able to explore the basics of genetics – he was far beyond his time. Beekeeper - Mendel was respected expert and beekeeper. He was a deputy of the Moravian beekeeper society. Teacher - 32 year-old Mendel began to teach physics and biology at Brno’s state elementary school. He worked there until 1868. Farmer - Thanks to his knowledge he was successful in breeding of fruit trees. He was elected member of comitee of the Moravia-silesian society of farming Abbot - 30th of march Mendel became the Abbot of the Augustinian monastery.

Meteorologist - Mendel was deeply interested into meteorology especially in anomalies. He was the first ever to describe a tornado.

Genius - Thanks to experiments in the plants hybridisation he was able to explore the basics of genetics – he was far beyond his time.

Beekeeper - Mendel was respected expert and beekeeper. He was a deputy of the Moravian beekeeper society.

Teacher - 32 year-old Mendel began to teach physics and biology at Brno’s state elementary school. He worked there until 1868.

Farmer - Thanks to his knowledge he was successful in breeding of fruit trees. He was elected member of comitee of the Moravia-silesian society of farming

Abbot - 30th of march Mendel became the Abbot of the Augustinian monastery.

The life of Gregor Johann Mendel

Gregor Johann Mendel (July 20, 1822 Hynčice – January 6, 1884 Brno) was a naturalist, the founder of genetics and the discoverer of the basic laws of heredity. He worked as a monk of the Augustinian order and later as the abbot of the monastery in Old Brno.

Johann Mendel was born on July 20, 1822 in a family of German-speaking small farmers in Hynčice (German Heinzendorf bei Odrau) in Silesia in the house No. 58 (now No. 69) to Anton Mendel and his mother Rosina née Schwirtlich. Today, Hynčice is part of the village of Vražné in the Nový Jičín district in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The birth house of J. G. Mendel is a relatively large peasant farm, which was registered as a cultural monument in 1966.

Pea experiments

From 1854 to 1864, Mendel conducted pea-crossing experiments in the Augustinian monastery to find out how their individual traits were inherited. He prepared carefully for his experiments, and it was no coincidence that he chose this particular plant, because he knew exactly about its advantages. He obtained 34 varieties of peas from the shops and then monitored the stability of their traits for two years.

Then he finally chose 14 varieties that showed pairs of seven well-distinguished traits (for example, pairs of varieties with yellow seeds and green seeds or purple and white flowers, etc.)

He gave a lecture on the results of his experiments to continue at two meetings of the Naturforschender Verein on February 8 and March 8, 1865 in the building of the Higher State Real School on Jánská Street 22. One of the most valuable monuments owned by the Augustinian Abbey is the original manuscript of Gregor Johann Mendel from 1865, named Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden (Experiments with plant hybrids).

The world probably would not have learned about Mendel’s work and lecture without Gustav von Niessl, secretary of the Natural History Society, who requested a manuscript from Mendel and in 1866 published this work in the yearbook of the Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brünn. On the title page of Mendel’s manuscript is still Niessel’s handwritten note of the order of 40 copies for Mendel. Mendel sent strange prints to scientists whom he thought might understand his work.

In addition to special prints, the Natural History Association distributed volumes of the yearbook and Mendel’s work to 133 learned societies, scientific academies, universities and associations in Europe and abroad.

He gave a lecture on the results of his experiments at the continuation of two meetings of the Naturforschender Verein on February 8 and March 8, 1865 in the building of the Higher State Real School at Jánská Street.

The world probably would not have learned about Mendel’s work and lecture without Gustav von Niessl, secretary of the Natural History Society, who requested a manuscript from Mendel and in 1866 published this work in the yearbook of the Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brünn. On the title page of Mendel’s manuscript is still Niessel’s handwritten note of the order of 40 copies for Mendel. Mendel sent strange prints to scientists whom he thought might understand his work.

In addition to special prints, the Natural History Association distributed volumes of the yearbook and Mendel’s work to 133 learned societies, scientific academies, universities and associations in Europe and abroad.

Mendel beekeeper

Beekeeping was Mendel’s love. His father had already introduced him to the basics of beekeeping. In the abbey, where Mendel comes in 1843, he found ideal conditions for beekeeping.

The beekeeping section of the Moravian-Silesian Society for the Improvement of Plowing, Natural Science and Homeland Studies was established in Brno in 1854, which between 1868 and 1869 grew into its own Moravian Beekeeping Association. An important personality of beekeeping was F. X. Živanský, who in 1868 introduced Mendel to the association.

In the same year, Mendel had an apiary built for 15 hives with a warehouse and a small study. During the period of the most active beekeeping activity, he had other hives on the land near the apiary. Behind the apiary is a cellar where Mendel originally tried to hive the hives, which turned out to be unsuitable due to the humidity. The apiary is an immovable cultural monument.

In addition to trying different ways of wintering bee colonies, Mendel also worked on planting honey plants on the slopes of Špilberk Castle or compiled a mathematical model to evaluate the ongoing clutch.

We know about Mendel’s beekeeping primarily thanks to short messages that are recorded in the bilingual magazine Včela brněnská. Thanks to them, we also learn about the bitter experience with a dangerous infection of bees, which was the rot of the fetus. Mendel destroyed all his beehives and disinfected the equipment, which he recommended to other beekeepers. This practical starting point is still valid today.

Mendel was professionally one of the leading beekeeping researchers of his time. His no less merit is that he made his knowledge available to the beekeeping public whenever anyone showed interest in it.

Mendel meteorologist

In his meteorological measurements, Mendel followed Dr. Pavel Olexík, the primary hospital at St. Anny in Brno, who was a great role model for him and with whom he collaborated. Mendel performed and recorded air temperature and pressure three times a day at the exact time.

Mendel’s first work in the field of meteorology “Notes on the graphical-tabular overview of meteorological conditions in Brno” is published in German in 1862. In his work, Mendel publishes measurements performed by Olexík. Between 1863 and 1866 and in 1869, Mendel published “Meteorological Observations from Moravia and Silesia”.

In 1868, Mendel became abbot of the Augustinian monastery. In 1878, Mendel founded a meteorological station in the abbey. At this station, measurements are made for the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna. Here, in addition to temperature and air pressure, it also measures precipitation and extreme temperatures on the experimental surface. He records everything very carefully in graphs and tables. In addition to the weather, it also focuses on determining the groundwater level in the well, the state of ozone in the air and observes sunspots.

Mendel also notices extraordinary meteorological phenomena. In the article “Death of October 13, 1870”, he is the first in the world to describe the occurrence of a thrombus (tornado), which destroyed the abbey and part of Brno in October 1870.

The last report of measurements completed by Mendel comes from July 1883, when the sick Mendel could no longer observe and measure, and on January 6, 1884, Mendel died.

Mendel recorded his meteorological observations for five years and one month. His work in the field of meteorology also shows his diligence, precise scientific work and excellent knowledge of nature.

Mendel was buried in the Central Cemetery of the Augustinians in the Central Cemetery in Brno. Leoš Janáček, a native of Laško, supported by the monastery while studying in Brno, conducted a requiem in the church.