# Franz Xaver Riepl

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Franz Xaver Riepl, lithograph by [Josef Kriehuber](/source/Josef_Kriehuber) (1855)

**Franz Xaver Riepl** (29 November 1790 – 25 April 1857) was an Austrian geologist, [railway pioneer](/source/Railway_pioneer) and metallurgical specialist.

## Life

Riepl was born in [Graz](/source/Graz), [Styria](/source/Duchy_of_Styria) where his father worked as a building inspector. He attended the mining college in [Schemnitz](/source/Bansk%C3%A1_%C5%A0tiavnica) (present-day Banská Štiavnica, [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia)) and, back in Graz, worked with the famous geologist [Friedrich Mohs](/source/Friedrich_Mohs) (1773–1839) at the [Joanneum](/source/Graz_University_of_Technology) technical college. From 1816 he was employed at the [Fürstenberg](/source/F%C3%BCrstenberg_(princely_family)) iron mines in [Nižbor](/source/Ni%C5%BEbor) (Nischburg), [Bohemia](/source/Kingdom_of_Bohemia) and undertook extended study tours through [Saxony](/source/Kingdom_of_Saxony), [Bavaria](/source/Kingdom_of_Bavaria), Prussian [Silesia](/source/Province_of_Silesia), and [Moravia](/source/Margraviate_of_Moravia).

Between 1819 and 1835 he worked as a professor at the [Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute](/source/TU_Wien) in [Vienna](/source/Vienna). During the 1820s, Riepl again made study trips through the [Inner Austrian](/source/Inner_Austria) and [Illyrian](/source/Kingdom_of_Illyria_(1816%E2%80%9349)) provinces of the Austrian monarchy; it was from him that the initiative came to quarry the Styrian [Erzberg](/source/Erzberg_mine) using open cast mining. He also assisted the Austrian State Chancellor Prince [Klemens von Metternich](/source/Klemens_von_Metternich) establishing iron works on his estates in [Plasy](/source/Plasy), Bohemia. With the support of the [Olomouc](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Olomouc) Cardinal [Archduke Rudolf of Austria](/source/Archduke_Rudolf_of_Austria_(1788%E2%80%931831)), he also worked as a surveyor at the [Friedland](/source/Fr%C3%BDdlant_nad_Ostravic%C3%AD) (Frýdlant) mines in Moravia. In 1829 he gave the impulse for building the important [Witkowitz](/source/V%C3%ADtkovice_(Ostrava)) iron works nearby, where he introduced the English [puddling](/source/Puddling_(metallurgy)) process.

Nordbahn railway lines (red) in 1849

As early as 1828 Riepl had developed plans for a railway network across the whole [Austrian Empire](/source/Austrian_Empire), including the later [Southern Railway](/source/Southern_Railway_(Austria)) as well as a railway link from the [Kingdom of Galicia](/source/Kingdom_of_Galicia_and_Lodomeria) via Vienna to the [Port of Trieste](/source/Port_of_Trieste). In 1830 he presented detailed route diagrams of a railway line running from Vienna to the Witkowitz iron works and further eastwards to the [Wieliczka Salt Mine](/source/Wieliczka_Salt_Mine) near [Kraków](/source/Krak%C3%B3w). In the following years, he travelled to England several times to study the construction of railway lines. Receiving large funds by [Salomon Mayer von Rothschild](/source/Salomon_Mayer_von_Rothschild), his plans were finalised: backed by Chancellor Metternich and the Bohemian "stadtholder" [Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky](/source/Franz_Anton_von_Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky), Riepl and Rothschild received the commission for the building of the [Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway](/source/Emperor_Ferdinand_Northern_Railway) line (*[Nordbahn](/source/North_railway_(Austria))*) from Vienna to [Bochnia](/source/Bochnia). Construction began in 1937, the line up to [Bohumín](/source/Bohum%C3%ADn) (Oderberg) in [Austrian Silesia](/source/Austrian_Silesia) was completed in 1847. One year later, a connection to the Prussian [Upper Silesian Railway](/source/Upper_Silesian_Railway); a transport link to Kraków was provided by the [Eastern National Railway](/source/Eastern_National_Railway_(Austria)) from 1856.

Riepl died in Vienna, aged 66. He was buried in the [Hinterbrühl](/source/Hinterbr%C3%BChl) cemetery in [Lower Austria](/source/Lower_Austria). In 1904, the street of Rieplstrasse in Vienna's [Favoriten](/source/Favoriten) district was named after him.

## See also

- [List of railway pioneers](/source/List_of_railway_pioneers)

## External links

- [Riepl, Franz X.](http://www.literature.at/webinterface/library/ALO-BOOK_V01?objid=11775&page=145&zoom=5&ocr=), in [Constant von Wurzbach](/source/Constant_von_Wurzbach), *[Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich](/source/Biographisches_Lexikon_des_Kaiserthums_Oesterreich)*, 26. Band, Vienna 1874,

- [Franz Xaver Riepl](https://austria-forum.org/af/Biographien/Riepl%2C_Franz_Xaver) in *[Austria-Forum](/source/Austria-Forum)* (in German)

- [Prof. Riepl im Kontext der "österr. Eisenbahngeschichte"](http://www.oberegger2.org/altoesterreich/kap4.htm)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND National Czech Republic People Deutsche Biographie DDB

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Franz Xaver Riepl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Xaver_Riepl) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Xaver_Riepl?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.