Adolf Benda (27 November 1845 – 12 November 1878) was a Bohemian regional historian, council administrator and glass and jewelry craftsman.[1] A glass engraver by trade, he was also a prominent figure in public and social life in Jablonec. He served on the board of directors of the council and the Duchcov-Podmokly Railway . Benda is best known as the author of the Geschichte der Stadt Gablonz und ihrer Umgebung (History of the Town of Jablonec nad Nisou), which was published in 1876–77.
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Biography
Benda was born on 27 November 1845 as a German-speaking Bohemian in the town of Jablonec nad Nisou (now in the Czech Republic).[2][3] Most sources indicate he was born in 1845 and died in 1878 but several sources say he was born in 1841 and died in 1876.[4][5]
He was the last of a notable family of Jizera glass engravers in the region, going back several centuries.[6][7] His father, Edward Benda (1819-1901), was a member of the Rifle Brigade Jablonec (Schützenkorps).[2] Benda attended the local school and was then taught the glass family trade. In 1866, he was sent with the Imperial Army to participate in the Austro-Prussian War.[2] After returning, he began extensive research in local historical studies.[6]
Benda became a prominent figure in public and social life in Jablonec, a member of several associations and served on the council.[2] He was particularly involved in the Industrial and Educational Support Association (Industrieller Bildungs und Unterstützungsverein) and saw the importance of education in promoting economic development.[2] From 1872, he was responsible for the federal library and in 1875 he became president of the Pindter Heinrich Association, until his death.[2] Well connected politically, Benda was a noted liberal activist in the region and also served on the board of directors of the Duchcov-Podmokly Railway along with Herbert Gutman, Dr. Moriz Aron, and Richard Lederer.[8][9]
He is best known as the author of the Geschichte der Stadt Gablonz und ihrer Umgebung which was published in 1876–77,[7][10] shortly before his death. The book was the first complete history of the town,[7] and took the perspective of the Jablonec craftsman, with attention to the social and economic life of the town, history and business development and civil society.[2][11] In his work, Benda reported that in 1865 there were only 69 people in Jablonec, in comparison to 1876 when there were 145 in the whole district.[12] The third section of the book is devoted to the Hussite Wars of the Prussian-Austrians; Benda, like his father, was interested in the military and weaponry.[2] The fourth section is dedicated to local administration and the court and district affairs; and the fifth section, on industry, covers the important local industries including linen, cloth, manufacture of paper boxes, oil paintings and glass.[2] The book also covers the ethnographic history of the city including its superstitions, tales and legends.[2]
In the autumn of 1878 Benda contracted typhoid and died, on 12 November 1878, at almost 33 years of age.[2] Today, Benda's book on the history of Jablonec is permanently on public display in the reading room of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec.[2]