Eschwege,Wilhelm Ludwig von b. November 10, l777;Aue (near Eschwege), Hesse d. February 1, 1855;Wolfsanger, Hesse
German mining expert who contributed to the industrialization of Brazil.
Wilhelm Eschwege studied law and economy at the University of Gottingen and geology at the University of Marburg.
After he had gained practical experience in the mining industry, in 1802 Eschwege took over the directorship of the ironworks company Foz d’Alge in the Portuguese province of Estremadura. In 1810, he was appointed a member of the Academy of Science in Lisbon and entered into the service of the Portuguese government in Brazil, where until 1821 he was primarily active in Minas Gerais. Within ten years he established twenty-eight ironworks, thereby founding Brazilian metallurgy. In 1817, Eschwege was appointed general director of goldmining in Brazil and director of the imperial mineralogy cabinet. Aside from his job in the mining industry, he also laid the scientific foundation for the study of mineral deposits and became “the father of Brazilian geology.” He produced the first geological profile of Brazil and the first colored geological map of Minas Gerais, and he was also the first to conduct barometric measurements. Eschwege is responsible for naming itabirite and itacolumite. In addition to his pioneering work as a geologist, he also carried out early research into Brazilian ethnology (among the Botokude and Coroado).Eschwege was among the first to point out the destructive impact humans have on nature. He publicly demanded an end to the destruction of Brazil’s tropical forests. After his return to Europe, he split his time between Portugal and Germany, where he was active as a mining expert. Eschwege used the remaining part of his life to document his scientific findings from his time in Brazil. He wrote several books, including Journal von Brasilien oder vermischte Nachrichten aus Brasilien auf wis- senschaftlichen Reisen gesammelt (Journal of Brazil, or Mixed News from Brazil Collected on Scientific Journeys, 1818); Geog- nostische Gemahlde von Brasilien (Geological Pictures from Brazil, 1822); Brasilien, die Neue Welt (Brazil, the New World, 1824); Beitrage zur Gebirgskunde Brasiliens (Contributions to the Lore of Brazil’s Mountains, 1832); and Pluto Brasiliensis. Eine Reihe von Abhandlungen uber Brasiliens Gold-, Diamanten- und anderen mineralischen Reichtum (Pluto Brazil: A Series of Essays on Brazil’s Gold, Diamonds, and Other Mineral Wealth, 1833).
Heinz Peter Brogiato
See also Brazil; Mining
References and Further Reading Beck, Hanno. “Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege.” Neue Deutsche Biographie. Berlin: Duncker and Humblot, 1959, 4:652.
Henze, Dietmar. Enzyklopadie der Entdecker und Erforscher der Erde. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1983, 2:181-183.
Toussaint, Friedrich. “Wilhelm Ludwig von
Eschwege (1777-1855), a German Engineer of Mining and Metallurgy in Portugal and Brazil.” History of Technology 22 (2000): 155-169.