Abstract

"How a Career Change Brings Ingenuity to a New Field: The Example of Joachim Barrande, a Railway Builder Who Became a World-Renowned Paleontologist"

Marcela Efmertová, Czech Technical University (efmertov@fel.cvut.cz)

The personality of French scientist, engineer, and researcher Joachim Barrande (1799-1883) is well-known in the history of science and technology. An engineer trained at the École polytechnique and the École des ponts et chaussées, he possessed knowledge not only in bridge and road construction but also in the natural sciences. Barrande came to Prague in 1831 as a tutor to the grandson of Charles X, accompanying the French royal court, and remained in Prague after the court’s departure in 1833. In Bohemia, he dedicated himself to surveying the route of a steam railway connecting Prague with western Bohemia (toward Plzeň and the Saxon border).
Barrande’s technical skill and ability to effectively manage the workforce facilitated rapid progress in the railway survey while allowing him to explore the geologically intriguing terrain around Prague. During railway construction, Barrande encountered fossils previously unknown to science. He demonstrated great foresight by combining his technical and natural science expertise. This mobilization of his skills led to a new area of expertise, as he became a pioneer in describing Mesozoic trilobites between Prague and the village of Skryje. The engineer had transformed into a paleontologist, highly regarded beyond Czech lands. He donated his fossil collection, books, and funds to support the development of the Czech National Museum. His example is highly instructive, illustrating the ability of a talented researcher to mobilize and combine technical and scientific knowledge.
Barrande’s work had a practical impact on the development of the western Bohemian industrial region; thanks to the railway, for instance, the world-renowned Pilsen Urquell brewery was established in Plzeň in 1843, and the Škoda engineering works grew from 1866 onwards. Today, Barrande is commemorated in the Czech Republic with his name given to the region west of Prague (known as the Barrandien), and a cast-iron plaque bearing his name has been placed on a rock above the track he surveyed.