The Most Famous
EXPLORERS from Austria
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Austrian Explorers of all time. This list of famous Austrian Explorers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. László Almásy (1895 - 1951)
With an HPI of 58.67, László Almásy is the most famous Austrian Explorer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.
László Adolf Ede György Mária Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Hungarian: zsadányi és törökszentmiklósi Almásy László Adolf Ede György Mária; pronounced [ˈɒlmaːʃi ˈlaːsloː ˈɛdɛ]; 22 August/3 November 1895 – 22 March 1951) was a Hungarian aristocrat, motorist, desert explorer, aviator, Scout-leader, and sportsman who served as the basis for the protagonist in both Michael Ondaatje's novel The English Patient (1992) and the movie adaptation of the same name (1996).
2. Friedrich Welwitsch (1806 - 1872)
With an HPI of 57.47, Friedrich Welwitsch is the 2nd most famous Austrian Explorer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Friedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch (25 February 1806 – 20 October 1872) was an Austrian explorer and botanist who in Angola was the first European to describe the plant Welwitschia mirabilis. His report received wide attention among the botanists and general public, comparable only to the discovery of two other plants in the 19th century, namely Victoria amazonica and Rafflesia arnoldii. In Angola, Welwitsch also discovered Rhipsalis baccifera, the only cactus species naturally occurring outside the New World. It was found a few years later in Sri Lanka too, which reignited the now already one-and-a-half-century-old debate on the origin of cacti in Africa and Asia. At the time, the debate concluded with the conviction of numerous authors that they were introduced and spread by migratory birds. Among the botanists, Welwitsch is also known after his descriptions of numerous other plants, for example Cyphostemma macropus (common name: Butter Tree), Tavaresia angolensis (common name: Devil's Trumpet), Dorstenia psilurus, Sarcocaulon mossamedense, Acanthosicyos horridus, Pachypodium namaquanum and Pachypodium lealii. The earthstar fungus Geastrum welwitschii, a species he collected in Portugal, is named in his honor. The standard author abbreviation Welw. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. Botanical specimens collected by Welwitsch are now found in herbaria around the world, including the Natural History Museum, London, Kew Herbarium, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
3. Franz de Paula Adam von Waldstein (1759 - 1823)
With an HPI of 57.19, Franz de Paula Adam von Waldstein is the 3rd most famous Austrian Explorer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Franz de Paula Adam Norbert Wenzel Ludwig Valentin von Waldstein (14 February 1759 – 24 May 1823) was an Austrian soldier, explorer and naturalist.
4. Oscar Baumann (1864 - 1899)
With an HPI of 50.88, Oscar Baumann is the 4th most famous Austrian Explorer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Oscar Baumann (25 June 1864 in Vienna – 12 October 1899 in Vienna) was an Austrian explorer, cartographer and ethnographer. He attended classes on natural history and geography at the University of Vienna, and in 1885 was part of an Austrian exploratory expedition of the Congo Basin under the direction of Oskar Lenz. However, because of serious illness, Baumann would be forced to leave the expedition prior to its conclusion. In 1886, he conducted ethnographical research on the island of Fernando Po. When he returned to Europe, he received his doctorate from the University of Leipzig (1888). Baumann is best known for his exploration of the interior of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi), and for producing maps of the region. In 1888, with geographer Hans Meyer, he explored the Usambara region, with designs of continuing on to Mount Kilimanjaro. The two explorers' progress was stopped, however, due to ramifications associated with the so-called "Abushiri Revolt" (1888–89). Within a matter of days Baumann and Meyer were captured and held as prisoners. According to the British Rear-Admiral Edmund Fremantle:'They had been robbed, stripped, and subjected to every indignity, but except that they have lost all, including their instruments and observations, they do not seem much the worse'. Only after a large ransom was paid to rebel leader Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi were the two men released. Baumann's most celebrated mission was the 200-member "Maasai Expedition" of 1891–93. On the expedition, he performed map-making duties, and was the first European to enter Rwanda (1892). He was also the first European to visit Lake Eyasi, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater. On the expedition, he explored the headwaters of the Kagera River, which he reasoned, was the true source of the Nile. As a result of the journey, he produced a book titled "Durch Massailand zur Nilquelle" (By Massailand to the Source of Nile, 1894) . In 1896, Baumann was appointed consul to Zanzibar by the Austro-Hungarian government. However, he died a few years later of an infectious disease at the age of 35. In 1902 the thoroughfare Baumannstraße, in the district of Landstraße (Vienna), was named in his honour. The highest point of the German protectorate Togoland was called the Baumannspitze (present-day Mount Agou in Togo).
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as Austrian explorers born between 1759 and 1895. Of these 4, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Austrian explorers include László Almásy, Friedrich Welwitsch, and Franz de Paula Adam von Waldstein. As of April 2024, 2 new Austrian explorers have been added to Pantheon including László Almásy, and Oscar Baumann.
Deceased Austrian Explorers
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László Almásy
1895 - 1951
HPI: 58.67
Friedrich Welwitsch
1806 - 1872
HPI: 57.47
Franz de Paula Adam von Waldstein
1759 - 1823
HPI: 57.19
Oscar Baumann
1864 - 1899
HPI: 50.88
Newly Added Austrian Explorers (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Explorers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Explorers since 1700.
