Emanuel Salomon Friedberg-Mírohorský

Emanuel Salomon Friedberg-Mírohorský (18 January 1829 – 10 December 1908) was a Czech painter, illustrator, translator, writer and officer in the Austrian Army. He was also an advocate of vegetarianism and abstinence. "Mírohorský" was an artistic pseudonym that means the same thing as "Friedberg" ('peaceful mountain') in Czech.

Biography

He was born on 18 January 1829 in Prague. He was born to a well-known family Salomons of Friedberg. In 1837, he began taking drawing lessons at the local grammar school that were organized by František Tkadlík and Antonín Mánes from the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1840 he became a student of the Theresian Military Academy, where was one of the teachers was his uncle , an army officer and journalist, who had a great influence on Emanuel.

He completed his studies in 1847 and returned to Prague, where he joined the 28th Infantry Regiment. In 1848, when the Revolutions began, his regiment fought under the command of Field Marshal Radetzky at the Battle of Custova. Furthermore, he participated in the suppression of the revolution in Vienna and then in Hungary. For the bravery in the Battle of Kápolna received, 27 February 1849, Military Merit Cross.

Emanuel was very linguistically gifted. He spoke fluent Czech, German, French, Italian and English and partly other Slavic languages. He translated several books into Czech.

Besides painting and writing, his greatest hobby was a healthy lifestyle. From childhood he was non-alcoholic and non-smoker. He didn't drink coffee either. From 1851 he became interested in hydrotherapy and later became a vegetarian. As a pensioner he lectured on this subject and in 1893 founded "Český Kneipp", a society for a healthy lifestyle.

Personal life

Emanuel married in Verona in 1860 Maria Anna, daughter of Major General Josef Rudolph edle von Fris and Francisca born as an edle von Fries. They had seven children together, but only four lived to adulthood. Of the two sons and two daughters, only one daughter had child. Her descendants still live in the Czech Republic today.

Emanuel died on 10 December 1908, of bronchitis. He is buried at the Olšany Cemetery in Prague.