Angela Piskernik facts for kids
Angela Piskernik (born August 27, 1886 – died December 23, 1967) was an amazing scientist from Austria and Yugoslavia. She was a botanist, which means she studied plants, and a conservationist, meaning she worked to protect nature.
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Her Early Life and Studies
Angela Piskernik was born in a place called Bad Eisenkappel in Southern Carinthia. This area stayed part of Austria after World War I. She went to the University of Vienna and earned a special degree called a Ph.D. in botany. One of her important teachers was Hans Molisch.
After her studies, Angela worked at the provincial museum in Ljubljana. She also taught science in different high schools.
Standing Up for Her People
Angela was a proud Slovene woman. She was very active in supporting her community, especially during the time of the Carinthian plebiscite, which was a vote about the future of her region. She also joined a club for people who had moved from their homes.
During a very difficult time in 1943, she was held in a camp called Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. Her story is even mentioned in a book called "Angel of Oblivion" by author Maja Haderlap.
Protecting Nature and Parks
After 1945, Angela became the director of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History in Ljubljana. She also worked for the government's nature protection service. She put a lot of effort into bringing back and protecting two very special places: the Juliana Alpine Botanical Garden and the Triglav National Park. She was inspired by another conservationist named Renzo Videsott from Italy.
In the 1960s, Angela led the team from Yugoslavia for an international group called the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA). She suggested creating a nature park that would cross the borders between Yugoslavia and Austria in the Savinja Alps and Karawanks mountains. Even though this park was never built, today this area is part of the European Green Belt, which is a network of protected natural areas.
Angela Piskernik passed away in Ljubljana in 1967.
A Lasting Legacy
In 2019, Slovenia honored Angela Piskernik by putting her picture on a special postage stamp. This showed how much her work in botany and nature conservation was appreciated.
See Also
- List of botanists by author abbreviation (P)
