Explorer. Born in Schoenau, Czech Republic; educated at military academy of Vienna; commissioned as an army lieutenant in 1859; professor of history in the military academy in 1865; attached the following year to the general staff. He determined the altitude of majority of the Austrian alps and was credited with the first assent of over 30 Austrian alps. He accompanied the German expedition to the north pole and discovered a range of mountains with summits 11,000 feet high in the interior of Greenland. Payer's book, "Die zweite deutsche Nordpolarfahrt", recorded the expedition results. In 1872 he was given, in conjunction with Herr Weyprecht, the mission to ascertain if an open sea exists east of Spitzbergen, between Europe and America. Team sailed from Bremen, 13 June, 1872, on the steamship "Tegetthoff," but was caught in ice-fields near Nova Zembla, and finally landed in April, 1874, at Franz Joseph island, where they had to abandon the ship. After a bizarre 300 mile journey, they embarked oil two canoes, and were in a state of great destitution when they met a Russian whaler, which carried them to Lapland, from where they returned by land to Vienna in July, 1874. Payer retired from the army the following year, and then lived in Frankfort, Germany and Paris doing scientific research until 1890 when he opened an art school in Vienna and created and sold sketches, documentary pictures and cards of his expeditions. Died in Veldes, Solvania.
Explorer. Born in Schoenau, Czech Republic; educated at military academy of Vienna; commissioned as an army lieutenant in 1859; professor of history in the military academy in 1865; attached the following year to the general staff. He determined the altitude of majority of the Austrian alps and was credited with the first assent of over 30 Austrian alps. He accompanied the German expedition to the north pole and discovered a range of mountains with summits 11,000 feet high in the interior of Greenland. Payer's book, "Die zweite deutsche Nordpolarfahrt", recorded the expedition results. In 1872 he was given, in conjunction with Herr Weyprecht, the mission to ascertain if an open sea exists east of Spitzbergen, between Europe and America. Team sailed from Bremen, 13 June, 1872, on the steamship "Tegetthoff," but was caught in ice-fields near Nova Zembla, and finally landed in April, 1874, at Franz Joseph island, where they had to abandon the ship. After a bizarre 300 mile journey, they embarked oil two canoes, and were in a state of great destitution when they met a Russian whaler, which carried them to Lapland, from where they returned by land to Vienna in July, 1874. Payer retired from the army the following year, and then lived in Frankfort, Germany and Paris doing scientific research until 1890 when he opened an art school in Vienna and created and sold sketches, documentary pictures and cards of his expeditions. Died in Veldes, Solvania.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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