Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden
Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden (23 March 1752 – 3 July 1815) was a German pioneer in mining and metallurgy. He was born in Hameln in the Electorate of Hanover and died in Michelsdorf in Prussian Silesia.
In the late 1700s, Reden played an important role in the development of industry in Silesia. For example, on Reden's initiative, in 1787 one of the first steam-powered pumps in continental Europe was installed in a Tarnowskie Góry ore mine. Together with John Baildon, Reden was responsible for the introduction of coke into modern steelmaking process in Europe (in Gliwice, 1796, and, on a large scale, in Chorzów, 1802).
Reden was knighted by Friedrich Wilhelm II. There is a recently-rebuilt monument to von Reden in Chorzów. This monument has a turbulent history having been erected and demolished several times with the changing political winds in Silesia.
Sources
  | This German engineer, inventor or industrial designer biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |