Consider this plaque a tribute to a multifaceted man. The Dr. Franz Isidor Proschko Plaque commemorates an Austrian writer and jurist.
Franz Isidor Proschko lived from April 2, 1816, to February 6, 1891. He used the pseudonym Franz von Hohenfurth. This plaque marks the house where he died. It is located at Kopernikusgasse 12 in Vienna.
Proschko’s life was a blend of law and literature. He began his studies in 1828 at the Gymnasium in Budweis. Later, he studied civil and criminal law at the University of Prague. He completed his legal studies with a dissertation at the University of Vienna.
His career started as a trainee at the police headquarters in Linz. While in Linz, he married and his daughter Hermine Camilla was born in July 1851. She also became a writer. In 1853, Proschko was appointed secretary of the Museum Francisco Carolinum in Linz.
Proschko’s path led him through police service. After a period in Graz, he moved to Vienna in 1867. He was awarded the title of Police Councilor in 1878. In 1883, he retired. Franz Isidor Proschko died in Vienna at the age of 75. His final resting place is in an honorary grave at the Vienna Central Cemetery. He rests among composers Joseph Mayseder and Johannes Baptist Moser.
The Dr. Franz Isidor Proschko Plaque is not the only memorial to him. Memorial plaques also exist in Vienna and Vyšší Brod which is also known as Hohenfurth. In Linz, there is also the Proschkogang.
Proschko was a prolific writer. He penned around 75 works. These included poems, novellas, and novels. His literary achievements earned him several honors. Kaiser Franz Joseph I awarded him the Grand Golden Medal for Art and Science. Pope Pius IX bestowed upon him the Order of St. George.
His notable works include “Streifzüge im Gebiete der österreichischen Geschichte und Sage” featuring a chapter about Kepler in Linz. He also wrote “Die Höllenmaschine”, a historical novel from the French Consular and Imperial era. “Der Jesuit” is a historical novel from the time of the Thirty Years’ War. Other works include “Ein böhmischer Student”, “Der Letzte der Rosenberger”, and “Ein Hexenprozess” about Kepler’s mother.
The inscription on the Dr. Franz Isidor Proschko Plaque reads: “Dem Andenken des vaterländischen Dichters Dr. Franz Isidor Proschko, der am 6. Februar 1891 in diesem Haus gestorben ist.” This translates to: “In memory of the patriotic poet Dr. Franz Isidor Proschko, who died in this house on February 6, 1891.”
Standing before this plaque, remember Franz Isidor Proschko. He was a man of law, literature, and service to both the state and the arts.