Region Lanškrounsko

In 1791, 22 years old protestant Christian Polykarp Erxleben came to Lanškroun with catholic German speaking population. Local conditions of this town (that started to change in that time) were completely unfamiliar for him. Linguistically, this town was close to him. Prevailing aim of inhabitants to textile production was close to him with respect to his bleaching experiments. In 1781, after issuing of Tolerance Patent when conditions of non-Catholics changed, he could stay protestant. Lanškroun looked like perfect place for realization of his plans.

Ch. P. Erleben was born in 1769, he was son of protestant preacher from Parensen and Luthershausen – Firedrich Christian Erxleben (1733-1801) and step-grandson of the first German physician Dorotha Christiana Erxleben (1715-1762). Little Ch. Polykarp was going to local school and later his father taught him himself. In 1780-1786, he learnt pharmaceutical profession. Firstly at pharmacy of Gottfried Jordan in Göttingen, he was in articles at Würztburg military and episcopal pharmacist Franz Xaver Krebs. Later, he had practice in Stuttgart and in 1789, he came with pass of duke Würtemberg government to Vienna to finish his studies. Thanks to his exceptional diligence in pharmaceutical studies and thanks to interest in activities in chemical laboratories, he get into group of close friends of Ignác Born. In time of Joseph II, he was Czech geologist and founder of academic society that – because of his influence – was firstly engaged in natural sciences. He was the first who tried to use chlorine for bleaching. He helped to Born, his teacher, with his experiments with “hyperacid hydrochloric acid”", actually with chlorine.

In spring 1791, Erxleben went to Vienna (possibly thanks to Born’s wish and recommendation) to Náchod to service of manufactoral entrepreneur F. Sperling. At expenses of Sperling, he demonstrated usableness of new bleaching method that was later called “speed-bleaching, artificial bleaching and chemical bleaching”. However, Erxleben did not launch Born’s method into production in Náchod. Sperlign gave to Erxleben advantageous proposal to foundation of company that would apply Born’s method in practice. However, Erxleben probably came to the conclusion that this method would not result in outcome that could be used in production so he refused Sperling’s proposal and started to engage in idea about independent entrepreneurship. Maybe that is why he accepted order of František Pernikář and in Lanškroun, tempting opportunity showed up.

In Lanškroun, Erxleben continued in his experiments and on 1792, he asked courtly chamber for private privilege on new way of vitriol acid production.

On 11th May 1794, in Lanškroun, protestant Ch. P. Erxleben get married to fifteen years old Anna Pernikářová, daughter of departed František Pernikář. Jan Rieder, chief of Lanškroun manor and Václav Bíbus, citizen of Lanškroun were their witnesses. Haye, bishop of Hradec Králové was friend of Pernikář family. When they talked with him about marriage of their daughter with protestant they found support. Bishop Haye get them permission to marriage and he said about Erxleben as a groom: “Man that is loyal to his church and who does not want to change it, will bring to his wife and children happiness… and you can become husband of Anna Pernikářová.”

From mother-in-law, Mr. a Mrs. Erxleben took over wine-distillery in Lanškroun. In the same year, Erxleben opened pharmacy “U Milosrdného samaritána” (At Merciful Samaritan) and near he built small botanical garden. In his pharmacy, he took care of poor sick and of rich ones as well – in the spirit of name on the gable. New building of pharmacy had peculiar and in Lanškroun unusual architecture. Stone semi-circular portal had in the center of decorative circles interlaced letters of monogram CPE and under this symbol, there was wooden engraved garland. Later, his brother, pharmacist, Heinrich Wilhelm helped him in pharmacy; he came to him from Germany. In 1804, Erxleben sent him to Berlin to study and expand his knowledge of chemistry and botany. Then he worked in pharmacy again and in 1819 he died in Lanškroun.

Erxleben was educated chemist and botanist who did all his businesses on the scientific basis. In his laboratory, he prepared not only medicaments, but he started to produce well-known herbal liqueur called Londer as well; as he wrote, he had sold it right to London.

His enterprise in Lanškroun flourished. In 1795, he bought more land and next year, he bought leasehold wine-distillery. In 1799, he leased fields, meadows and farm buildings for ten years from establishment of Lanškroun for annual land tenure 413 guldens. In the same year, he bought Annenský Court from establishment that partially rebuilt into stone building. He also bought lands that belonged to the court. Diligence that he gave to his farmstead he get back in profit.

Since 1799, he co-operated with Czech Patriotic-Economic Association in Prague for which he made meteorological coverage. In 1810, se became corresponding member of this association.

Purposefully thanks to his action he crated financial conditions for intended textile business. He had an advantage he could continue in manufacture of his father-in-law. However he founded his textile business on different basis.
His reputation went around Lanškroun manor and even Bohemia and came to Vienna. 7th July 1799, duke Alois Lichtenštejn with Russian general duke Boromfský and his three sons visited Erxleben’s enterprise and his little botanical garden where they get refreshment. On this place, Erxleben let place stone plaque commemorating this event.
Erxleben – well-educated and enterprising person – realized that in the surroundings of Lanškroun there were grown a lot of flax (one of the best in Czech Kingdom) and that it was spun into yarn but nobody wove it. Probably because of lack of market opportunities and perseverance on traditional method of manufacturing, no larger manufacture or business organization (as we know them from north of Bohemia) were found on Lanškroun manor. Yarn was bought up in abundance by middlemen from Trutnov, Hostinné, Česká Lípa and Rumburk and then they partially exported it to Silesia, Saxony and into other places. Weavers from Lanškroun surroundings wove only the roughest yarn and provided only standard type of linen that was not good for foreign trade as Erxleben realized. In textile production there are two connected phases: gaining and processing of raw material, and production itself or modification of textile material. Erxleben wanted to produce flax cloths of fine yarn he had to think about founding of own bleachery and finishing room so he could sell his linen in foreign countries. However for this, he needed financial sources. In 1800, when his financial situation was better, he had many looms, harness and reeds done in Vamberk and Litomyšl. He employed weavers from mountain regions of Hradec Králové Region and at his home, they wove fine linen of yarn bought in Lanškroun surroundings as pattern for local weavers. Then he gave to several chosen local weavers beside harness and reeds also own yarn so they started to weave for him fine linen that could be sold especially in foreign countries. After overcoming several challenges, he started to print on linen. In that time, he employed 1 engraver, 1 dyer, 3 printers (who moved to Lanškroun) and 27 local people. He wrote about his business: “However I made all of my devices as economically as possible and made experiment with low capital, I had to have 50,000 guldens.” He started to look for market for his goods in foreign countries. Right in the beginning of his business, he established business relationships and found ways to new market for printed and especially white linen. Most of these goods he sold to Hamburg and to some Italian towns. He realized that white linen was better to sell in abroad than printed one because popularity of calico was in its way. To be able to expand his business, 31st August 1802, he demanded County Council in Chrudim and Central Office of Prague for permission to establish “Zitz-Koton-und Leinwandfabrik” in Lanškroun.

Central Office gave him a permission to open plant but he was restricted to process flax. He could use shield with emperor’s eagle as his emblem. This privilege was the evidence that state is willing to support his business and to protect it. Right to use emperor’s eagle symbol was external evidence. He also could mark his goods with trademark. Thanks to this privilege he also could employ unlimited number of employees in his factory. Processing of flax was restricted in that time because state was interested in growing and processing of flax in Lanškroun area because transition to producing of cotton goods could cause loss of livelihood of thousands of people in mountain regions.

County Council in Chrudim considered Erxleben to be expert and specialist and that is why they asked him for his opinion about flax industry in this county. In 1803, Erxleben sent to Chrudim extensive elaborate study including his experience with manufacture and flax trade.