Josef Madersperger - Kufstein, Tirol, Austria
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member André de Montbard
N 47° 34.871 E 012° 10.219
33T E 287223 N 5273632
Birthplace of the of the inventor of the sewing machine, Josef Madersperger, in Kufstein.
Waymark Code: WM11XNX
Location: Tirol, Austria
Date Posted: 01/06/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member kaschper69
Views: 4

Josef Madersperger (* October 6, 1768 in Kufstein; † October 2, 1850 in Vienna) was a tailor. He is one of the inventors of the sewing machine.

Josef Madersperger was born in 1768 in Kufstein. In 1790 his father and he relocated to Vienna because his parents' house in Tirol burned down. In 1807 he began development of the sewing machine, spending all his savings and leisure time. In 1814 he presented his first sewing machine, which imitated a human hand. Madersperger did not commercialize the 1815 granted privilege which expired after 3 years. By 1823 he was registered in the Himmelpfortgasse 14 as "former" middle-class tailor.

After several unsuccessful attempts to improve the sewing machine, in 1839 he built a machine imitating the weaving process using the chain stitch. Madersperger was out of money, so he could not set up a factory. He donated the prototype to the k.k. polytechnical institute ( the predecessor of the technical university ). In 1841 he received a bronze medal from the lower Austrias business society.

Madersperger died on 2 October 1850, staying with his wife for only 3 months in Vienna's almshouse. He is buried in a common grave at the St. Marx Cemetery. Vienna's tailors guild erected a crucifix made of cast iron, and continues to maintain the grave.

In his honour, 1933 a memorial was presented to the public in the Resselpark at Karlsplatz. Streets in Vienna, Linz and Innsbruck got his name. The almshouse was replaced 1955-57 by a community-subsidized tenement building. A memorial tablet reminds about Madersperger. The lodgers call the building Madersperger-Hof.

Source Wikipedia

The Basement of the building host a little history museum about the seweing machine and Madersperger.
Name of Famous Person: Josef Madersperger

Physical Address: Kinkstraße 16, Kufstein, Austria

What is this person famous for?:
Inventing the sewing machine.


Website verifying legitimacy of site: [Web Link]

Additional Website verifying Site legitimacy: [Web Link]

Personal Experience:
Tiny little house on the fortress mountain foot.


Other information about area: Not listed

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