Leopold Biwald

Who was Leopold Biwald?

Leopold Gottlieb Biwald was a professor at the University of Graz.

At the age of sixteen Biwald joined the Jesuits. He became teacher of rhetoric at a secondary school in Laibach and graduated as Dr. theol. in 1761. He became professor of logic and soon afterwards of physics at the University of Graz. In 1786-1787 and again 1798-1799 he was rector of the University of Graz.

His Latin physics textbooks included Physica Generalis, dealing with mechanics including celestial mechanics, and Physica Particularis, dealing with diverse topics including optics. Physica Particularis was also widely distributed throughout Austria-Hungary as Institutiones Physicae. He was a contemporary of Johann Baptiste Horvath, Andreas Jaszlinszky and Joseph Redlhamer.

His bust, made in 1807 by Johann Martin Fischer, is now displayed in the main reading room of the University Library of Graz.