Dr Leonhard Demel
* 1856, † 1915,
He was the son of Jan Demel and Franciszka neé Kłapsia. After leaving school in Cieszyn he studied law at the universities of Vienna, Graz and Heidelberg. He then worked as a lawyer in his father’s law firm. After his father’s death in 1892 he succeeded him as mayor of Cieszyn. He held office for several terms in the years 1892-1908 and 1913-1915. Like his father he made a great contribution in the further development of Cieszyn, particularly with the building of the Lutheran hospital (today the Silesian Hospital), an old people’s home, a modern water supply system, the gasworks and the power station. In 1911, during his time in office, the tram line in Cieszyn was put into service. He supported the Cieszyn Society for the Building of the Theatre, thanks to which the theatre was opened in 1910. In 1893 he proposed the founding of a town museum, which was only finalised in 1901.
Like his father, Jan, Leonhard Demel chiefly cared for the interests of the German-speaking part of the town’s population. As a member of the German Liberal party (called the German-Progress Party) he was elected to the Austrian Parliament in 1895, which seat he held until his death.