Architecture of Germany

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The view from Frankfurt Cathedral, showing the diversity of German architecture.
Landmarks include the restored Gothic Rmer, the Neoclassical Paulskirche and the
Modernist and Postmodernist skyscrapers of the Frankfurt skyline.
The architecture of Germany has a long, rich and diverse history. Every major Eu
ropean style from Roman to Post Modern is demonstrated, including renowned examp
les of Carolingian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Mode
rn architecture.
Centuries of fragmentation of Germany into principalities and kingdoms caused a
great regional diversity and favoured vernacular architecture. This made for a h
eterogeneous and diverse architectural style, with architecture differing from t
own to town. While this diversity may still be witnessed in small towns, the dev
astation of architectural heritage in the larger cities during World War II resu
lted in extensive rebuilding characterized by simple modernist architecture.
Contents [hide]
1 Ancient architecture
2 Pre-Romanesque
3 Romanesque
4 Gothic
5 Renaissance
6 Baroque
7 Classicism
8 Historicism
9 Art Nouveau (Jugendstil)
10 Modern
11 Post-War Reconstruction
12 See also
13 Notes
Ancient architecture[edit]
The Porta Nigra in Trier, one of the largest architectural relics from the Roman
period
The Roman Empire once extended over much of today's German Federal Republic, and
there are still remains from around 100-150AD at the Limes Romanus, the border
defence system of Ancient Rome marking the boundaries of the Roman Empire at tha
t time. In addition to military structures such as forts and military camps buil
t by the Romans, and other border fortifications, there are also spas, bridges,
and amphitheatres.
Trier, on the banks of the Moselle River, is the oldest city in Germany, a great
metropolis founded in or before 16 BC. The best-known survival from that period
is probably the Porta Nigra, the best-preserved ancient city gate. There are al
so remains of thermal spas, a Roman bridge and the (reconstructed) Constantine b
asilica.
With the departure of the Romans, their urban culture and their advances in arch
itecture (e.g., heating, windows, and glass) vanished from Germany.
Pre-Romanesque[edit]
The 9th-century Torhalle (gatehouse) at Lorsch Abbey is a unique survival of the
Carolingian era.
The Pre-Romanesque period in Western European art is usually dated from either t
he emergence of the Merovingian kingdom in about 500 or from the Carolingian Ren
aissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the 11th century Romanesqu
e period. German buildings from this period include Lorsch Abbey. This combines
elements of the Roman triumphal arch (arch-shaped passageways, half-columns) wit
h the vernacular Teutonic heritage (baseless triangles of the blind arcade, poly
chromatic masonry).
One of the most important churches in this style is the Abbey Church of St. Mich
ael's, constructed between 1001 and 1031 under the direction of Bishop Bernward
of Hildesheim (993-1022) as the chapel of his Benedictine monastery. It is built
in the so-called Ottonic (Early-Romanesque) style. The Ottonian Renaissance was
a minor renaissance that accompanied the reigns of the first three emperors of
the Saxon Dynasty, all named Otto: Otto I (936 973), Otto II (973 983), and Otto III
(983 1002).
Romanesque[edit]
Main article: Romanesque architecture
See also: List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches
Speyer Cathedral
The Romanesque period, from the 10th to the early 13th century, is characterised
by semi-circular arches, robust appearance, small paired windows, and groin vau
lts. Many churches in Germany date from this time, including the twelve Romanesq
ue churches of Cologne. The most significant building of this period in Germany
is Speyer Cathedral. It was built in stages from about 1030, and was in the 11th
century the largest building in the Christian world and an architectural symbol
of the power of the Salian dynasty, a dynasty of four German Kings (1024 1125).
The cathedrals of Worms and Mainz are other important examples of Romanesque sty
le. Many churches and monasteries were founded in this era, particularly in Saxo
ny-Anhalt. The Rhenish Romanesque, for example at Limburg Cathedral, produced wo
rks that used coloured surrounds. Of particular importance are also the church o
f St. Servatius in Quedlinburg, and also Luebeck Cathedral, Brunswick Cathedral,
Trier Cathedral and Bamberg Cathedral, whose last phase of construction falls i
n the Gothic period.
Maulbronn Abbey is considered a significant example of Cistercian architecture.
It was built between the 12th and 15th centuries, and therefore includes Gothic
elements. In the 11th century there also began construction of numerous castles,
including the famous castle of Wartburg, which was later expanded in the Gothic
style.
Gothic[edit]
Cologne Cathedral
Gothic architecture flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evol
ved from Romanesque architecture. The first Gothic buildings in Germany were bui
lt from about 1230, for example the Liebfrauenkirche (German for Church of Our d
ear Lady) ca. 1233-1283 in Trier, which is one of the most important early Gothi
c cathedrals in Germany and falls into the architectural tradition of the French
Gothic.
Freiburg Cathedral was built in three stages, the first beginning in 1120 under
the dukes of Zhringen, the second beginning in 1210, and the third in 1230. Of th
e original building, only the foundations still exist. It is noted for its 116-m
etre tower, which Jacob Burckhardt reputedly claimed is the most beautiful in Ch
ristian architecture. The tower is nearly square at the base, and at its centre
is the dodecagonal star gallery. Above this gallery, the tower is octagonal and
tapered, with the spire above. It is the only Gothic church tower in Germany tha
t was completed in the Middle Ages (1330), and survived the bombing raids of Nov
ember 1944, which destroyed all of the houses on the west and north side of the
market.
The market place at Dornstetten showing half-timbered buildings, with the mediev
al church of St Martin on the right
Cologne Cathedral is after Milan Cathedral the largest Gothic cathedral in the w
orld. Construction began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to com
plete a period of over 600 years. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its t
wo towers are 157 m tall.[1] Because of its enormous twin spires, it also has th
e largest faade of any church in the world. The choir of the cathedral, measured
between the piers, also holds the distinction of having the largest height to wi
dth ratio of any Medieval church, 3.6:1, exceeding even Beauvais Cathedral which
has a slightly higher vault.[2]
Brick Gothic (German: Backsteingotik) is a specific style of Gothic architecture
common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions aroun
d the Baltic Sea without natural rock resources. The buildings are built more or
less using only bricks. Stralsund City Hall and St. Nicholas Church are good ex
amples of this style. Cities such as Lbeck, Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund Greifswald
and various towns in present-day northern and western Poland are shaped by this
regional style. A model for many North German churches was St. Mary's in Lbeck,
built between 1200 and 1350.
The building of Gothic churches was accompanied by the construction of the guild
houses and the construction of town halls by the rising bourgeoisie. A good exa
mple is the Gothic Town Hall (13th century) at Stralsund. There is also Bremen T
own Hall (1410) and the (reconstructed) city hall of Munster (originally from 13
50).
The dwellings of this period were mainly timber-framed buildings, as can still b
e seen in Goslar and Quedlinburg. Quedlinburg has one of the oldest half-timbere
d houses in Germany. The method of construction, used extensively for town house
s of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, (see Dornstetten, illustrated above)
lasted into the 20th century for rural buildings.
Renaissance[edit]
Wolfenbttel's Schloss.
Renaissance architecture belongs to the period between the early 15th and early
17th centuries in different parts of Europe, when there was a conscious revival
and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and cultu
re. The earliest example of Renaissance architecture in Germany is the Fugger ch
apel in St. Anne's Church, Augsburg. At that time, Germany was fragmented into n
umerous principalities, the citizens generally had few rights and armed conflict
, especially the religious conflicts of the Protestant Reformation, ensured that
large tracts of land remained virtually undeveloped.
Some princes, however, promoted modern art, for example in Torgau and Aschaffenb
urg, and Landshut, where the renaissance era originated. Examples include the de
corated inner courtyard of Trausnitz Castle and the ducal Landshut Residence in
the inner city, built by Italian Renaissance master craftsmen.
St. Michael in Munich (begun around 1581) is an important Renaissance building.
There is also Heidelberg Castle with its typical Renaissance faades. Augsburg Cit
y Hall is also a significant renaissance, but it was late, built from 1614 to 16
20, by the Augsburg architect Elias Holl.
In the area of the Weser there are numerous castles and manor houses in the styl
e of the Weser Renaissance. There are also the cities of Lemgo and Hamelin. Wolf
enbttel Castle of Guelph and the evangelical church Beatae Maria Virginis are als
o special examples of the Renaissance style.
In Thuringia and Saxony, many churches and palaces in the Renaissance style were
built, for example, William Castle with castle in Schmalkalden, the church of R
udolstadt, the Castle of Gotha, a town hall in Leipzig, the interior of the pres
bytery, the Freiberg Cathedral, the Castle in Dresden or the Schnhof in Gorlitz.
In northern Germany there is Gstrower Castle and the rich interior of Stralsund's
Nikolai Church.
Baroque[edit]
Frauenkirche, Dresden
Baroque architecture began in the early 17th century in Italy, reinventing the h
umanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture in a new rhetorical, theatr
ical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state.
But whereas the Renaissance drew on the wealth and power of the Italian courts,
and was a blend of secular and religious forces, the Baroque directly linked to
the Counter-Reformation, a movement within the Catholic Church to reform itself
in response to the Protestant Reformation.
The Baroque style arrived in Germany after the Thirty Years War. The Baroque arc
hitecture of the German government royal and princely houses was based on the mo
del of France, especially the court of Louis XIV at Versailles. Examples are the
 Zwinger Palace in Dresden built by Matthus Daniel Pppelmann from 1709 to 1728, in
itially for the holding of court festivals. The architecture of absolutism alway
s put the ruler at the center, thus increasing the spatial composition, for exam
ple, the power of the ruler - perhaps in the form of the magnificent staircase l
eading to the person of the ruler.
The interaction of architecture, painting and sculpture is an essential feature
of Baroque architecture. An important example is the Wrzburg Residence with the E
mperor's Hall and the staircase, whose construction began under the leadership o
f Johann Balthasar Neumann, in 1720. The frescoes in the staircase were made by
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo from 1751 to 1753.
Other well-known Baroque palaces are the New Palace in Potsdam, Schloss Charlott
enburg in Berlin, Schloss Weienstein in Pommersfelden and Augustusburg Castle in
Brhl, whose interiors are partly in the Rococo style.
Rococo is the late phase of the Baroque, in which the decoration became even mor
e abundant and showed most colors in even brighter tones. For example, Sanssouci
Palace, built from 1745 to 1747, which was the former summer palace of Frederic
k the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among
the German rivals of Versailles.
Among the best known examples include the Bavarian Baroque church in the Benedic
tine Ottobeuren, the Weltenburg monastery, Ettal Abbey and St. John Nepomuk Chur
ch, called Asam Church in Munich. Other examples of Baroque church architecture
are the Basilica of the Vierzehnheiligen in Upper Franconia and the rebuilt Frau
enkirche in Dresden, created by George Bhr between 1722 and 1743.
Classicism[edit]
Wrlitz Palace
Classicism arrived in Germany in the second half of the 18th century. It drew in
spiration from the classical architecture of antiquity, and was a reaction again
st the Baroque style, in both architecture and landscape design.
The English Grounds of Wrlitz is one of the first and largest English parks in Ge
rmany. It was created in the late 18th century under the regency of Duke Leopold
III of Anhalt-Dessau (1740 1817), after returning from a Grand Tour to Italy, the
Netherlands, England, France and Switzerland which he had taken together with h
is architect friend Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff. Unlike the formal Baroq
ue gardens, it celebrated the naturalistic manner of the English landscape garde
n, and symbolised the promised freedom of the Enlightenment era.
The Brandenburg Gate, commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a
sign of peace and completed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1791, is arguably one o
f the most famous monuments of classicism in Germany. The Brandenburg Gate was r
estored from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument
Conservation Foundation).[3] It is now considered one of Europe's most famous la
ndmarks.
The most important architect of this style in Germany was undoubtedly Karl Fried
rich Schinkel. Schinkel's style, in his most productive period, is defined by it
s appeal to Greek rather than Imperial Roman architecture, avoiding the style th
at was linked to the recent French occupiers. His most famous buildings are foun
d in and around Berlin. These include Neue Wache (1816 1818), the Schauspielhaus (
1819 1821) at the Gendarmenmarkt, which replaced the earlier theater that was dest
royed by fire in 1817, and the Altes Museum (old museum, see photo) on Museum Is
land (1823 1830).
A 17th-century house in Germany
Leo von Klenze (1784 1864) was a court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, anothe
r prominent representative of the Greek revival style. Ludwig's passion for Hell
enism inspired the architectural style of von Klenze, who built many neoclassica
l buildings in Munich, including the Ruhmeshalle and Monopteros temple. On Knigsp
latz he designed probably the best known modern Hellenistic architectural ensemb
le. Near Regensburg he built the Walhalla temple, named after Valhalla, the home
of the gods in Norse mythology.
Another important building of the period is Wilhelm Castle in Kassel (begun 1786
).
Historicism[edit]
Semper Opera in Dresden
Historicism (historismus), sometimes known as eclecticism, is an artistic and ar
chitectural style that draws inspiration from historic styles or craftmanship. A
fter the neo-classicist period (which could itself be considered a historicist m
ovement), a new historicist phase emerged in the middle of the 19th century, mar
ked by a return to a more ancient classicism, in particular in architecture and
in the genre of history painting.
An important architect of this period was Gottfried Semper, who built the galler
y (1855) at the Zwinger Palace and the Semper Opera (1878) in Dresden, and was i
nvolved with the first design of the Schwerin Palace. Semper's buildings have fe
atures derived from the early Renaissance style, Baroque and even features Corin
thian style pillars typical of classical Greece.[4][5]
There were regional variants of the historicist styles in Germany. Examples are
the resort architecture (especially in MV on the German Baltic coast), the Hanov
er School of Architecture and the Nuremberg style.
The predilection for medieval buildings has its most famous exemplar in the cast
le of Neuschwanstein, which Ludwig II commissioned in 1869. Neuschwanstein was d
esigned by Christian Jank, a theatrical set designer, which possibly explains th
e fantastical nature of the resulting building. The architectural expertise, vit
al to a building in such a perilous site, was provided first by the Munich court
architect Eduard Riedel and later by Georg von Dollmann, son-in-law of Leo von
Klenze.
There is also Ulm Cathedral, and at the end of the period the Reichstag building
(1894) by Paul Wallot.
Art Nouveau (Jugendstil)[edit]
The Villa Esche by Henry Van de Velde
German Art Nouveau is commonly known by its German name, Jugendstil. The name is
taken from the artistic journal, Die Jugend, which was published in Munich and
which espoused the new artistic movement. Two other journals, Simplicissimus, pu
blished in Munich, and Pan, published in Berlin, proved to be important proponen
ts of the Jugendstil. The two main centres for Jugendstil art in Germany were Mu
nich and Darmstadt.
Drawing from traditional German printmaking, the style uses precise and hard edg
es, an element that was rather different from the flowing lines seen in Art Nouv
eau elsewhere. Henry Van de Velde, who worked most of his career in Germany, was
a Belgian theorist who influenced many others to continue in this style of grap
hic art including Peter Behrens, Hermann Obrist, and Richard Riemerschmid. Augus
t Endell is another notable Art Nouveau designer.[6]
Modern[edit]
The Bauhaus
The distinctive character of modern architecture is the elimination of unnecessa
ry ornament from a building and faithfulness to its structure and function. The
style is commonly summed up in four slogans: ornament is a crime, truth to mater
ials, form follows function, and Le Corbusier's description of houses as "machin
es for living". It developed early in the 20th century. It was adopted by many i
nfluential architects and architectural educators. Although few "Modern building
s" were built in the first half of the century, after the Second World War it be
came the dominant architectural style for institutional and corporate buildings
for three decades.
The initial impetus for modernist architecture in Germany was mainly industrial
construction, in which the architectural design was not subjected to so much to
the prevailing historicism, for example the AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin by Peter
Behrens (1908 1909) and especially the Fagus Factory by Walter Gropius in Alfeld a
n der Leine (1911 1914). During this period (1915) there occurred the construction
of the first skyscraper in Jena.
The so-called classical modernism in Germany is essentially identical to the Bau
haus, founded by Gropius in 1919, shortly after he had succeeded Henry van de Ve
lde in Weimar as Director of the Arts and Crafts School. The Bauhaus became the
most influential art and architecture school of the 20th century development. Al
though at first it had no architecture department, Gropius saw in the architectu
re, the "ultimate goal of all artistic activity."
The Einsteinturm or Einstein Tower in Potsdam, Germany
The Einstein Tower (German: Einsteinturm) is an astrophysical observatory in the
Albert Einstein Science Park in Potsdam, Germany designed by architect Erich Me
ndelsohn. This was one of Mendelsohn's first major projects, completed when a yo
ung Richard Neutra was on his staff, and his best-known building.
At a time of inflation and economic hardship, the Bauhaus sought a cost-effectiv
e, functional and modern design for housing. Thus in Weimar in 1923 there arose
the Haus am Horn of Georg Muche and Adolf Meyer. In 1925, a year after the natio
nalist parties gained a majority in the Thuringian state parliament, the Bauhaus
in Weimar was shut down. That same year, in Dessau, Gropius began to build a ne
w school, completed in 1926. The Bauhaus Dessau is by far the most famous monume
nt of classical modern art in Germany.
When the Nazis gained power in 1932, the Bauhaus shut down. After this there was
a diaspora of masters and students of the Bauhaus across the world, especially
in the United States, and the Bauhaus style spread through the world, becoming k
nown as the International Style. In 1927, one of the first and most defining man
ifestations of the International Style was the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart, b
uilt as a component of the exhibition "Die Wohnung," organized by the Deutscher
Werkbund, and overseen by Mies van der Rohe. The fifteen contributing architects
included Mies, and other names most associated with the movement: Peter Behrens
, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, J.J.P. Oud, Mart Stam, and Bruno Taut. The exhib
ition was enormously popular, with thousands of daily visitors.
The Scharoun residence, Weissenhof Estate
A number of housing estates built in this period are now among the most importan
t buildings of the modernist period. They include the Horseshoe housing estate b
uilt in Berlin in 1930 by Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner during the Weimar Republi
c, The Allotment Dammerstock (1930) in Karlsruhe by Gropius, and the Zeche Zollv
erein in Essen, built from 1927 to 1932 by Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer.
Between 1926 and 1940 most radio towers in Germany were built of wood, of which
the tallest was that of Transmitter Muehlacker (190 metres)[citation needed]. Th
e only remaining of them is Gliwice Radio Tower in Gliwice ( nowadays Poland).
The Nazi architecture (1933-1945) with main architect Albert Speer served propag
anda purposes.
Post-War Reconstruction[edit]
Postwar reconstruction: the historic Frankfurt Cathedral, has been rebuilt.
During the Allied strategic bombing campaign of World War II, the historic city
centres of most cities suffered severe loss to architectural heritage, with case
s of almost total destruction. The reconstruction efforts after the war varied c
onsiderably between East and West Germany, and between individual cities. In mos
t cities some of the more significant landmarks were restored or reconstructed,
often in a simplified manner. In general, the cities were not reconstructed acco
rding to their historic appearance, but in a functional, modernist style.
There is a recent trend in the 21st century in many German cities to resume reco
nstruction work and New Classical Architecture in core areas. Examples of this c
an be found at the Neumarkt in Dresden (including the famous Frauenkirche), with
reconstructions in the old town of Frankfurt (Dom-Rmer Project), with the City P
alace of Berlin and the old market and City Palace of Potsdam.
See also[edit]
German Architecture Museum
List of German architects
Timber framing
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Cologne Cathedral official website
Jump up ^ Banister Fletcher, A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method
Jump up ^ "Das Brandenburger Tor" [The Brandenburg Gate] (in German). Die Stiftu
ng Denkmalschutz Berlin. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
Jump up ^ "Anfnge (in German)". Semperoper. Archived from the original on June 5,
2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
Jump up ^ "Das Kleine Hoftheater (in German)". Semperoper. Archived from the ori
ginal on November 10, 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
Jump up ^ "Art Nouveau - Art Nouveau Art". Huntfor.com. Archived from the origin
al on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
[hide] v t e
Architecture of Europe
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History
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thic Renaissance Baroque Biedermeier Classicism Neoclassical Historicism Grnderze
it Gothic Revival Neo-Renaissance Neo-Baroque Rationalism Modernisme Art Nouveau
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Categories: German architectureGerman designEuropean architectureGerman culture
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