Alexander of Branca
Alexander Raimund Freiherr von Branca (born January 11, 1919 in Schwabing , Munich ; † March 21, 2011 in Miesbach ) was a German architect and artist .
family
Freiherr von Branca was the only son of the second marriage of his father, the officer and diplomat Wilhelm Freiherr von Branca (1870–1958) and the painter Hedwig Frankenburger (1890–1985), who became known under the name Hedwig Branca-Kent ; the marriage was divorced in 1922.
Alexander Freiherr von Branca was married to the daughter of Georg Enoch Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg , Theresa Freiin zu Guttenberg (1929–1953; one son), his second marriage to Carolina Bernasconi. This marriage resulted in a son and three daughters, including Benedicta von Branca .
He lived on a listed farm in Miesbach, where he died on March 21, 2011.
Life
The family lived in Schwabing . He attended the country school house in Neubeu. As the son of Protestant parents, he converted to Catholicism . During the Second World War in 1941 he attended evening classes at the Blocherer drawing and architecture school . Von Branca was a soldier, but was also interned in Gestapo custody during the Nazi regime . "During this time, faith gave him a lot of strength."
From 1946 to 1948 he studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich . In 1948 he continued his studies at the ETH Zurich . From 1951 he worked in his own architectural office in Munich. In 1953 he was the artistic director of the German Transport Exhibition in Munich and from 1972 to 1988 district home administrator of Munich. His office successor was his daughter Alexandra Freiin von Branca in 2006.
In 1970 he was appointed Knight of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher by Cardinal Grand Master Eugène Tisserant , the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and on December 5, 1970 in Cologne Cathedral by Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger , Grand Prior of the Order, and Alois Hundhammer , Governor in Germany , invested.
Understanding of architecture
Characteristic for his architecture are the use of large walls, facings with natural stone and the fortress character of his 29 church buildings. About the understanding of architecture The form follows the function says Freiherr von Branca:
- Yes, the formula “form follows function” is wrong, it is simply a mistake. I also believe that Sullivan didn't just mean it materialistically or in relation to material, especially when one speaks of a church. What is the function of a church? The function of a church is to lead people out of dispersion and into gathering. If I want collection, the room has to be such that it allows collection. If function is understood this way, it could be formulated this way, but it is not understood that way or is not understood that way.
Important buildings and projects
- 1953: Pavilion of the light metal industry at the German Transport Exhibition in Munich (together with E. von der Lippe )
- 1954: Volksbank Weiden Oberpfalz
- 1954–1955: Monastery and monastery church of the Servites Mater Dolorosa Herzogspitalstr. 9 in Munich
- 1953–1955: Convent girls' dormitory and convent church Herz Jesu Sisters of the Divine Redeemer Buttermelcherstrasse in Munich (together with Herbert Groethuysen )
- 1955: Diplomatic housing complex in Thiemestrasse in Munich
- 1957–1958 Retirement home in Pullach, Munich
- 1957–1960: Steyler missionaries residential building at the Studienkolleg Church in Munich (demolished)
- 1958–1959: Catholic church center with parish church Maria Immaculata in Greifenberg
- 1960: Haniel's house in Haimhausen
- 1959–1961: Catholic parish church of the Transfiguration of Christ in Rohrbach
- 1960–1962: Catholic parish church Hl. Kreuz with kindergarten in Weißenburg in Bavaria
- 1962–1964: Catholic parish church of the Holy Trinity with parish office, kindergarten and nurses' home in Nuremberg - Langwasser
- 1962: funeral hall in Gauting
- 1962–1965: Catholic parish church St. Matthias in Munich
- 1963–1971: Naumburg family recreation home
- 1962–1965: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Madrid
- 1963–1967: District and Stadtsparkasse Wasserburg / Inn
- 1964–1967: Catholic parish church Hl. Kreuz in Bonn-Beuel
- 1967: Catholic parish church of St. Martin in Jettingen-Scheppach
- 1964–1968: Church and Generalate of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, Vallendar near Koblenz Catholic Church of Adoration (Schoenstatt) for the Holy Trinity on Mount Schoenstatt, as well
- 1964–1968: Educational center, nurses' home, holiday home, pilgrimage center to the monastery
- 1979–1982 Guest house and chapel of the dead at Schoenstatt Monastery, Vallendar near Koblenz
- 1967–1969 Dante High School in Munich
- 1966–1969: New construction of the Marienkapelle on the southern slope of Hirschberg Castle
- 1965-1971; 2006: Marienplatz underground station in Munich
- 1969–1972: Olympic press city in Munich (WB 1st prize)
- 1969–1974: Central library of the University of Regensburg (WB 1966 2nd prize)
- 1970–1975: Oberpostdirektion Freiburg im Breisgau
- 1970–1972: Parish center St. Thomas More in Neusäß
- 1971–1974: St Ulrich Kath. Education and Pastoral Care Center Augsburg (1969 1st Prize Ruhrgas Prize)
- 1972–1978: Canteen building on Hubland of the University of Würzburg (WB 1970 1st prize)
- 1973–1977: University library on Hubland of the University of Würzburg (WB 1970 1st prize)
- 1972–1974: Schanzl Tower in Passau
- 1974–1978: CH Beck-Verlag in Munich
- 1973–1975: 4 Bonn underground stations (WB 1973 2nd prize)
- 1977: Catholic parish church St. Walburga in Heidenheim (Middle Franconia)
- 1971–1975: Oberpostdirektion Freiburg Breisgau (WB 1st prize 1968)
- 1976–1980: Hertie department store in Würzburg
- 1977–1979: Catholic parish church St. Johannes Ev. in thesebach (Markt Regenstauf )
- 1979–1982 Guest house and chapel of the dead at Schoenstatt Monastery, Vallendar near Koblenz
- 1973–1981: New Pinakothek with Doerner Institute in Munich (1st prize WB 1967)
- 1965–1981: German Embassy to the Holy See in Rome (WB 1965 and 1968 1st prize)
- 1969–1974: University Central Library of the University of Regensburg (WB 1966 2nd prize)
- 1973–1977: Central Library of the University of Würzburg (WB 1970 1st prize)
- 1979–1982: Waldfriedhof building in Leutkirch im Allgäu
- 1981–1984: Theresienwiese underground station in Munich
- 1982: Father Josef Kentenich House in Schoenstatt
- 1982–1986: St. Hieronymus Seminary in Augsburg
- 1985–1987: Ettlingen palace gardens (WB 1st prize 1985)
- 1983–1987: Police and Health Department Esslingen (WB 1st prize 1978/79 and 1st prize 1979)
- 1985–1988: Building of the thermal baths Jordanbad in Biberach an der Riss
- 1985–1989: City-Hilton Munich
- 1985–1989: Prinzregentenplatz underground station in Munich
- 1986: Ev. Church of St. Michael on the Schwanberg near Kitzingen
- 1986–1993: WB 1st prize redesign and renovation of the Residenztheater in Munich
- 1987–1991: Stadthalle Frankenthal (Pfalz) (WB 1st prize 1987)
- 1990–1995 / 1996 Sibyllenbad health resort, Neualbenreuth (WB 1st prize 1986)
- 1991: Catholic parish church St. Peter in Kirchheim near Munich , district Heimstetten
- 1992-1996: Bishop grave lay under the west choir of the Bamberg Cathedral it
- 1994–1990: Hotel Marriott Munich
- 1996–2000: Casino in Bad Füssing
- 1996–2000: with Emanuela Freiin von Branca (partner) building of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg
- 1996-2000: Ev. Gethsemane Church in Würzburg- Heuchelhof WB 1st prize
- 1996–2001 New building for youth and homeless people, Abtei St. Bonifaz , Munich
- 1996–2001: New building of a casino and urban planning framework for Bad Kötzting
- 1998–2002: New building and renovation of DZ-Bank, Munich
- 2000–2002: Chapel Statio Dominus Mundi in Wustweiler ( Illingen municipality )
Awards and honors
- 1957: Prize for Architecture from the City of Munich
- 1957: Bavarian Prize from the Association of German Architects (BDA)
- 1964: North Rhine-Westphalia Prize of the Association of German Architects (BDA) (Church and Generalate Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary)
- 1971: Bavarian Prize from the Association of German Architects (BDA) for the district and city savings bank Wasserburg
- 1972: Bavarian Prize of the BDA for the state nursery school in Neubünsch
- 1970: Knight of the Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
- 1975: 3 x Bavarian Prize from the Association of German Architects (BDA) (Regensburg Central Library; Haus des Gastes Bad Füssing; Marienplatz Munich subway station) and other BDA prizes
- 1980: Ludwig Thoma Medal from the City of Munich
- 1980: Award of the monument protection medal
- 1981: Awarded Europa-Nostra for Hertie department store in Würzburg
- 1983: Architecture Prize of the City of Munich
- 1984: Medal " Munich shines "
- 1984: Karl-Friedrich-Schinkel-Ring of the German National Committee for Monument Protection
- 1989: Bavarian Constitutional Medal
- 1989: Bavarian poet thaler
- 1991: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
- 1992: Upper Bavarian Culture Prize
- 1999: Big Star of the Princely Liechtenstein Order of Merit
- 1999: Large Federal Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1999: Leo von Klenze Medal from the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior
- Academy of Fine Arts
- Member of the Academy for Urban Development
- Member of the state architecture committee
- Member of the PI Accademia dei Virtuosi al Pantheon
- Appointment as honorary professor by the Free State of Bavaria
- Knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta
- Badge of Honor of the city of Burghausen
- Bavarian Order of Merit
- Commander of the Papal New Year's Eve
Exhibitions
- Sept./Oct. 2005 Alexander Freiherr von Branca watercolors, sketches, architecture. Rooms that mean the whole thing in the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Museum Erkner
literature
- Alexander von Branca: Facets of a Life. Urfeld publishing house, Bad Tölz 2001, ISBN 3-932857-18-6 .
- Architekturmuseum Schwaben (Ed.): Alexander Freiherr von Branca (1919), Augsburg 2019.
- Karin Blum (ed.): Alexander von Branca - architecture for builders. Kastner publishing house, Wolnzach 2003, ISBN 3-936154-96-1 .
- E. Burmeister, H. Caspari (arrangement): Alexander Freiherr von Branca. Cat. Exhib. Munich University of Applied Sciences, 1979.
- Thomas von Nies: Alexander Freiherr von Branca on his 100th birthday, a pioneering church builder from Bavaria, in: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (Ed.): Monument Preservation Information, No. 171 (2019), pp. 39–42.
Web links
- Alexander of Branca. In: arch INFORM .
- Literature by and about Alexander von Branca in the catalog of the German National Library
- An exceptional architect. In: Donaukurier. April 23, 2009.
- Alfred Dürr: Preserver and Renewer . January 9, 2009 ( article in the SZ on the occasion of his 90th birthday ).
- Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Freiherr von Branca Architect in conversation with Dr. Michael Schramm. (PDF, 39 kB) BR-alpha, January 26, 1998, accessed on August 8, 2015 .
- Already listed at the age of 45 - St. Matthias in Munich-Fürstenried. Munich church radio, recording from February 21, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alexander Freiherr von Branca is dead ( Memento from March 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), BR-online from March 23, 2011. Retrieved on May 26, 2015.
- ↑ Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Freiherr von Branca Architect in conversation with Dr. Michael Schramm. (PDF, 39 kB) BR-alpha, January 26, 1998, accessed on August 8, 2015 .
- ↑ tz.de : Alexander von Branca is dead - He brought the world to the Oktoberfest. (web) tz.de, accessed on March 22, 2011 .
- ↑ Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Freiherr von Branca Architect in conversation with Dr. Michael Schramm. (PDF, 39 kB) BR-alpha, January 26, 1998, p. 5 , accessed on August 8, 2015 .
- ↑ Oberpostdirektion Freiburg im Breisgau. In: Post offices. Karl Krämer Verlag 1989.
- ^ Passauer Neue Presse , March 19, 2011, Passau local section, p. 22.
- ^ Evangelical Lutheran Gethsemanegemeinde Würzburg Heuchelhof. Gethsemanekirche-wuerzburg.de, April 16, 2010, accessed on September 18, 2010 .
- ↑ Kreis- und Stadtsparkasse Wasserburg ( Memento from May 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved on May 26, 2015.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Branca, Alexander of |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Branca, Alexander Freiherr von; Branca, Raimund Alexander Wilhelm Maximilian Freiherr von (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German architect |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 11, 1919 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Munich |
DATE OF DEATH | March 21, 2011 |
Place of death | Miesbach |