Carl Rhoen

Carl (Joseph) Rhoen (born July 14, 1822 in Lemiers ; † May 23, 1899 in Aachen ) was a German surveyor, building contractor and publicist.

Live and act

The son of the farmer Rhoen (1784–1863) and Marie Elisabeth Cuvelier (1782–1846) from Orsbach completed an apprenticeship as a surveyor from 1843 to 1845 after leaving school and was then taken on as a technician by the Aachen-Neuss-Düsseldorfer railway company. Here he was part of the team that was tasked with expanding the new route from Aachen via Gladbach, Neuss to Düsseldorf. When the project stalled as a result of the revolution in 1848 , Rhoen temporarily took over a few smaller building projects in Rheydt , but soon returned to Aachen.

Here he joined the building contractor Friedrich Klausener in Burtscheid as a trainee and prepared for the exam to become a master mason , which he passed in 1852. He made friends with Friedrich Klausen's cousin, Bernhard Klausener , who was also training to become a master mason. After Rhoen passed the exam, Friedrich Klausener transferred the construction company to his cousin Bernhard and to Carl Rhoen, with the company operating under the name " B. Klausener & Rhoen " from then on . Bernhard Klausener was mainly responsible for order processing, bookkeeping and administration and Carl Rhoen was responsible for the practical details.

After almost 21 years of successful cooperation, Rhoen left the company at his own request in 1873 in order to dedicate himself to studying art and architecture from now on. With a study trip lasting several months to the most important cities in southern Germany and Italy, he deepened his knowledge.

After his return, he suffered several blows of fate that would affect the rest of his life. First his son Johann fell ill with tuberculosis and died of this disease in 1882. At the same time, his daughter Rosalie had married a cigar manufacturer whose business went bankrupt in 1874. Since Rhoen had invested in this factory with a large surety, he was then forced to sell four houses he owned. His daughter Rosalie later fell seriously ill and died in the same year as her brother Johann.

Since leaving the company B. Klausener & Rhoen , he has not had a permanent job, but joined the newly founded Aachen History Society in 1879 at the request of Alfred von Reumont and Hugo Loersch , after having been a member of the Aachen Archaeological Society since 1866 had listened to. Here Rhoen began a lively writing activity and wrote numerous reports, essays and publications on the architectural and art history of important Aachen objects as well as on more recent archaeological findings. Above all, the writings about the " Aachen city architect Johann Joseph Couven , father and son ", " Aachen at the time of the Romans ", about " The old network of roads between Cologne and Limburg as well as Maastricht and Bavay " and " The fortifications of the free imperial city of Aachen " served many decades as the basis for further research.

In the years 1858 to 1873 Carl Rhoen also devoted himself to photography . He preferred to photograph buildings in Aachen. Most of his photographs, however, have been lost or destroyed. Some of the preserved glass photo plates show, among other things, various motifs from Aachen Cathedral .

His activity as a painter is handed down in a watercolor from 1852 depicting the so-called Püngler gate (around 1775).

He made one last major public appearance when he was elected to a commission in 1883 that dealt with its reconstruction after the fire in Aachen's town hall in June of the same year. In this context, it was thanks to Rhoen's energetic advocacy that the town hall was to be decorated with two towers again.

Carl Rhoen, who had been married to Josepha Hartmann since 1847, suffered greatly from her death in 1890. Rhoen, who had lived at Aachener Boxgraben since 1886, died in May 1899. Of his seven children, only two sons and one daughter survived. He himself found his final resting place on Westfriedhof II in Aachen.

Construction contracts (selection)

• 1852: Creation of a new churchyard in Laurensberg
• 1853: Participation in the tender to build the Notre Dame de Treille cathedral in Lille
• 1862: Creation of the hot mountain cemetery in Burtscheid
• 1881/1882: Construction of the Michaelsbad in Burtscheid
• 1883: Participation in the tender to build the Aachen city hall after the city fire

Publications (selection)

• JH Kessel and Carl Rhoen: Description and history of the Carolingian Palatinate in Aachen. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association . 3rd volume, Aachen 1881, pp. 1-96 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The former community center (current grass house) in Aachen. In: Politisches Tageblatt, Aachen, August 3, 1882
• The St. Jakobskirche in Aachen. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association. 5th volume, Aachen 1883, pp. 37-52 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Something about the fire of the Aachen town hall on June 29, 1883. In: Journal of the Aachen history association. 5th volume, Aachen 1883, pp. 302-310 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Dürer's drawing of the Aachen town hall. In: Aachener Volkzeitung, Aachen October 20, 1883
• The St. Salvatorkapelle near Aachen. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association. 6th volume, Aachen 1884, pp. 65-80 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The grave find at Alt-Schurzelt. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association. 7th volume, Aachen 1885, pp. 281–284 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Addendum to the article: Some things about the fire of the Aachen town hall on June 29, 1883. In: Zeitschrift des Aachener Geschichtsverein. 7th volume, Aachen 1885, pp. 307-308 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The town builder JJ Couven, father and son. In: Echo of the Present. 37th year, No. 109, first sheet, Aachen May 13, 1885 p. 2 ULB Bonn
• The town builder JJ Couven, father and son. (End.) In: Echo of the Present. 37th year, no. 110, second sheet, Aachen May 13, 1885 pp. 1–2 ULB Bonn
• The Ottonian wall paintings in the Aachen Minster. In: Echo of the Present. 37th year, No. 219, second sheet, Aachen September 23, 1885 p. 1 ULB Bonn
• The Ottonian wall paintings in the Aachen Minster. (End.) In: Echo of the Present. 37th year, No. 219, second sheet, Aachen September 24, 1885 p. 1 ULB Bonn
• The chapel of the Carolingian Palatinate in Aachen. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association. 8th volume, Aachen 1886, pp. 15-96 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Aachen at the time of the Romans. In: Aachener Volkzeitung, Aachen 1886
• The Roman aqueduct between Burtscheid and Aachen. Aachen 1887
• Via the old network of paths between Cologne, Limburg, Maastricht and Bavay. Aachen 1887
• The Aachen city maps. (With illustration.) In: From Aachen's prehistory. 2nd year, issue No. 1, Aachen 1888, pp. 4–9 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ), ISL Aachen (PDF), copy ISL Aachen (PDF).
• The Aachen city maps. (With illustration.) In: From Aachen's prehistory. 2nd year, issue No. 1, Aachen 1888, pp. 26–30 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ), ISL Aachen (PDF), copy ISL Aachen (PDF).
• On the building history of the grass house. In: From Aachen's prehistory. 2nd year, issue No. 6, Aachen 1889, pp. 81–89 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The Carolingian Palatinate in Aachen. A topographical-archaeological study of their location and structures. FN Palm, Aachen 1889 ISL Aachen (PDF).
• The noble courts and patrician houses in Aachen. In: Aachener Zeitung, Aachen 1889
• Contribution to the building history of Aachen in the 17th century. In: From Aachen's prehistory. 3rd year, issue No. 6, Aachen 1890, pp. 81–95 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ), ISL Aachen (PDF).
• Contribution to the building history of Aachen in the 17th century (continuation and conclusion). In: From Aachen's prehistory. 3rd year, issue No. 7/8, Aachen 1890, pp. 97-106 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ), ISL Aachen (PDF).
• The older topography of the city of Aachen. Part 1 Cremersche Buchhandlung, Aachen 1891 ISL Aachen (PDF).
• The older topography of the city of Aachen. Part 2 with map of Cremersche Buchhandlung, Aachen 1891 ISL Aachen (PDF).
• Aachen city views. In: From Aachen's prehistory. 5th year, issue No. 5, Aachen 1892, pp. 73–80 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ), ISL Aachen (PDF).
• History of the St. Foillanskirche in Aachen. Creutzer, 1892 II, 80 p., [1] Bl.: Ill., Graph. Darst.
• The attacks of Dr. J. Lulvès on my writings on the archeology of Aachen. La Ruelle, Aachen 1893 ULB Düsseldorf
• The fortifications of the free imperial city of Aachen. Anton Creutzer, Aachen 1894 ULB Düsseldorf , ISL Aachen (PDF).
• Lemiers Castle and Chapel. La Ruelle, Aachen 1895 ISL Aachen (PDF).
• On the history of the older monuments of Kornelimünster. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association. Volume 16, Aachen 1894, pp. 112-131 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The so-called Carolingian Gang in Aachen. Aachen 1894
• Something about Burtscheid. In: Politisches Tageblatt. Aachen September 30th to November 27th, 1894
• The former picturesque and plastic wall decoration in the Carolingian part of the Aachen Minster. In: From Aachen's prehistory. 8th year, issue no. 8, Aachen 1895, pp. 113–124 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The market fountain in Aachen. La Ruelle, Aachen 1896 ISL Aachen (PDF).
• To defend the historical truth and to ward off the attacks of the archivist Pick. La Ruelle, Aachen 1896 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• The municipal builder Laurenz Mefferdatis. Aachen 1896.
• The great fire in Aachen on May 2, 1656. Aachen 1896.
• On the building history of the Aachen Minster. La Ruelle, Aachen 1898, MDZ Munich

Literature and Sources

• Dieter Detiège: Carl Rhoen, architect - July 14, 1822 - May 23, 1899. Burtscheid Society for Past and Present Book accompanying an exhibition [on the 100th anniversary of death, 1999]

Web links

Wikisource: Carl Rhoen  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Adam C. Oellers : The architects Joh. Jos. and Jakob Couven and their activities in Burtscheid. An exhibition in the Sparkasse Aachen branch in Burtscheid from April 23rd to April 21st. May 1993. Stercken Aachen 1993, p. 22.
2. ↑ Since, according to the Aachen list of monuments, the house dates from 1913 (Oppenhoffallee 112) by Rhoen, at least one of his sons probably worked as an architect. The description reads: "4-storey in 3 axes, the 3rd and 4th floors with a flat bay window in the central axis, 3-axis attic storey with flat gable, plastered". State curator of the Rhineland. List of monuments. 1.1 Aachen city center with Frankenberg quarter. With the participation of Hans Königs , arr. v. Volker Osteneck. Rheinland Verlag, Cologne 1977, p. 134.