Hans Caspar Escher

Hans Caspar Escher lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1851

Hans Caspar Escher vom Glas also Hans Caspar Escher in the Felsenhof (born August 9, 1775 in Zurich ; † August 29, 1859 in Herrliberg ) was a Swiss industrialist , social pioneer, politician and architect.

biography

Hans Caspar Escher came from the Heinrich line of the Escher family from glass . His father was Johannes Caspar Escher (1754–1819), who hosted Goethe on his Schipf estate in Herrliberg . As a youth he was to become a businessman, according to his father's will. During a stay in Livorno , however, he was enthusiastic about architecture and construction and studied architecture in Rome from 1794–97 . After returning to Zurich, Escher initially worked as an architect. In 1803 he began to construct spinning chairs in order to set up his own spinning mill. In 1805 he founded the Escher, Wyss & Cie company with the banker Salomon von Wyss in der Neumühle in Zurich under the name of Escher Wyss & Co cotton spinning mill . The company soon shifted its main activity completely to the construction and construction of machines of all kinds, later also locomotives, steamships and, while Escher was still alive, with its branches in Ravensburg and Vienna, it became the largest machine factory in what was then Switzerland and one of the most important in Europe in the 19th century Century. Escher's factory played a pioneering role in both social and technical areas.

After his home in Zurich, Hans Caspar Escher was also given the nickname “im Felsenhof”. His only son, Albert Escher, died before his father in 1845. Escher had been married to Anna von Muralt since 1806. In addition to his work at the Escher Wyss company, Escher continued to work as an architect and was also a member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Zurich until 1830 .

The cantonal administration building at Neumühlequai 10 in Zurich is at the first location of the Escher-Wyss machine factory and is named after Hans Caspar Escher as the Kaspar-Escher-Haus.

Preserved buildings by Hans Caspar Escher

The main guard at Zurich's town hall, designed by Hans Conrad Stadler according to Escher's plans

• Casino am Hirschengraben in Zurich, 1806-07
• Landhaus Schinz, Rötelstrasse 34 with an English garden in Zurich, 1815
• Hauptwache at Zurich City Hall , 1824–25
• Cantonal Council Chamber in Zurich City Hall with audience stand, 1833
• Herzoggut (1816-19) in Aarau ,
• Economic building of Landhaus Schipf in Herrliberg , 1819

literature

• Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz , Vol. 3, Neuchâtel 1926, p. 76f.
• Jürg Haefelin: Hans Caspar Escher: architect and founder of "Escher, Wyss & Co.", buildings and projects in Zurich . Zurich 1989.
• Albert Mousson: Life picture of Johann Caspar Escher in the Felsenhof . Zurich 1868.
• Charlotte Peter et al .: Hans Caspar Escher, 1775–1859 - François-Louis Cailler, 1796–1852 - Salomon Volkart, 1816–1893 - Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer, 1834–1906 . Association for Economic History Studies, Zurich 1956. (Swiss pioneers in business and technology; 6)
• Hermann Wartmann:  Escher, Caspar . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, pp. 359-362.

Web links

• Bruno Carl: Escher, Hans Caspar (from the glass). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .