Erwin van Aaken
Erwin van Aaken (born May 9, 1904 in Straelen , † January 28, 2008 in Würzburg ) was a German architect who became known for a large number of Catholic church buildings.
Life
Erwin van Aaken was born in Straelen on the Lower Rhine as the oldest of eight children. After attending grammar school in his place of birth, he worked in his father's architectural office from 1923 before studying architecture at the Technical University of Munich from 1925 to 1927 . At the beginning of his studies he became a member of the Catholic student association Trifels. He interrupted his studies to work as a draftsman in his uncle Albert Boßlet 's office. From 1928 to 1930 he continued his studies and graduated with a degree in engineering .
As early as 1928 he had been given his uncle's construction office in Regensburg , which he managed until 1932. Here he was responsible for the construction of the hospital of the Barmherzigen Brüder as well as for the hospital in Schwandorf . In 1932 he then worked as a construction trainee at the Landbauamt Bamberg and at the University Building Authority of Würzburg.
Appointed government architect ( assessor in the public building administration) in 1933, he decided in 1934 to work as a freelance architect and to continue working with Albert Boßlet. From 1940 onwards, van Aaken worked as a structural engineer at the Bavarian State Trade Organization in Würzburg, until he was drafted into military service in 1942 and assigned as a non-commissioned officer to build roads and bridges on the Eastern Front. He completed an officer training until January 1945 and then came to the construction pioneer battalion 476 in Treuburg . Van Aaken was shot through the leg and was taken prisoner by the British in Heiligenhafen .
After his release from captivity, he returned to Würzburg and founded a working group together with his uncle Albert Boßlet in 1945. It was only after Boßlet's death in 1957 that he continued the office independently. His marriage in 1948 had four children by 1955. His eldest son Stephan joined the office in 1978 and continued it when his father retired in 1996 at the age of 92.
Erwin van Aaken died on January 28, 2008 at the age of 103 in Würzburg.
plant
Erwin van Aaken became known nationwide for his church buildings, which were shaped by his long-term collaboration with Albert Boßlet . He found his own style after Boßlet's death in 1957 and the continuation of the previously shared office. The church buildings in the 1960s and 1970s show the development of an individual artistic profile that reveals the fundamental influences of Bosslet. In church construction, van Aaken designed unmistakable room shapes with a preference for skylights or indirect light.
During his time together with Boßlet he worked on such important buildings as the monastery church of Münsterschwarzach , the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Mariannhill and the parish church of Our Lady in Würzburg. His life's work includes over 160 churches in Germany. There are also numerous rectories, kindergartens and community centers. Even demanding renovation projects, such as B. the Augustinerkirche in Würzburg, counted to his range of activities.
Buildings (selection)
- 1927–1928: Mariannhill Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Würzburg (as an employee of Boßlet)
- 1935–1938: Monastery church in Münsterschwarzach near Kitzingen (as Boßlet's employee, production of the static calculation)
- 1936–1937: Parish Church of Our Lady in Würzburg (as an employee of Boßlet)
- 1953: Parish Church of St. Konrad in Aschaffenburg - Strietwald
- 1957: Church of the Heart of Jesus in Weinheim-Oberflockenbach (as an employee of Boßlet)
- 1958: Parish Church of the Heart of Jesus in Baden-Baden- Varnhalt (as an employee of Boßlet)
- 1959–1961: Church of St. Laurentius in Sieblos (municipality of Poppenhausen (Wasserkuppe) )
- 1960–1961: Church in Faulbach
- 1961: Church of St. Agidius in Wörth
- 1962: Church of St. Gertrud in Leimersheim
- 1962–1963: St. Vitus parish church in Wülfershausen an der Saale
- 1964–1967: Parish Church of St. Bonifatius in Tauberbischofsheim
- 1972–1974: Church of the Holy Spirit in Michelstadt
literature
- Ulrich Coenen: The Catholic parish church Herz-Jesu in the Baden-Baden district of Varnhalt. A late work by Albert Boßlet. In: The Ortenau. Journal of the Historical Association for Mittelbaden , vol. 88 (2008), pp. 355–364.
Web links
- Erwin van Aaken. In: arch INFORM .
- Herz-Jesu-Kirche Mariannhill Würzburg
- Boßlet and van Aaken ( Memento from April 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Aaken, Erwin van |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German architect |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 9, 1904 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Straelen |
DATE OF DEATH | January 28, 2008 |
Place of death | Wurzburg |