Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann

Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann (born May 8, 1733 in Würzburg ; † September 29, 1785 ibid) was a German engineer , architect and builder of the Baroque , Rococo and Classicism periods . He was the eldest son of the famous baroque architect Johann Balthasar Neumann .

life and work

In contrast to his father, Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann grew up in a well-ordered and socially upscale home. He was the only one of his father's eight children to follow in his father's footsteps and began his career as a builder and architect, in the military that of an engineer major . After training with his father, he went to France to the academies of Paris and Rouen , around there architecture study. Although he allowed French stylistic elements to flow into his works, he largely followed his father's style in design and execution. He returned to Würzburg around 1754. In 1755 he briefly supervised the construction of the monastery church of Neresheim Abbey . He later became court architect for Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim , Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (1755–1779), and was instrumental in the design and construction of the Prince-Bishop's Residence in Würzburg , as well as in the drafts of the park design (1760–1785).

St. Elisabeth Church, Nuremberg, south facade

In the meantime (1767–1773) he designed, constructed and built the still intact, Alter Kranen , Mainkran zu Würzburg, a stone tread-wheel crane , which is one of the distinctive landmarks of Würzburg, and was built by the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich was initiated and approved by Seinsheim to promote freight transport itself.

Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann also worked outside of Würzburg. In Mainz , he restored the Mainz Cathedral , whose western spire ( crossing tower ) he had made of stone instead of wood and slate against massive resistance ( fire protection measure ; Neumann's work withstood several fires ( 1793 , 1942 and 1945 )), as well as the ends of its side towers and the Roofs on the west choir (1769–1774). As can be seen from the years, he supervised several buildings at the same time.

From 1772 to 1778 Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann stayed in Speyer, among others . There he rebuilt the nave of the Speyer Cathedral and redesigned the western part. Further activities took him to Nuremberg to the Church of St. Elisabeth , for the new building of which he designed the facade plans in 1783, but which he himself did not live to see the construction of. One of his last works was 1783, the planning and design of the convent building of the Benedictine abbey monastery Amorbach in the Odenwald (1786 completion).

literature

• Clemens Weiler : Franz Ignaz Michael von Neumann (1733–1785) . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 32, 1937, pp. 1-45.

Web links

Commons : Franz Ignaz Neumann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files