Fritz Arens

Fritz Victor Arens (born October 19, 1912 in Mainz ; † November 13, 1986 there ) was a Mainz art historian and monument conservator . From 1957 he taught at the Institute for Art History at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and continued teaching after his retirement in 1977. As a monument conservator, Arens campaigned for the reconstruction of the historic buildings in the city of Mainz that were destroyed in the war.

Life

family

Fritz Victor Arens was born in 1912 as the only child of the Mainz wine merchant Ludwig Arens (1886–1959) and his wife Katharina (1885–1974), née Schneider. Katharina Schneider was a niece of the Mainz prelate Friedrich Schneider .

In May 1942 Fritz Arens married the kindergarten teacher Susanna Keim († 1998), who had accompanied him as an assistant and secretary since 1938. The marriage resulted in two sons and a daughter. Arens died after a brief illness on November 13, 1986 and was buried in the main cemetery in Mainz .

Studies and war years

Arens attended today's Rabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium , which he left in 1931 with the university entrance qualification . Even during his school days, Arens showed a great interest in art history. At the age of 16, he began with guided tours of the Mainz Cathedral and put together an initial file on the research history of some art monuments. Arens studied art history, archeology and history at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich , the University of Vienna , the Friedrich Wilhelms University and the University of Bonn . In 1934 Arens spent a long period of study in Italy. In 1936 he received his doctorate in philosophy under Paul Clemen with a thesis on the work size in medieval architecture and began to inventory the Mainz art monuments under the direction of Ernst Neeb . In 1940 the first volume of the documentation Existing and Disappeared Mainzer Kirchen AG was published , developed together with Ernst Neeb and Karl Nothnagel . The previously unpublished manuscripts of the planned publications were burned in an air raid in August 1942 .

During the Second World War , Arens, who was not drafted due to a kidney disease, organized art protection in Mainz from 1942 . He made it his task to systematically “photograph” Mainz again with a plate camera , since Arens assumed that Mainz would be destroyed. In doing so, Arens mainly took advantage of the air raid alarms , as the streets were then empty and he could photograph churches and buildings without passers-by. Arens initially kept the image plates of several thousand recordings on his family's winery in Nierstein , and later in the crypt of the Nierstein church. During the last years of the war, Arens, now working for the Hessian Monument Preservation, pulled a handcart through Mainz and tried, with the help of a painter and two high school students, to rescue endangered monuments and transportable architectural pieces from the rubble. So Arens rescued along with his helpers, the Rococo pulpit and the 5 x 3 meters large painting "Assumption" by Franz Anton Maulbertsch from St. Emmeran before the church burned down on 27 February 1945 after a bomb attack. Arens stored these and other seized items of equipment in the cathedral crypt, where they survived the war unscathed.

Preservation of monuments after the war

When US troops marched into Mainz on March 21, 1945, 80% of the buildings in the city center were destroyed after the air raids . After the end of the war, Arens cleared the almost completely destroyed churches in the inner city area and stored everything that was still preserved in the cloister and crypt of the Mainz Cathedral . In 1945 he was appointed city monument curator by Michel Oppenheim, the Mainz head of cultural affairs, and in 1949 took over the antiquity museum with the picture gallery and the copper engraving cabinet (today's Mainz State Museum ) for three years . From 1952 he worked for the state curator for five years . In 1957 he was appointed curator at the State Office for Monument Preservation in Rhineland-Palatinate .

Schönborner Hof, Mainz, 2007.

The art historian was of the opinion that the post-war period with its excessive development plans destroyed more of the historical substance than the Second World War. Arens repeatedly opposed plans by the Mainz city administration and tried to preserve as much of the historical building fabric as possible. The restoration of the churches of St. Ignaz and St. Antonius can be traced back to Arens' initiative. He played a key role in the reconstruction of the Golden Ross barracks , which housed the antiquity museum before the war. Arens was also committed to rebuilding the large aristocratic courts on Schillerplatz , such as the Schönborner Hof . He campaigned for his concerns with the "Direction générale des affaires culturelles" of the French occupiers and asked the director General Raymond Schmittlein several times for financial reconstruction aid for the destroyed art monuments in Mainz, which Schmittlein also approved.

Among other things, Arens' efforts to preserve the Mainz Invalidenhaus , originally a Jesuit novitiate from the 18th century, which was badly damaged in a bomb attack in 1942, failed . The remains were demolished in 1953 and a retirement home was built on the site. The former head of cultural affairs for the city of Mainz, Anton Maria Keim , once described Arens as a “one-man citizens' initiative” because of his efforts to save art monuments.

During a study visit to Paris in 1951, Arens discovered a copperplate engraving from the University of Mainz from 1620 in the Bibliothèque nationale de France , the only surviving illustration that shows the entire university building including the roof turrets.

On April 19, 1955, in front of the Antiquities Association, he gave his lecture “Save the Mainz Architectural Monuments”, which was widely acclaimed in Mainz and which was published as a brochure a little later. In 2006, a slightly shortened version of the lecture was reissued by the State Office for Monument Preservation Rhineland-Palatinate and the City of Mainz.

Work as a university professor

Invitation poster for the inaugural lecture in 1948.

Arens had been a lecturer in art history at the University of Mainz since 1946 and completed his habilitation there in the same year with Friedrich Gerke on "The Inscriptions of the City of Mainz". On December 10, 1948, he held his inaugural lecture on "The Original Use and Significance of the Medieval Church Space" in the Philosophical Faculty. In 1957 he became an adjunct professor at the Institute for Art History at the University of Mainz, and in 1964 he was appointed to the Scientific Council . Arens taught until well after his retirement in 1977.

During his teaching activities at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, he supervised 22 dissertations. For his doctoral students, Arens worked himself into subjects that did not correspond to his original research interests. This also included Jewish art and epigraphy , gold and silversmiths and classicist palace and garden architecture . From 1936 until his death, Arens published several dozen books and over 200 essays and studies.

plant

In his scientific work, Arens dealt with the art of the city of Mainz and the Middle Rhine region from Gothic to Baroque . The art historian paid particular attention to Hohenstaufen architecture . In later years, however, he also dealt with the Baroque, for example with the Schönborn architect Johann Maximilian von Welsch . The architectural and art history of the Mainz Cathedral and various monastery buildings, primarily that of the Cistercians , were other fields of work for the art historian. Arens also conducted research in the area of the German palaces , in particular the Pfalz Wimpfen , about which he published much.

He dealt intensively with the "Inscriptions of the City of Mainz", which were not only the subject of his habilitation, but which he also researched well into the 1950s. To this end, Arens sifted through altar inscriptions, ceiling paintings, lintels, chalices, the banners of house maids, gravestones, but also inscriptions on cannons. Arens published the complete collection of inscriptions in three volumes. In November 1985, the Sparkasse Mainz organized the exhibition “Mainz Inscriptions 1651–1800”, which showed photos and exhibits from Volume 27 of the “ Contributions to the History of the City of Mainz ”, which was published at the same time and in which Arens discussed more than 2500 Mainz inscriptions.

Arens also edited the Mainz magazine together with his wife for over three decades and worked on the Reallexikon zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte . From 1950 to 1985 Arens published the articles on the history of the city of Mainz on behalf of the city of Mainz . The art historian owned more than 25,000 slides related to his scientific research.

In 1949, Arens was appointed museum director of the city by Michel Oppenheim, then Mainz head of culture, and in this function also dealt with modern art. Among other things, Arens organized an exhibition on Alfred Mumbächer in 1949 , and the following year he devoted himself to the sculptures by Emy Roeder .

Honors and dedications

As a student in Mainz, the art historian Elmar Worgull dedicated an essay on Beethoven's iconography to his teacher. (Elmar Worgull: Das Steinhauser-Schott-Beethovenjugendbildnis . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift: Mittelrheinisches Jahrbuch für Aräologie, Kunst und Geschichte . ( Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Fritz Arens ). Verlag des Mainzer Altertumsverein, Mainz. 73/74 (1979), p . 261–266.) In
1967, Arens became an honorary citizen of Bad Wimpfen , which also honored him with Professor-Arens-Strasse . In 1977 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class. In 1982 he was named Knight of the New Year's Eve by Cardinal Hermann Volk for his services to the rescue of church art monuments . The Mainz antiquity association awarded Arens the Ludwig Lindenschmit plaque.

On November 18, 2006, a bronze memorial plaque in honor of Fritz Arens was unveiled in the courtyard of the Palatinate in Wimpfen . In November 2008 the Fritz-Arens-Platz was inaugurated in front of the iron tower in Mainz .

Publications (selection)

University publications

• The work size in medieval architecture: 8th to 11th century , Würzburg 1938, DNB 571766161 (Philosophical dissertation University of Bonn 1938, 116 pages).
• Mainz Cathedral: Collected and processed on the basis of preliminary work by Konrad Friedrich Bauer . With numerous illustrations. Druckmüller, Waldsee 1951–1952, DNB 480885567 (Habilitation thesis University Mainz, Philosophical Faculty, June 30, 1948, in bookshops as: The inscriptions of the city of Mainz from the early medieval period to 1650 (= The German inscriptions / Heidelberg series , Volume 2 (Part 1 )). Druckermüller, Stuttgart 1951-1958, DNB 450135209 , delivery 1-10, 70, 743 pages).

Mainz and the Middle Rhine region

• The Mainz Cathedral and the Cathedral Museum , Rheingold, Mainz 1938, DNB 579105229 .
• The art monuments of the city and the district of Mainz , Volume II, Part II: Existing and missing Mainz churches, 1st delivery: AG, with Ernst Neeb and Karl Nothnagel , Darmstadt 1940.
• Is the cross in the Mainz Cathedral by Rauchmüller ? in: Mainzer Zeitschrift 41–43, 1946–48, pp. 91–96.
• Drafts for the Mainz bishop's throne , in: Yearbook for the Diocese of Mainz 5, 1950.
• The golden Mainz, buildings and pictures from 2000 years . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1952, DNB 450135292 .
• Master drawings and furniture by the Mainz carpenters , Mainz 1955.
• The building history of the parish church in Mainz-Bretzenheim , Mainz 1956.
• The Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim am Rhein , Munich 1957.
• The tombs of Duke Otto and Queen Liutgard in the Aschaffenburg collegiate church . "1000 Years of the Abbey and City of Aschaffenburg". Festschrift for the Aschaffenburg anniversary year 1957. Aschaffenburg yearbook 4.1 (1957) 242–285
• Construction and equipment of the Mainz Charterhouse , Mainz 1959.
• The art monuments of the city of Mainz . Volume 1: Churches of St. Agnes to Holy Cross , 1961.
• Mainz Cathedral , Darmstadt 1982.

Mainz inscriptions

• The inscriptions of the city of Mainz from the early medieval period until 1650 , Stuttgart 1958.
• Mainz inscriptions 1651–1800. I. The inscriptions of Mainz Cathedral , Mainz 1985.
• Mainz inscriptions from 1651–1800. II. Church and secular inscriptions , Mainz 1985.

Bad Wimpfen

• The collegiate church of St. Peter zu Wimpfen im Tal , Munich 1953.
• The inscriptions of the city of Wimpfen am Neckar , Stuttgart 1958.
• The art monuments in Wimpfen am Necker , Mainz 1958.
• The Königspfalz Wimpfen , Berlin 1967.

literature

General

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

• Wolfgang Balzer: persons of religious life, persons of political life, persons of general cultural life, scientists, writers, artists, musicians . In: Mainz, personalities in city history 2. Kügler, Ingelheim 1985–1993. ISBN 3-924124-03-5
• Otto Böcher : Fritz Arens (1912–1986). In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 89, 1994, pp. 191–194.
• Helmut Mathy : Fritz Arens (1912–1986): a Mainz life for art history and monument preservation. In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 82, 1987, pp. 7-20.
• Sigrid Duchhardt-Bösken : Directory of the writings of Fritz Arens from the years 1972–1986 and the dissertations supervised by him , in: Mainzer Zeitschrift 82, 1987, pp. 21–24.
• Eberhard J. Nikitsch: Fritz V. Arens as a Mainz inscription collector and epigraphist. In: Mainz magazine. Middle Rhine Yearbook for Archeology, Art and History 103, 2008, pp. 231–243.

Commemorative and commemorative publications

sorted by year of publication

• Mainzer Zeitschrift 67/68, 1972/73: "Dedicated to Fritz Arens, the editor-in-chief of the Mainz magazine since 1953 and tireless researcher of Central Rhine art history at the age of 60 on October 19, 1972" ; P. 9–12: List of publications .
• Richard Hamann-Mac Lean : Congratulations for Fritz Arens . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift , 67/68, 1972/73, p. VII.
• Joachim Glatz, Norbert Suhr (Ed.): Art and culture on the Middle Rhine. Festschrift for Fritz Arens on his 70th birthday . Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1982, ISBN 978-3-88462-016-8
• Helmut Mathy : Valuable cultural assets saved. On the death of the Mainz art historian Prof. Dr. Fritz Arens . In: Allgemeine Zeitung from 15./16. November 1986.
• Otto Böcher : Fritz Arens (1912–1986) in memory . In: Der Wormsgau 14, 1982/86, pp. 155–157.
• Magnus Backes: On the death of Fritz Viktor Arens . In: Deutsche Kunst und Denkmalpflege 44 (1986), pp. 238–239.
• Obituaries for Professor Dr. Fritz Arens at the funeral service on November 18, 1986 in the hall of the main cemetery in Mainz . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 82, 1987, pp. 1-5.
• Cord Meckseper : Professor Dr. Fritz Arens . In: Burgen und Schlösser 28 (1987), p. 106.

Web links

• Literature by and about Fritz Arens in the catalog of the German National Library
• Barbara Malik: The courageous preserver , article in the Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz on September 4, 2009.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Otto Böcher : Fritz Arens to the memory ; Der Wormsgau - Scientific journal of the city of Worms and the Altertumsverein Worms e. V., Vol. 14, 1986.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Helmut Mathy : Fritz Arens (1912–1986). A Mainz life for art history and monument preservation In: Mainzer Zeitschrift. Middle Rhine Yearbook for Archeology, Art and History, Vol. 82 (1987) pp. 7-20.
3. ^ ^{A b} Helmut Mathy: Valuable cultural property saved. On the death of the Mainz art historian Prof. Dr. Fritz Arens , Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz from 15./16. November 1986.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Rolf Dörrlamm: The "spy" was a monument protector. Prof. Dr. Fritz Arens: a life for the Mainz works of art in Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz , edition of May 3, 1977.
5. ^ Helmut Mathy : Retter Mainzer Kunstdenkmäler , Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz, October 19, 1982.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Otto Böcher : Fritz Arens (1912–1986) , Mainzer Zeitschrift 89, 1994.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Mainzer Bistumsnachrichten, No. 43 of November 23, 2006, accessed on November 6, 2009.
8. ^ Entry on St. Emmeran ( memento of October 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) on regionalgeschichte.net.
9. ↑ E. Bäuerle: Dr. Arens in the service of the state preservation of monuments , Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz, October 10, 1952.
10. ^ Karl Heinz Esser : Thirty years ago in art and culture on the Middle Rhine ; Werner'sche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1982, ISBN 3-88462-016-9 .
11. ↑ From the Invalidenhaus to the modern retirement home and nursing home ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), press release of the City of Mainz from January 20, 2006, accessed on November 5, 2009.
12. ↑ Historisches Mainz: Alte Universität - Domus Universitatis , entry on mainz.de, accessed on November 5, 2009.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Chronicle of the Institute for Art History at the University of Mainz , accessed on March 27, 2016.
14. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz : 2500 witnesses of the city history of Mainz , edition of 9/10. November 1985.
15. ↑ Ulrich-Kleine-Hering: Fritz Arens. A life for Mainz , obituary in the Mainzer Altstadtzeitung, November 1986.
16. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz : High distinction for the art historian , issue of October 25, 1982.
17. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz : Great passion for art and history - Place in front of the iron tower named after monument conservator and university professor Fritz Arens / Destroyed city photographed , issue of November 28, 2008.
18. ^ Sources and literature: City of Mainz, Part 1: The inscriptions of the cathedral and the cathedral and diocesan museum from 800 to 1350 A_
19. ^ The inscriptions of the city of Mainz from the early medieval period to 1650

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on November 22, 2009 .