Hermann Nicolai (architect)

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Portrait of Hermann Nicolai, drawn by Johann Baptist Kirner , Rome around 1834
Portrait of Nicolai on his grave

Georg Hermann Nicolai (born January 10, 1811 in Torgau ; † July 10, 1881 in Bodenbach near Tetschen ( Bohemia )) was a German architect and university professor . The Semper Nicolai School , which produced a characteristic variety of Neo-Renaissance architecture in Saxony , goes back to him and his predecessor Gottfried Semper .

Life

Nicolai studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden under Joseph Thürmer and later at the Art Academy in Munich under Friedrich von Gärtner .

Grave of Georg Hermann Nicolai in the Trinity cemetery in Dresden

An extended study trip through Italy and Paris in 1834 and 1835 was followed by the first phase of successful professional activity in Dresden . In 1840 Nicolai undertook another study trip that led via Italy to Greece and Turkey. From 1841 or 1842 to 1845 he worked as a court architect in Coburg under the dukes Ernst I and Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . From 1845 to 1848 he ran his own architecture office in Frankfurt am Main , where he worked for Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Hessen-Kassel and Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hessen-Darmstadt , among others . In 1848 and 1849 Nicolai toured Great Britain and Spain.

In the summer of 1850 he succeeded Gottfried Semper, who had fled because of participating in the Dresden May Uprising , as professor of the construction atelier of the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden . Nicolai brought the Saxon Neo-Renaissance style to full bloom in Dresden, which was also spread by many of his students as the Semper-Nicolai School . Among his students were Bruno Adam and Georg Aster . In 1874 Nicolai was appointed a full member of the Prussian Academy of the Arts in Berlin.

Nicolai applied for retirement in 1881 because of a throat problem, but died a short time later on a trip. He was buried in the Trinitatisfriedhof in Dresden-Johannstadt. His successor at the art academy was his former student Constantin Lipsius (1832-1894).

Buildings and designs

  • 1839: von Seebach houses in Dresden
  • 1842–1843: House for Baron von Wangenheim in Coburg
  • 1843: Arcades in Coburg
  • 1851–1852: Villa for Dr. Struve in Dresden, Wiener Strasse 33 or Prager Strasse
  • 1854: Redesign of the former Marcolini Vorwerk in Dresden ( Bautzner Straße 96) from an agricultural estate to a villa ensemble in the neo-renaissance style
  • 1855–1857: Reconstruction of the palace of the secondary school in Dresden, Zinzendorfstrasse
  • 1867–1868: Villa for Medical Councilor Dr. Seiler in Dresden
  • 1867–1869: City villa for Johann Meyer (1800–1887) in Dresden, Beuststrasse 1 (destroyed)
  • around 1875: Main guard of the infantry barracks in Dresden- Albertstadt , Stauffenbergallee 2b

Fonts

  • Architectural designs from the studio of Prof. Hermann Nicolai in Dresden. Delivery 1-6. Grieben, Berlin undated (portfolio with 42 original lithographs).
  • The ornament of Italian art of the 15th century. A collection of the most outstanding motifs. Dresden 1882 ( digitized version ).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1841 according to Thieme / Becker , 1842 according to Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (cf. literature references)
    deaths . In: Kunstchronik: Weekly for art and applied arts . 16th year, issue 40, 4th August 1881, col. 673 ( digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de ).
  2. ↑ Wiener Straße 33 according to Thieme / Becker , Prager Straße according to Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (see references)
  3. ↑ From the estate to the practice clinic - The checkered history of the Marcolini Vorwerk. Retrieved July 30, 2014 .
personal data
SURNAME Nicolai, Hermann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nicolai, Georg Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German architect and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH Torgau
DATE OF DEATH July 10, 1881
Place of death Bodenbach (Elbe) near Tetschen