George Werner

George Werner (born August 3, 1682 in Graßdorf bei Taucha; † May 19, 1758 in Leipzig ) was the most important architect and builder of the Leipzig late baroque and rococo period between 1725 and 1756 .

Life

The architect and master builder, later referred to as “Leipzig's Knöffel ” , learned the mason trade from Matthäus Röthig in Taucha, became a journeyman there in 1703 and master mason in Leipzig in 1723. When his first independent work in Leipzig, the construction in 1723 took place applies a side building in the Hainstraße 6. George Werner must be within a few years the sympathy of the Leipziger builders have purchased, because since the late 1720s he was the previously preferred builder Christian Döring in Displacement of the largest construction contracts such as Hohmanns Hof , Kochs Hof or the Golden Bear . From 1746 to 1748 Werner created the tower of the Johanniskirche, the only baroque church tower in the trade fair city.

From 1740 onwards, George Werner made the transition from Baroque to Rococo in Leipzig step by step. In addition to the master builders Johann Gregor Fuchs , Christian Döring and Friedrich Seltendorff , he designed Katharinenstrasse into a boulevard that was known far beyond the borders of Leipzig in the 18th century. Its buildings, erected since the 1740s, such as the Bürgerhaus Katharinenstraße 19 or the Becksche House - also known as the Old Monastery - at Klostergasse 5, are among the most elegant buildings of the Leipzig Rococo.

Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that Werner participated in the construction of the Gohliser Schlösschen (1755–1756).

George Werner was married to Johanne Magdalena Hasert. The marriage resulted in a son and two daughters, one of whom was married to the master bricklayer Christian Hornice, who was important for the building history of Leipzig and who worked with his father-in-law on some building projects. In 1743 Werner bought a house at Gerberstraße 30 for 3,100 thalers, which has been called the White Swan since 1837 , but has not survived today. On his death he left behind a small library, the value of which was estimated at 32 thaler and 32 groschen and in which books with religious content, including various Bible editions, predominated. In contrast, only three books on ancient architecture were specialized literature.

Work (selection)

Note: All buildings without location information were erected in Leipzig.

Construction of a side building at Hainstrasse 6 (1723)
Construction of Hohmanns Hof , Petersstrasse 15 (1728–1731, destroyed in World War II )
Construction of the manor house in Großdeuben , (around 1730)
Construction of the new Thomas School (1731–1732, canceled 1901–1902)
Construction of the Golden Bear , Universitätsstrasse 11 (1735–1737, destroyed in World War II)
Construction of the community center at Markt 13 (1733, not preserved)
Construction of the summer house in Hohmanns Garten in front of Hallescher Tor (1733, not preserved)
Construction of Kochs Hof , Markt 3 (1735–1738, destroyed in World War II)
Construction of the community center at Hainstrasse 13 (1746)
Construction of the baroque steeple of St. John's Church (1746–1748, blown up in 1963 after being damaged in World War II)
Construction of a crypt chapel on the old Johannisfriedhof (1746–1748)
Construction of the back building of Barthels Hof (1747–1750, 1870–1871 conversion and expansion)
Construction of the community center at Katharinenstrasse 19 (1748–1749)
Construction of the community center Zum Grönländer , Petersstrasse 24 (1749–1751)
Construction of the Beck House ( Old Monastery ) , Klostergasse 5 (1753–1755, together with the carpenter Johann Leopold Müller)
unsecured: Collaboration on the construction of the Gohlis Palace (1755–1756)

literature

Wolfgang Hocquél : Leipzig. Builders and Buildings. From the Romanesque to the present. Tourist Verlag, Berlin, Leipzig 1990, ISBN 3-350-00333-8 .
Wolfgang Hocquél (Ed.): Leipzig. VEB EA Seemann Verlag, Leipzig 1983.
Nikolaus Pevsner : Leipzig Baroque. The architecture of the baroque period in Leipzig. Published by Wolfgang Jens, Dresden 1928.

as a reprint : EA Seemann Verlag, Leipzig 1990, ISBN 3-363-00457-5 .

Sabine Hocquél-Schneider, Alberto Schneider, Brunhild Vollstädt: The Gohliser Schlösschen in Leipzig. Edition Leipzig in the Dornier Medienholding GmbH, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-361-00511-6 .
Walter Fellmann: Saxony Lexicon. Koehler & Amelang, Munich, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-7338-0234-9 .

Individual evidence

↑ Wolfgang Hocquél believed in 1990 in Leipzig - Builders and Buildings (p. 85 and p. 257) to recognize stylistic parallels between Werner's work (dormers of the old monastery, roof turrets of the Johanniskirchturm) and the architecture of the Gohliser Schlösschen and concluded that Werner - possibly in cooperation with the client Johann Caspar Richter - would be the architect of the castle. Sabine Hocquél-Schneider, on the other hand , stated in Das Gohliser Schlösschen zu Leipzig that there was no evidence for this claim. She referred to the work of Brigitte Braun the master mason George Werner (1682-1758) and his buildings in Leipzig (diploma thesis, Leipzig 1995, published in the "Leipziger Calendar" , 1998, p. 97ff.) And admits George Werner only one contribution the construction.
↑ ^a ^{b The} client was the merchant Peter Hohmann .
↑ The new Thomas School was the place of activity of Johann Sebastian Bach from 1732 to 1750 . For its inauguration on June 5, 1732, Bach had composed the cantata Froher Tag, required hours .
↑ The builder of the Golden Bear , in which Johann Christoph Gottsched lived until his death, was the publisher and businessman Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf .
↑ The largest exhibition center in Leipzig was built with the highest construction costs of the 18th century (133,000 thalers). The client was the banker and trader Michael Koch.
↑ The client was the businessman Johann Martin Haugk .
↑ The client was the Leipzig councilor and trader Gottlieb Beck.

personal data
SURNAME	Werner, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German architect and builder
DATE OF BIRTH	August 3, 1682
PLACE OF BIRTH	Graßdorf , Electorate of Saxony , Holy Roman Empire
DATE OF DEATH	May 19, 1758
Place of death	Leipzig , Electorate of Saxony , Holy Roman Empire

[1] Wolfgang Hocquél believed in 1990 in Leipzig - Builders and Buildings (p. 85 and p. 257) to recognize stylistic parallels between Werner's work (dormers of the old monastery, roof turrets of the Johanniskirchturm) and the architecture of the Gohliser Schlösschen and concluded that Werner - possibly in cooperation with the client Johann Caspar Richter - would be the architect of the castle. Sabine Hocquél-Schneider, on the other hand , stated in Das Gohliser Schlösschen zu Leipzig that there was no evidence for this claim. She referred to the work of Brigitte Braun the master mason George Werner (1682-1758) and his buildings in Leipzig (diploma thesis, Leipzig 1995, published in the "Leipziger Calendar" , 1998, p. 97ff.) And admits George Werner only one contribution the construction.

[Hohmann-2] {b The} client was the merchant Peter Hohmann .

[3] The new Thomas School was the place of activity of Johann Sebastian Bach from 1732 to 1750 . For its inauguration on June 5, 1732, Bach had composed the cantata Froher Tag, required hours .

[4] The builder of the Golden Bear , in which Johann Christoph Gottsched lived until his death, was the publisher and businessman Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf .

[5] The largest exhibition center in Leipzig was built with the highest construction costs of the 18th century (133,000 thalers). The client was the banker and trader Michael Koch.

[6] The client was the businessman Johann Martin Haugk .

[7] The client was the Leipzig councilor and trader Gottlieb Beck.