Gundacker from Althan
Painting by Francesco Solimena , 1728
The portrait heads of the emperor and Althann are by Johann Gottfried Auerbach
Gundacker Ludwig Graf Althan or Althann (born May 15, 1665 in Zwentendorf an der Donau , † December 28, 1747 in Vienna ) was an imperial general, diplomat and general court building director.
He was used as an officer in the War of the Spanish Succession and in the 6th Austrian Turkish War , in 1716 he was appointed court building director, to whom all building offices of the hereditary lands were subordinate.
He organized the reconstruction of the Raab Fortress , the construction of the Invalidenhaus in Budapest as well as the court library and the Karlskirche in Vienna , as well as the expansion of Klosterneuburg Abbey and the renovation of Laxenburg Castle . He housed the imperial picture gallery in the Stallburg and set up the Academy of Fine Arts headed by Jacob van Schuppen in his house.
He was also the builder and owner of the Goldburg in Murstetten and the Palais Althan in Vienna's 3rd district .
In 1920, Althanstraße in Vienna's Alsergrund (9th district) was named after him.
Web links
- Entry on Gundacker von Althan in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
- Entry about Gundacker von Althan in the database of the state's memory for the history of the state of Lower Austria ( Museum Niederösterreich )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Althan, Gundacker from |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Althan, Gundacker Ludwig |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian general, diplomat and court building director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 15, 1665 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zwentendorf on the Danube |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 28, 1747 |
| Place of death | Vienna |