Hans Herstorffer

St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, view to the high altar

Hans Herstorffer († 1655 in Vienna ) was a master builder in St. Stephen's Cathedral and in 1642 head of the Viennese building works.

Master builder of the cathedral in Vienna 1641–1650

Stonemason's mark Hans Herstorffer

Hans Herstorffer exercised the office of master builder for St. Stephan from 1641 to 1650. His predecessor was Simon Humpeller . In 1640 we find him as a tax-paying tenant in Vienna. On December 22nd, 1641, the Viennese masters elected him chief Zechmeister for the year 1642. (This office was changed annually) In these years, under Prince Archbishop Philipp Friedrich Graf Breuner, counter-Reformation changes in the nave and choir took place in the cathedral . Breuner came from an Austrian noble family and had studied in the Roman seminary Collegium Germanicum , once established by the founder of the Jesuit order Ignatius von Loyola .

The bishop commissioned the master stonemason and sculptor Johann Jacob Pock to build an early baroque high altar in 1641 , the altarpiece was painted by his brother Tobias Pock .

Even at this time, the preservation of the Stephansturm gave cause for great concern, as evidenced by a submission by the city council of August 12, 1643 to Emperor Ferdinand III. it can be seen that more money is needed .. after the tower was so ruined by the weather that to prevent irretrievable damage, repairs had to be carried out more often , and later much higher expenses ... In 1649 the high south tower was built carefully examined with the help of art experts , .. is not in such danger, .. but is only on the corner pillars, there are quite a few pieces to be replaced .

Tabernacle of honor

The tabernacle of honor of the Viennese masters and journeymen

In the meeting room of the state guild of the building trade in Vienna there are two shrine-like, hinged boxes that together contain the names of 1,349 people recorded. They were also called master tablets, but journeymen were also written down. As a memory and admiration , master masons, masons and builders, sometimes also their places of origin, are immortalized in the two tabernacles . The story of how it came about ... Simon Unger von Stranstorff, Master of Vienna, this daffel has become an anfenger, in 1627 and has already been completed .., so he began with the recording of the existing documents , was then Oberzechmeister.

The imperial coat of arms was painted over both doors , the inside deals with the story of the suffering of the four stonemason saints.

Open tabernacle

In Tabernacle II we read ... Hans Herstorffer had the panels made in 1641 , he was also Oberzechmeister at the time. He continued the work started by Simon Unger and had the panels converted into pleasing tabernacles and also artistically designed.

Another entry says ... Josef Allio, master builder had the panels renovated in 1782 . The writings that were still available to Simon Unger are no longer available today.

On November 20, 1643 he vouched for the apprentice Francesco Bussi von Kaisersteinbruch, who came from the Milan area , the teacher was Master Hieronymus Bregno .

On January 22nd, 1650 he bought the house at Schwedenplatz No. 5 in Vienna, after the death of the widow Catharina and various replacements (1674) the house was passed on to the son Johann Gabriel Herstorffer, also a master stonemason.

Kaisersteinbrucher brotherhood of stonemasons

In September 1648 the Kaisersteinbruch judge and master stonemason Andre Ruffini died . The widow Agatha remarried and on July 24, 1651 sold the house, including the quarry and several gardens, to the Viennese master stonemason Hans Herstorffer for 1,300 gulden .

Don't give another stone to German masters

Undated report of the brotherhood to Abbot Michael Schnabel with the statement - Why we don't want to give the German stonemasons a stone from our quarry! . First and foremost, that they do not keep our nation's workmen as good as theirs. Why should we owe our hewn stones from our purchased goods after their great profit? If they want unprocessed stones from us, we are not opposed to them in order to have their hard cash done, as much as we can.

In the most important thing the masters no say, had .. but that find the German champions a quarry with us is at your reverence and grace, whether they admit it is or not .. .

A Viennese master receives a quarry in Kaisersteinbruch

The unthinkable had happened, a Viennese master had leased one of “their” quarries with permission, even at the instigation of the rulers, the Heiligenkreuz Abbey . In a craft decree of December 14, 1651, the masters and journeymen of the stonemasons and bricklayers committed to Steinbruch am Leithaberg with their signature that no master or journeyman, whoever he wanted, would take care of the master Hans Herstorffer's stone quarry .. until the matter is settled before a laudable government . Signatures from the head of the Wiener Neustädter Handwerk David Weiss, quarter master Domenico Petruzzy , Ambrosius Regondi , Simon Andrieth, Mathias Lorentisch , .. as a carpenters Paul Cleritz on behalf of all journeymen.

Herstorffer wants to become a brother in Kaisersteinbruch

On March 18, 1652, Herstorffer came from Vienna to the imperial quarry and, before an honorable trade, asked to be accepted as a member of the brotherhood, which he would not be allowed as the main store without the masters of Wiener Neustadt . The next day the people of Neustadt support the request ... because Hans Herstorffer is asking, and wants to live with an honest craft and be neighborly ... so we are not against the fact that the masters and masters come to Herstorffer from good friendship and neighborhood let .

→ Main article : “1653 list with 125 residents” in the article Andre de Luca

Widow Catharina Herstorfferin sells his quarry

In the presence of the lordship and the master Adam Haresleben , current master builder of St. Stephan and Bartholomäus Khöll , imperial court stonemason, conclusion of a purchase contract of September 16, 1655. Since master Hans Herstorffer passed away with death, the widow and heiress has the Kaisersteinbrucher property left to the judge and master Ambrosius Regondi for sale. The Herstorffer family's contacts with the imperial quarry have never been broken. Master Johannes Pery married Catharina Herstorfferin, daughter of master Johann Gabriel, in 1697, and we found her brother, the journeyman stonemason Friedrich Herstorffer, as godfather in 1702.

Archival material

• Vienna City and State Archives : tax files, stone mason files, event logs .
• Wiener Neustadt city ​​archives: stonemason files, letters .
• Heiligenkreuz Abbey : Archives, church records, registers, ...

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : Herstorfer, Hanns . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 8th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1862, p. 401 ( digitized version ).
• Otto E. Plettenbacher: History of the stonecutters of Vienna in the 17th century. An economic and cultural historical as well as sociological investigation . Dissertation, University of Vienna 1960.
• Helmuth Furch : Master Hans Herstorffer, master builder at St. Stephan . In: Messages from the Kaisersteinbruch Museum and Culture Association . No. 24, 1993, pp. 7-9. ISBN 978-3-9504555-3-3 .
• Helmuth Furch: The quarter drawer of the stonemasonry and bricklaying trade in the imperial quarry in relation to the Vienna main drawer - 17th / 18th century. C. In: IV. International Craft History Symposium Veszprém, 9.-11. November 1994 . Edited by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest / Veszprém 1995, pp. 99–102.
• Helmuth Furch: Historical Lexicon Kaisersteinbruch . 2 volumes. Museum and cultural association, Kaisersteinbruch 2002–2004. ISBN 978-3-9504555-8-8 .
• Dehio Vienna: 1st district, St. Stephen's Cathedral , 2003.