Hans Ulrich Grubenmann

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Hans Ulrich Grubenmann, 1782

Hans Ulrich Grubenmann (born March 23, 1709 in Teufen , Appenzell Ausserrhoden ; † January 22, 1783 ibid) was a Swiss carpenter and builder of bridges and church buildings. It is famous for its unusual column-free bridge and roof structures .

Life

Schaffhausen Rhine Bridge, built in 1758, destroyed in 1799 (engraving by an unknown artist)

Hans Ulrich Grubenmann was born in 1709 as the third son of the carpenter and master builder Ulrich Grubenmann (1668–1736) in Teufen. He learned his craft, which should bring him the reputation of a brilliant engineer , in his father's workshop and later empirically through his own work. Grubenmann was married three times: from 1732 to Anna Walser, from 1769 to Magdalena Fässler and from 1779 to Anna Müller. He and his second wife had five children, all of whom died in childhood.

He made a name for himself especially during the reconstruction of Bischofszell after the fire in 1743, where he built 13 houses together with his brothers Johannes and Jakob . The construction of the Schaffhausen Rhine Bridge, which was renewed after the collapse of the old bridge in 1754, also contributed to its reputation. Grubenmann presented a model of a bridge that should span 119 meters without supports in a single arch. Since the model was rejected, he submitted a second model with a central pillar. The two arches spanned 56 and 63 meters. An unlikely anecdote , which appears in several contemporary sources, says that Grubenmann is said to have knocked off the support on the central pillar at the opening to demonstrate his engineering skills. When the scaffolding was dismantled, pit man is said to have fallen into the Rhine and almost drowned. In 1771 Grubenmann sent the copy of the Schaffhausen bridge model to Ireland, where he took part in a competition for a bridge over the Derry . The model can be viewed today at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin .

Grubenmann also appeared early on as a church builder. He built ten churches in north-eastern Switzerland.

On March 5, 2009, the Swiss Post issued a stamp with the portrait of Grubenmann in circulation.

Works

Facade detail of the church in Wädenswil, consecrated in 1767
Column-free interior of the Wädenswil church
Portal of the church in Trogen AR, consecrated in 1781

Grubenmann is considered one of the most outstanding engineers in the field of wooden bridges and roof construction. He managed to build bridges of enormous span without supporting pillars. He also used the bridge construction technique in his church buildings by constructing the roof structure in the form of a hanging structure . His early church buildings were longitudinal churches that still presented relatively few structural challenges. Nevertheless, he has already consistently applied the bridge construction technique to these structures. In his main work, however, the transversely directed Reformed Church in Wädenswil , built between 1764 and 1967 , he succeeded in bridging a 36 × 21 meter room at a height of 12 meters without any supports. In addition, Grubenmann created a steep U- gallery in this church with several hundred seats, also without supports. The church of Trogen AR , built in 1781, is an important late work by Grubenmann, in which he designed a remarkable facade in the style of classicism .

While most of Grubenmann's bridges were destroyed when the French marched under Napoleon in 1799, many church buildings have been preserved for posterity. The churches of Wädenswil and Trogen are among the most important Reformed sacred buildings in Switzerland in terms of facade design, interior design and roof construction.

Bridge project, models

Further bridge models can be found in the Grubenmann collection in Teufen AR .

bridges

Churches

Houses

  • Four secular buildings in Trogen AR :
    • Stone Palace (Zellweger-Sulser House), 1760
    • Rectory (Rococo palace of the Zellweger patrician family), 1760–1763
    • Sonnenhof, 1761
    • Honnerlagscher double palace, 1763
  • Hirschen Oberglatt in the hamlet of Oberglatt , today in Flawil , pillarless roof structure, 1770–1771
  • Rectory in Marbach SG , 1774.
  • Rectory in Grub AR , 1785.
  • House Oberes Hörli in Teufen AR (Grubenmann's house)

gallery

museum

Coats of arms of Grubenmann in the Oberrieden church, 1761
Grubenmann's coat of arms in the Wädenswil church, 1767

The Grubenmann collection was moved from the old train station to the renovated Zeughaus Teufen in summer 2012. The exhibition shows numerous originals (sketches, plans, letters, etc.), images and bridge models - for example one of the Schaffhauser Bridge. The collection is supplemented by sound, film and interactive stations.

literature

  • Josef Killer: The works of the builders Grubenmann. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1985, ISBN 3-7643-1694-2 .
  • Peter Meyer:  Pit man, Johann Ulrich. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 7, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1966, ISBN 3-428-00188-5 , p. 176 ( digitized version ).
  • Rosmarie Nüesch-Gautschi: master builder Hans Ulrich Grubenmann von Teufen. Kunz Druck, Teufen.
  • Eugen Steinmann: Hans Ulrich Grubenmann. Joint publishing house Arthur Niggli, Niederteufen / Schläpfer & Co., Teufen.
  • Peter Ziegler: Church Wädenswil. Stutz publishing house, Wädenswil 1983.

Web links

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Josef Killer: The works of the master builder Grubenmann. Zurich 1942, p. 24 f.
  2. ↑ Josef Killer: The works of the master builder Grubenmann. Zurich 1942, p. 58.
  3. ↑ Michaela: Church builder receives a stamp. Briefmarken Forum, February 13, 2009, accessed July 5, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Building bridges. Zeughaus Teufen, Grubenmann Museum, accessed on July 22, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Entry on Homeland Security website
personal data
SURNAME Pit man, Hans Ulrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pit man, Johann Ulrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss builder
DATE OF BIRTH March 23, 1709
PLACE OF BIRTH Teufen AR
DATE OF DEATH January 22, 1783
Place of death Teufen AR