Joseph Greissing

Joseph Greissing , also Joseph Greißing and incorrectly Josef Greising (born January 9, 1664 in the parish of Hohenweiler , a village in what is now the Bregenz district , Vorarlberg ; † December 12, 1721 in Würzburg ), was a German court architect in Würzburg as well as a teacher and as a princely Urban and rural master builder Balthasar Neumann's predecessor .

Notation

The original autographs only show Greissing and rarely (only before 1705) Greißing . The spelling Greising is the creation of a Würzburg local historian of the 19th century.

Life

Born on a mountain farm near Bregenz , Greissing (also Greißing ) completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter and worked not only in the Lake Constance area and Upper Swabia, but probably also in Switzerland. His departure for Brno in Moravia in 1694 may have given important impulses, as the natural route led through Vienna. Since the late 1690s he was the foreman of the city master carpenter Adam Nick in Würzburg . In 1698 he acquired citizenship . From 1700 he is mentioned as a master builder for monastery and state buildings. In addition, he very successfully ran a steadily growing large construction company with skilled workers from all trades.

Standing under the protection of Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp II von Greiffenclau (r. 1699-1719), Greissing replaced Antonio Petrini as court architect after his death in 1701 at the latest . He held this office until 1719. At the same time, he was the first building contractor in Main Franconia to hand over the building “turnkey”.

Greissing optimized the dome construction by supporting the dome with an iron frame and thus better transferring the weight of the dome to the foundation walls, so that a more filigree construction was possible. His successor Balthasar Neumann, as a young master builder, used this knowledge - together with the specialists trained under Greissing - to build the bold vaults of the Würzburg Residence .

Dome and west facade of the Neumünster Church in Würzburg

The design of the domed structure of the Neumünster in Würzburg also probably comes from Greissing, whose name is mentioned in a document placed in the foundation stone of the domed structure on June 18, 1711. Greissing could have realized the west facade in front of the dome structure based on designs by Johann Dientzenhofer . Recent research on sources (Johannes Mack) also on the political situation as well as the discovery of personal contacts Greiffenclaus with artists in Rome corroborate the thesis of a Würzburg collective planning based on Roman models, with the court architect Greissing being responsible for the final editing. Although Antonio Petrini was still involved in the first planning for the new building of the Juliusspital north wing in Würzburg, contrary to the older literature, the construction work was only started after Petrini's death in 1701 by Greissing and was completed by 1714. At the same time, he built an imaginative garden pavilion for the Juliusspital between 1705 and 1714, which brought many new architectural details to Main Franconia, which would then be part of the typical formal vocabulary of the next decades.

On the evangelical patronage and parish church in Wilhermsdorf near Fürth, which was built from 1705 to 1709, he worked for the first time with the motif of a free pillar hall, which he perfected in the knight's monastery church on the Comburg near Schwäbisch Hall, a light-flooded building that was built between 1706 and 1715 with its architecture, which is obviously based on the Renaissance, deliberately emphasizes the age and origin of the knight's monastery. The Catholic parish church Mariae Himmelfahrt in Friesenhausen, district of Haßberge, which he built from 1713 to 1715, is considered to be the key building for the great tradition of the Main Franconian single-tower facades. This first completely Baroque single-tower facade church, together with the equally elegant parish churches in Gereuth, begun in 1713, and the parish church in Steinbach near Lohr am Main, built from 1718 to 1721, forms the starting point for the numerous successor buildings of this type, which Balthasar Neumann subsequently maintained. Greissing thus gave a leitmotif for the entire 18th century in this room, which, conveyed by Neumann and his students, should shine as far as the Rhine Franconian region and the Moselle. Greissing himself also created several single-tower facade churches. Its most monumental implementation, the abbey church in Theres am Main, built from 1716 and vaulted shortly before his death in 1721, fell victim to the pickaxe after the secularization, but has been handed down in plans and drawings. At least two of these plan plans, a view of the single-tower facade and a floor plan of the church and monastery, were later owned by Balthasar Neumann, whose student Johannes Seitz also made a copy of the facade plan. It was no coincidence that Seitz later built the collegiate church of St. Paulin in Trier with Neumann's participation as a one-tower facade of Greissing style.

The Würzburg parish church of St. Peter and Paul was also built by Greissing in the Greiffenclau period, also known as the "Greising period" by the art historian Fritz Knapp, for example . Numerous town houses were built by Greissing or in his style, such as the ornament- loving Haus zum Heubarn ( Hof zum Ellringen ) in Sanderstraße 7. The ones named after him and his typical facade design and built in the second decade of the 18th century do not come from Greissing baroque "Greising-houses" (Neubaustraße 10, 12 and 14) in Würzburg. Greissing's pupils included the Würzburg cathedral chapter builder Georg Bayer († 1726), who, among other things, designed a residential building with a lavish facade at Neubaustraße 14 (now the City Archives) from 1716. For a long time Bayer was wrongly ascribed to the Huttenschlösschen (Würzburg) , which, however, was clearly planned and built by Greissing due to new archival finds.

Greissing died completely unexpectedly in 1721 “of a local illness”, although “he appeared to be of a strongly healthy nature”.

Works (selection)

Garden pavilion of the Juliusspital Würzburg , 1705 to 1714, built according to Greissing's plans

Seminary in Würzburg , built by Greissing from 1715 to 1719 as a Jesuit college

Rückermainhof in Würzburg, built by Greissing from 1715 to 1721 (until 1723)

• 1698-1704: University or new church in Würzburg. In addition to Antonio Petrini († 1701), Greissing is involved in planning the octagon of the tower; the tower dome and lantern are designed entirely independently as a “Würzburg masterpiece”.
• 1698ff .: Work on Schillingsfürst Palace , initially as the first Palier Adam Nicks, later independent planning for the new palace
• approx. 1698ff .: Carpentry work on the Augustinian canons of Triefenstein , increasingly his part of the planning is visible
• 1699-1700: Catholic parish church St. Petrus in Ketten in Burkardroth
• 1701–1714 Juliusspital north wing in Würzburg. In autumn 1701 - after Petrini's death (!) - Greissing demolished the burnt-out previous building; construction actually began in spring 1702. Greissing archived as "master builder".
• 1705? or later: gate construction and outbuildings at Elfershausen Castle
• 

  Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Martin and Maria in Wilhermsdorf
  1705–1709 Evangelical patronage and parish church in Wilhermsdorf near Fürth
• 1706–1708: Town Hall (Eibelstadt)
• 1707–1715: New construction of the St. Nikolaus collegiate church for the Comburg knight's monastery near Schwäbisch Hall , planning since 1706
• 1708–1710: East wing with entrance portal and courtyard building of the Ebenhausen official palace
• 1708–1710: Office building in Mainberg
• 1709–1711: Catholic parish church in Kleinbardorf
• 1709: Mill in Versbach
• 1709–1713: Participation in the armory at Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg
• around 1709: Friesenhausen Castle in Giebelstadt
• around 1710: New Trappstadt Castle
• 1710: Office building in Künzelsau
• 1710–1712: Cistercian abbey church Schöntal an der Jagst, intervention in the facade planning, execution of the towers and all roof structures
• 1710–1715: Pilgrimage church on the Einkorn mountain near Schwäbisch Hall
• 1711–1713: Capuchin monastery Kleincomburg and modifications to the Romanesque monastery church of St. Giles (Kleinkomburg)
• 1711–1713: Catholic rectory in Ochsenfurt
• 1711–1715: Catholic parish church in Trappstadt , planning since 1707
• 1711–1721: Remodeling and new building work on the Neumünster Church in Würzburg. Vaulting of the nave and dome structure. The facade probably in collective planning.
• 1712–1714: Münnerstadt Talk Church in Münnerstadt
• 1712–1714: Hof zum Heubarn, Sanderstraße 7, in Würzburg
• 1713–1715: Catholic castle and today's parish church Mariae Himmelfahrt in Friesenhausen , district of Haßberge. First baroque single-tower church in Mainfranken.
• from 1713: Catholic parish church, rectory, pension building a. a. in Gereuth near Ebern, district of Haßberge
• 1714–1716: Catholic castle church in Albersdorf bei Ebern, Haßberge district
• 1714–1715: Holy Cross Catholic parish church in Bad Kissingen-Hausen
• 1715–1721 ff .: Hut Hospital in Arnstein, there also an office building a. a.
• 1715–1718: Schütthaus for the Cistercian Abbey Bronnbach an der Tauber. Already in 1699/1700 named and active in the archives as "master builder".
• 1715–1719: North wing of the Jesuit College in Würzburg (from 1773 the Würzburg seminary )
• 1715–1721 ff .: Rückermainhof as the official court of the knight monastery St. Burkard in Würzburg (Karmelitenstraße 20)
• 1716–1720: Office building, today district office, in Bad Neustadt an der Saale
• 1716–1721 ff .: Burgpreppach Castle in Burgpreppach
• 1716–1721 ff .: courtyard of the Cistercian abbey at Ebrach in the Steigerwald. 1716 also a large, elegant roof turret in the style of a crossing dome for the abbey church. Projects for several monastery and administrative courts.
• 1716: Longhouse of the Catholic parish church in Goßmannsdorf near Hofheim, Haßberge district
• 1716–1718: Town hall in Iphofen
• 1716–1721 ff .: Abbey church for the Benedictine abbey Theres am Main (demolished in 1809) and plans for the abbey buildings, today Obertheres Castle
• 1716–1717: White Castle, now a Catholic parish church, in Zellingen
• 1717–1719: Heilgersdorf Castle (possible attribution)
• 1717–1719: Castle (New Vogtei) in Birnfeld
• 1717–1719: Office building, today the tax office, in Ebern
• 1717–1720: St. Agidius in Oberwittighausen
• 1717/1718: Construction of the cathedral towers on behalf of the prince-bishop and cathedral chapter as the basis for a planned Baroque redesign of the cathedral facade in Würzburg. Then production of the so-called "Würzburg revision", a revision of a design by Maximilian von Welsch, by Greissing.
• 1717–1718: Red building for the citizens' hospital in Würzburg
• 1717–1718: Princely royal stables at Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg, demolished
• 1717–1720: Catholic parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Würzburg
• 1718 ff .: Castle and courtyard building in Hohlach near Uffenheim
• 1718–1719: Wertheimer House in Marktbreit
• 1718–1721 ff .: Overall concept for a monastery complex including a new abbey church for the Benedictine abbey of Münsterschwarzach . Execution of the court of honor, canceled. Greissing's designs for the abbey church later flow into Balthasar Neumann's plans, whose church also fell victim to secularization.
• 1718–1721: Catholic patronage and parish church of St. Joseph in Steinbach near Lohr
• 1718 ff .: Priory and guest building for the Charterhouse in Tückelhausen
• 1718–1720 (–1721?): Baroque renovation of Walkershofen Castle near Uffenheim
• 1718–1720: Roof structure of a garden house for Rudolph Franz Erwein Count Schönborn in Wiesentheid
• 1718: Remodeling works, u. a. Installation of an elaborate portal including a curved outside staircase at the Conti Cathedral, today the Bishop's Palace, in Würzburg
• 1719–1721: Official cellar, today the new town hall, in Haßfurt am Main
• 1719–1721: Huttenschlösschen and other buildings for Hutten's garden in Würzburg. An elegant garden pavilion - previously mistaken for a work by Balthasar Neumann - was moved to Ramholz near Schlüchtern in the 19th century.
• 1719–1721 ff. Take over the carpentry work on the residential building in Würzburg. After Greissing's death continued by his Palier Leonhard Stahl the Elder. Ä. and later by his son Johann Leonhard Greissing.
• 1719: Talaveraschlösschen in Würzburg
• 1719: Palais Würtzburg, Turmgasse 11, in Würzburg
• 1720–1721 ff .: Ebrach official castle in Burgwindheim. When Greissing's death in 1721, the structural work was completed and a third of the roof was finished.

Honors (selection)

• Joseph-Greissing-Strasse in Schwäbisch Hall
• Josef Greising School in Würzburg
• Greisingstrasse in Würzburg

literature

• Clemens Schenk: Petrini - Greissing. Building analysis studies on the Würzburg Baroque. Dissertation Würzburg 1920.
• Max Herchenröder : Joseph Greissing as Vorarlberg master builder. A contribution to Franconian artistic history. (Dissertation University of Frankfurt am Main 1929). Darmstadt 1934.
• Johannes Mack: The builder and architect Joseph Greissing. Main Franconian Baroque before Balthasar Neumann. Dissertation Saarbrücken 2007; also in: Publications of the Society for Franconian History. 8th row: Sources and representations on Franconian art history. Volume 16, Würzburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86652-816-1 .
• Johannes Mack: The Catholic castle church Mariae Himmelfahrt zu Friesenhausen in Franconia - a work of Joseph Greissing. In: Würzburg diocesan history sheets. Volume 72, Würzburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-7954-3442-7 , pp. 205-345.
• Johannes Mack: Joseph Greissing on his 350th birthday: 1664-2014. The current status of greissing research. In: Würzburg diocesan history sheets. Volume 77, Würzburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-7954-3442-7 , pp. 297-308.
• Johannes Mack: Clear space and appreciation building. The baroque collegiate church of St. Nikolaus and St. Maria by the Vorarlberg master builder Joseph Greissing. In: State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg and Klaus Gereon Beuckers, with the collaboration of Sören Groß (ed.): Großcomburg Monastery. New research. Regensburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7954-3442-7 , pp. 341-367.
• Klaus Gimmler: The misunderstood teacher. In: Saale-Zeitung from December 19, 2009.
• Rainer Kengel: Joseph Greising. The architect of the Franconian baroque monasteries. In: Würzburg diocesan history sheets. Volume 14/15 (= Festschrift Herbipolis Jubilans. ) Würzburg 1952, pp. 565–592.
• Stefan Kummer : Architecture and fine arts from the beginnings of the Renaissance to the end of the Baroque. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes; Volume 2: From the Peasants' War in 1525 to the transition to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1814. Theiss, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8062-1477-8 , pp. 576–678 and 942–952, here: pp. 630–639 and 640 (plate 53).
• Volker Liedke: The Würzburg court architect Joseph Greissing and his planning for the new construction of the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Marien and St. Martin in Wilhermsdorf. In: Ars Bavarica, archival yearbook for building research and art history in Bavaria. Volume 3, Munich 1975, pp. 70-81.
• Barbara Nitschke: The former collegiate church of St. Nikolaus on the Großcomburg (1707-15). A work by the Würzburg master builder Joseph Greissing. In: Elisabeth Schraut (Ed.): The Comburg. From the Middle Ages to the 20th century. (= Catalogs of the Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum Schwäbisch Hall. Volume 3). Sigmaringen 1989, ISBN 3-429-00778-X , pp. 22-35.
• Barbara Nitschke: Joseph Greissing. Architect, builder and contractor. In: Heinz Otremba (ed.): Würzburg portraits. Life pictures of 95 famous Würzburgers. Würzburg 1982, ISBN 3-429-00778-X , pp. 31-32.
• Hans Reuther :  Greis (s) ing, Joseph. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 7, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1966, ISBN 3-428-00188-5 , p. 40 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Leo Bruhns: Greißing (Greising), Joseph. In: Thieme-Becker, General Lexicon of Visual Artists . Volume XIV, Leipzig 1921, pp. 590-593.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz:  Joseph Greissing. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 345-345.
• Literature list in the online catalog of the Berlin State Library

Web links

Commons : Joseph Greissing  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Joseph Greissing. In: arch INFORM .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Johannes Mack: The builder and architect Joseph Greissing. Mainfränkischer Barock before Balthasar Neumann (=  sources and representations on Franconian art history . Volume 16 ). Society for Franconian History, Würzburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86652-816-1 , p. 17-20 .
2. ↑ Alexander Wiesneth: Balthasar Neumanns vault constructions . Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-07030-1 , pp. 28-35 .
3. ↑ Stefan Kummer: Architecture and fine arts from the beginnings of the Renaissance to the end of the Baroque. 2004, pp. 630-623.
4. ↑ Rudi Held: The facade of the Neumünster Church in Würzburg .
5. ^ Johannes Mack: Roman architecture as a leitmotif: dome and facade . In: Jürgen Emmert, Jürgen Lenssen (eds.): The Neumünster in Würzburg, building history - restoration - conception . Regensburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7954-2185-4 , pp. 89-99 .
6. ↑ Johannes Mack: Clear space and appreciation building. The baroque collegiate church of St. Nikolaus and St. Maria by the Vorarlberg master builder Joseph Greissing. In: State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg and Klaus Gereon Beuckers. With the collaboration of Sören Groß. (Ed.): Großcomburg Monastery. New research. Regensburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7954-3442-7 , pp. 341-367 .
7. ^ Johannes Mack: The Catholic Castle Church Mariae Himmelfahrt zu Friesenhausen in Franconia - a work by Joseph Greissing. In: Würzburg diocesan history sheets . tape 72 . Würzburg 2010, p. 205-345 .
8. ^ Paul Heinrich Otte: Aim: To restore the beauty of the city. The development of the new urban form from 1948 to 1978 - Würzburg has become Würzburg again. In: Heinz Otremba (Ed.): 15 Centuries of Würzburg. Echter, Würzburg 1979, pp. 249-261, here: p. 254.
9. ↑ Stefan Kummer: Architecture and fine arts from the beginnings of the Renaissance to the end of the Baroque. 2004, pp. 631-633, 635 and 637 f.
10. ↑ Johannes Mack: The builder and architect Joseph Greissing . Würzburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86652-816-1 , p. 491-496 .
11. ^ Archives Castle Burgpreppach, Guardianship correspondence 1721–1725: Chamber Councilor Philipp Christoph Reibelt on December 21, 1721 from Würzburg to Obervogt Johann Adam Doles in Burgpreppach and his answer of December 26, 1721.