Theodor Bülau

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Theodor Bülau in the circle of the Hamburger Kunstverein . Back row, standing, fourth person from the right

Theodor Bülau (born December 1, 1800 in Hamburg ; † June 7, 1861 there ) was a German architect .

Live and act

Theodor Bülau was the son of an insurance broker. His father was originally from Zerbst . Gerdt Hardorff gave drawing lessons to Theodor Bülau in Hamburg. In 1820 he went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich , where he studied history painting. He then went on study trips through southern Germany and went to Regensburg in April 1824 . The Prince of Thurn and Taxis commissioned him to restore the frescoes in the dome of Neresheim Abbey . Bülau worked on it in 1827/28, but in the following period concentrated entirely on architecture. Together with Justus Popp, who worked as a construction conductor, he recorded the building dimensions of the Regensburg Cathedral in drawings and made drawings of graves. Bülau and Popp had it created a self-financed engraving . The work entitled The Architecture of the Middle Ages in Regensburg was published from 1834 to 1837. It contains a foreword in which Bülau enthusiastically described Gothic architecture as national art.

Tomb in the Heckengarten open-air museum , Ohlsdorf cemetery

From 1837 to 1842, Bülau managed the salt works and smelting works in Salzbronn near Sarralbe on the mediation of owners from Regensburg . He had buildings erected there which, with the exception of a neo-Gothic brewhouse, are classicistic. Because of the Hamburg fire of 1842, Bülau returned to Hamburg in the spring of the same year. He hoped for numerous orders from the reconstruction of the city. In newspaper articles, he made several statements on topics related to the rebuilding of Hamburg. William Lindley suggested a grid-shaped street layout, which Bülau harshly criticized, as this form of urban design does not correspond to a township. Bülau was eloquent and enthusiastic, but also erratic and without a concept. This was true in the same way for his politically motivated advocacy of the Gothic. Together with Alexis de Chateauneuf , he was the only architect of his time to call for brick buildings to be given preference over classical plastered buildings. He saw the design of the buildings made of unplastered materials as in line with the “Hanseatic, republican tradition”.

Bülau was a member of the Hamburg Artists' Association from 1832 and took part in numerous competitions, including in 1837 for the construction of the Hamburg Stock Exchange , in 1854 for the Hamburg City Hall and the orphanage and proposed neo-Gothic buildings. After 1842 he was a member of a commission that planned the renovation of St. Nikolai's main church , which was destroyed by the Hamburg fire . From 1845 Bülau gave drawing lessons at the trade school of the Patriotic Society of 1765 and the learned school of the Johanneum . From 1847 Bülau did not receive sufficient construction contracts, so that teaching activities made up a large part of his income. From 1849 he only gave lessons and had an eye disease so that he was almost blind.

Theodor Bülau died in mid-1861. Parts of his estate were kept by the Hamburg Architects and Engineers Association , other parts were to be found in a collection in the House of the Patriotic Society. All works were destroyed during Operation Gomorrah . Individual drawings can be found in the MKG collections .

During his lifetime, Bülau's work was little recognized and was only appreciated at the beginning of the 20th century.

Buildings

Inscription Theodor Bülaus on the house of the Patriotic Society

Theodor Bülaus' main work is the house of the Patriotic Society, built from 1845 to 1847, near the Trostbrücke . Alfred Lichtwark was later of the opinion that the building had a "picturesque effect". The final design was much more detailed than structures that Bülau planned for private clients. From 1855 to 1858 a Catholic church was built in Lüneburg according to the architect's plans. The structure existed until 1968. Further structures can be found in the area of ​​the lock bridge , the Glockengießerwall , Raboisen 66-68 and Ferdinandstrasse 65. The residential and commercial buildings are all neo-Gothic.

literature

Web links

Commons : Theodor Bülau  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Last address "Bülau, Th., Architect, drawing teacher d. Realschule d. Johanneums, new ABC-Str. 2 ”, 1861, in: Hamburg address book at the Hamburg State Library
  2. ↑ MKG online catalog
personal data
SURNAME Bülau, Theodor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German architect
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1800
PLACE OF BIRTH Hamburg
DATE OF DEATH June 7, 1861
Place of death Hamburg