Bernhard Max August Bielenstein (Bielenstein, Bernhard
in ''BBLD - Baltisches biografisches Lexikon digital'' – 14 April 1959) was a

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

architect. Bernhard Bielenstein was born in Doblen in a family of pastor, linguist and ethnographer

August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein ( lv, Augusts Johans Gotfrīds Bīlenšteins; – ) was a Baltic German linguist, folklorist, ethnographer, and theologian. Bielenstein was born in Mitau (Jelgava), where he also died. His father was a luth ...

. He studied at the Riga Polytechnic Institute (present-day

Riga Technical University Riga Technical University (RTU) ( lv, Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte) is the oldest technical university in the Baltic countries established on October 14, 1862. It is located in Riga, Latvia and was previously known as 'Riga Polytechnical Instit ...

). He graduated in 1904, and thereafter continued his studies in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1905 he set up his own architectural firm in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

. In addition, he worked at the Riga Mortgage Association. In 1907 he married Betty von Bergmann. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he worked at different military offices in

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

and

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

. From 1918, he again worked as an architect in Riga. In 1925 Riga German Landlord Society elected Bielenstein as a secretary. In 1931 he became member of the board of the Riga sickness fund. In 1939, he together with majority of Baltic Germans moved to Germany. He died in

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...

. In Riga he designed more than 30 residential buildings, mostly in a rationalistic form of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

, though some of his buildings also bear influences from Latvian

National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

Gallery

Rīga, Brīvības iela 82.jpg, Building at Brīvības iela 82, Riga (1913) RigaBrivibas84.jpg, Building at Brīvības iela 84, Riga (1912) RigaBruninieku27.jpg, Building at Bruņinieku iela 27, Riga (1911) Sudrabu Edžus iela 16.jpg, Bielenstein family mansion at Sudrabu Edžus iela 16, Riga (1912)

References

Architects from Riga Art Nouveau architects Riga Technical University alumni 1877 births 1959 deaths People from Courland Governorate People from Dobele Architects from the Russian Empire Latvian architects Latvian emigrants to Germany {{Architect-stub

Gallery

See also

References