Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and is considered an outstanding representative of

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism ...

and

Historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely ...

Biography

Hansen was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. After training with Prussian architect

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassic ...

and some years studying in Vienna, he moved to

in 1837, where he studied architecture and design, with a concentration and interest in

Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until t ...

. During his stay in Athens, Hansen designed his first building, the National Observatory of Athens and two of the three contiguous buildings forming the so-called "Athenian Trilogy": the Academy of Athens and the National Library of Greece, the third building of the trilogy being the

National and Capodistrian University of Athens National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

, which was designed by his brother

Hans Christian Hansen Hans Christian Svane Hansen (8 November 1906 – 19 February 1960), often known as H. C. Hansen or simply H. C., was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1955 until his death in 1960. A Social Democrat, Hansen served ...

(1803–1883). The Greek-Austrian entrepreneur

Georgios Sinas Georgios Sinas ( el, Γεώργιος Σίνας, german: Georg Sina; 20 November 1783 – 18 May 1856) was a Greek- Austrian entrepreneur and banker. He became a national benefactor of Greece and was the father of another Greek national benefacto ...

(1783-1856, who donated the observatory, called Hansen to Vienna in 1846, where Hansen took up an apprenticeship with noted Austrian architect Ludwig Förster (1797–1863). In his early works, such as the museum at The Arsenal in Vienna, Hansen was still rather aligned to a more romantic style. In later years, he became the most outstanding representative of Renaissance-inspired historicism (

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

), which also came to be known as Viennese-style. This style extended into the smallest details of the interior design and partially accepted the courses of a synthesis of the arts. Along with Förster and many others, Hansen was one of the most important and influential architects of the Viennese

Ringstraße The Vienna Ring Road (german: Ringstraße, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town) district of Vienna, Austria. The road is located on sites where ...

. His most famous work is the

Austrian Parliament building The Austrian Parliament Building (german: Parlamentsgebäude, colloquially ''das Parlament'') in Vienna is where the two houses of the Austrian Parliament conduct their sessions. The building is located on the '' Ringstraße'' boulevard in the ...

, which was created in the style of an ancient, neo-classic temple, and serves to refer to the Greek beginnings of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose g ...

. Hansen was originally a staunch critic of the Classical style that was taught to him at the Copenhagen Academy. Over the years, however, he came to incorporate Classical elements into his forms. ''Bauleiter'' on this project was Swiss-Austrian architect Hans Auer (1847–1906) who would go on to win the competition for the Swiss Bundeshaus. Hansen's famed

Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Great ...

in Vienna is one of the most notable concert halls in the world; a concert hall whose design and acoustics are often admired and copied in present-day music houses. Athens academy

Hansen worked together with Austrian sculptor Vincenz Pilz (1816-1896) and artist

Carl Rahl Carl Rahl, sometimes spelled Karl Rahl (13 August 1812 – 9 July 1865), was an Austrian painter. Life Rahl was born in Vienna to Carl Heinrich Rahl (1779–1843), an engraver. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and won a prize at ...

(1812–1865), as well as with architect

Otto Wagner Otto Koloman Wagner (; 13 July 1841 – 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau move ...

(1841-1918). In 1884 Emperor

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

honoured Hansen with a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...

y in the Austrian nobility and he was since styled "

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empir ...

von Hansen". He died in 1891 in Vienna.

Work

* National Observatory of Athens, 1842 * House of military invalids,

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

, 1851-1863 * Academy of Athens, Athens, starting from 1856 *

Museum of Military History The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute (german: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum – Militärhistorisches Institut) in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian ...

in the Arsenal, Vienna, 1856 * Old Municipal Hospital in

Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 ...

, Greece, 1857 * Cemetery chapel Christuskirche at the

Matzleinsdorf Protestant Cemetery (german: Evangelischer Friedhof Matzleinsdorf), Matzleinsdorf Evangelical Cemetery is a historic Protestant cemetery located in the Favoriten district of Vienna, the capital city of Austria. History and details Throughout the centuries, the Vi ...

, Vienna, 1858 *

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Vienna Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (''Griechenkirche zur Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit'') is a Greek Orthodox Church Cathedral in the first district of Vienna, Austria, in the historic Greek neighborhood of Vienna's Innere Stadt. The neighborhood has ...

, 1858–1861 *

Palais Todesco ''Palais Todesco'' is a '' Ringstraßenpalais'' in Vienna, Austria, constructed from 1861 to 1864 on plans by architect Theophil Hansen. It was built for the aristocratic family. One of the inhabitants was Baroness Sophie von Todesco, who est ...

, Ringstrasse, Vienna, 1861-1864 * Palace of Archduke Wilhelm, Vienna, 1864–1868 *

, Vienna, 1867–1870 *

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, 1871–1876 * Philharmonic Concert Hall,

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

, 1871–1873 *

Vienna Stock Exchange en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, 1874–1877 *

Austrian Parliament Building The Austrian Parliament Building (german: Parlamentsgebäude, colloquially ''das Parlament'') in Vienna is where the two houses of the Austrian Parliament conduct their sessions. The building is located on the '' Ringstraße'' boulevard in the ...

, Vienna, 1874–1883 *

Zappeion The Zappeion ( el, Ζάππειον Μέγαρο, Záppeion Mégaro, ) is a large, palatial building next to the National Gardens of Athens in the heart of Athens, Greece. It is generally used for meetings and ceremonies, both official and priva ...

, Athens, 1874-1888 * New Lutheran church,

Kežmarok Kežmarok (german: Kesmark or ; hu, Késmárk, yi, קעזמאַרק, Kezmark, pl, Kieżmark) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia (population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to World War I, it was in Szepes county in the ...

, 1879-1892 * Castle Nadelburg, Lichtenwörth, Lower Austria 1880-1882 *

National Library of Greece The National Library of Greece ( el, Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη της Ελλάδος, Ethnikí Vivliothíki tis Elládos) is the main public library of Greece, located in Athens. Founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1832, its mission is to ...

, Athens, starting from 1888

Gallery

07Athen Observatorium1.jpg, ''Athens Observatorium'' Attica 06-13 Athens 28 Academy of Athens.jpg, ''Academy of Athens'' part of the 'Athenian Trilogy' in Athens Wien - Haus des Wiener Musikvereins (1).JPG, ''Musikverein'' building in Vienna Musikverein Goldener Saal.jpg, ''Goldener Saal'' in the ''Musikvereinsgebäude'' in Vienna Athens_Zappeion.jpg, The ''Zappeion Megaron'' in Athens Castle-nadelburg.jpg, ''Castle Nadelburg'' in Lichtenwörth, Lower Austria Wien parlament.JPG, ''Reichsrat'' in Vienna, today the

Palais_Hansen_Wien_2010_2.jpg, ''Palais Hansen'' in Vienna Attica 06-13 Athens 32 National Library.jpg, ''National Library of Greece'' Kezmarok11.jpg, ''New Lutheran church'' in

References

Other sources

George Niemann George Niemann (12 July 1841, Hannover – 19 February 1912, Vienna) was a German-Austrian architect and archaeologist. From 1860 to 1864 he studied at the Polytechnic Institute in Hannover, then relocated to Vienna, where he worked as an assi ...

(Hrsg.), Ferdinand von Feldegg: ''Theophilus Hansen und seine Werke''. A. Schroll & Co., Wien 1893. * Renate Wagner-Rieger and Mara Reissberger (1980( ''Theophil von Hansen''. (Series: Die Wiener Ringstraße VIII; Band 4) Wiesbaden: Steiner * Manfred Leithe-Jasper:
Hansen, Theophilos Edvard Freiherr von
'. In:

Neue Deutsche Biographie ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' (''NDB''; literally ''New German Biography'') is a biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 26 volumes published thus far cove ...

(NDB). Band 7, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1966, , S. 634 f. * Julius Leisching: '' Hansen, Theophilos Edvard Freiherr von''. In:

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Ac ...

(ADB). Band 49, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, S. 762–766. *
Hansen Theophil Edvard Frh. von
'. In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Band 2, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1959, S. 181 f. * Alice Strobl: ''Das k. k. Waffenmuseum im Arsenal. Der Bau und seine künstlerische Ausschmückung'', in: ''Schriften des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums in Wien'', herausgegeben von der Direktion. Graz / Köln, 1961 * Robert Bachtrögl: ''Die Nadelburg - Geschichte ab 1747''. 2010 (Theophil Hansen ab S.77) * Adolf Stiller (Hrsg).: ''Theophil Hansen - Klassische Eleganz im Alltag''. Müry Salzmann, Salzburg / Wien 2013, . * Andreas Pittler, Hermann Schnell: Der Baumeister des Parliaments - Theophil Hansen (1813-1891). Edition Winkler-Hermaden, Wien 2013,

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Theophil Von 1813 births 1891 deaths Barons of Austria Austrian people of Danish descent Danish expatriates in Austria Danish neoclassical architects Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Architects from Copenhagen Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal People associated with the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Architecture of Athens 19th-century Danish architects