Carl Wilhelm Müller, also Karl Wilhelm Müller, (15 September 1728 in Knauthain – 28 February 1801 in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

) served as mayor of the city of Leipzig several times from 1778 until his death. In this role, he made a particular contribution to the

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

system and

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

Life

Müller was born as the son of a local judge from Knauthain that was at that time a village outside of Leipzig. His father later became a court director in Leipzig. After attending the ''Fürstenschule

Pforta Schulpforta, otherwise known as Pforta, is a school located in Pforta monastery, a former Cistercian monastery (1137–1540). The school is located near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The site has been a sch ...

'', Müller studied law, history, and philosophy at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

from 1741 to 1750. He then worked as a lawyer at the Oberhofgericht Leipzig. During this time, he founded a literary discussion group, wrote poems, and published a volume of poetry in collaboration with

Christian Felix Weiße Christian Felix Weiße (1726–1804) was a German writer and pedagogue. Weiße was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children's literature. Life Weiße was born as twin o ...

(1726–1804). From 1756 onwards, he published the journal ''Brittische Bibliothek'', which dealt with new publications in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. His political career began in 1759 when he became a member of the Leipzig City Council. From 1771, Müller served as a city judge. In 1775, he was appointed head of the city library and, in 1776, city architect. The Saxon government also appointed him to ''Fürstlicher Geheimer Kriegsrat'' in 1778. In the same year, Müller was elected mayor of Leipzig for the first time. This first term was followed by further terms in 1778/79, 1781/82, 1784/85, 1786/87, 1788/89, 1790/91, 1792/93, 1794, 1795/96, 1797/98, and 1799/1800. During his time as head of the Leipzig Council, numerous urban development changes were made at his instigation, which still shape Leipzig's cityscape today. From 1784 onwards, he pushed for the creation of parks in the area of the demolished city fortifications. In this way, under the direction of the city planning director Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe (1746–1816), the Promenadenring, which corresponds to today's ring road around Leipzig's city centre, and the

Augustusplatz The Augustusplatz is a square located at the east end of the city centre of Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte. It is the city's largest square and one of the largest squares in Europe. It is also part of the city's inner-city ring-road and a centra ...

were created. At Müller's suggestion, Dauthe built the first municipal concert hall (

Gewandhaus Gewandhaus () is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The ...

) above the Old Armory in 1781, and from 1785 to 1796 St. Nicholas Church was redesigned in the

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as 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. Neoclassici ...

. Müller also paid particular attention to promoting Leipzig's school system. In 1783 he became head of the St. Nicholas School. During his term of office, the first public elementary school, the ''Ratsfreischule'', was opened in 1792 and the ''Erste Leipziger Bürgerschule'' was opened in 1804. Carl Wilhelm Müller was the first head of the Harmonie Society in Leipzig.

Honor

Müller is present in the public consciousness today through the memorial erected in July 1819 at the instigation of Leipzig merchants in the Müller-Anlage at Willy-Brandt-Platz opposite the main train station. The memorial, designed by

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, known as the ''Leipziger Tischbein'' (9 March 1750, Maastricht - 21 June 1812, Heidelberg) was a German portrait painter from the Tischbein family of artists. Biography He received his first lessons from his ...

(1750–1812) and created by the city's building director August Wilhelm Kanne (1783–1827), consists of a marble block, on the south side of which is attached a medallion depicting Müller, created by

Johann Gottfried Schadow Johann Gottfried Schadow (20 May 1764 – 27 January 1850) was a German Prussian sculptor. His most iconic work is the chariot on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Biography Schadow was born in Berlin, where his father was a poor tailor. ...

(1764–1850). The original medallion has since disappeared; it was replaced by a copy in 1984. In 2022, the memorial was restaurated. Müller's birthplace, popularly known as the Mayor Müller House, still stands in the Leipzig locality of Knauthain. The building, constructed in 1723, was saved from decay in late 2008. In 2013, a café opened there, and an artist's studio moved in.http://www.buergermeister-mueller-haus.de

Weblinks

* *

References

{{Reflist

Müller Müller may refer to: Companies * Müller (company), a German multinational dairy company ** Müller Milk & Ingredients, a UK subsidiary of the German company * Müller (store), a German retail chain * GMD Müller, a Swiss aerial lift manufacturi ...