David Gilly (7 January 1748 – 5 May 1808) was a German
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and architecture-tutor in
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, known as the father of the architect
Friedrich Gilly
Friedrich David Gilly (16 February 1772 – 3 August 1800) was a German architect and the son of the architect David Gilly. His works are influenced by revolutionary architecture (''Revolutionsarchitektur''). Born in Altdamm, Pomerania, (today ...
.
Life
Born in
Schwedt
Schwedt (or Schwedt/Oder; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany. With the official status of a '' Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (major district town), it is the largest town of the Uckermark district, located near the river Oder, ...
, Gilly was the son of a French-born
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
immigrant named Jacques Gilly and his wife Marie Villemain. His brother was the physician
Charles Gilly. Already at the age of fifteen, Gilly was working in the gardens on the
Netze. Becoming a specialist in building water-features, he was appointed master builder in 1770 (at 22 years of age), and was active between the years 1772 and 1782 in
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly German language, German: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian V ...
,
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Hinder Pomerania, Rear Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania (german: Hinterpommern, Ostpommern), is the part of Pomerania which comprised the eastern part of the Duchy and later Province of Pomerania. It stretched roughly from the Od ...
. Gilly was the first examinee of the newly established ''Ober-Examinationskommission''.
Around 1777, Gilly married Friederike, a daughter of the regimental stable-master Friedrich Ziegenspeck. With her he had two children, Friedrich and Minna (who later married the politician
Friedrich Gentz Friedrich may refer to:
Names
*Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich''
*Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich''
Other
*Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...
).
In Stargard, Gilly was in 1779 promoted to building director of Pomerania, before being transferred in 1782 to Stettin. As a building director, he designed (among other things) responsibly for the harbour company of
Swinemünde and
Kolberg. Because Gilly had already made himself widely known among the new generation of newly-qualified architects, he established the "Cameralbau" in Stettin. For King
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
, he acted as a source of expertise for comprehensive land improvement schemes.
In 1788 Gilly was recalled to Berlin, into the Oberbaudepartement. There he was promoted that very year to be architectural advisor for the provinces of
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
,
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
and
West Prussia
The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...
, responsible for
Kurmark
The German term ''Kurmark'' (archaic ''Churmark'', "Electoral March") referred to the Imperial State held by the margraves of Brandenburg, who had been awarded the electoral (''Kur'') dignity by the Golden Bull of 1356. In early modern times, ''K ...
and
Altmark :''See German tanker Altmark for the ship named after Altmark and Stary Targ for the Polish village named Altmark in German.''
The (English: Old MarchHansard, ''The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time ...'', Volume 32. 1 F ...
. His appointment as vice director of the construction and inspection department lasted four years. As such, Gilly was from 1792 to 1801 in charge of the building of the
Bromberger Canal and the reconstruction and extension of the harbour concern of
Danzig and
Elbing.
![Paretz Gilly 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Paretz_Gilly_1.jpg)
Gilly later founded a private architectural school in Berlin in 1793 and five years later was one of the co-founders of the Berliner
Bauakademie
The Bauakademie (''Building Academy'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education school for the art of building to train master builders. It originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from ...
(today the technical university). In these years, Gilly created some of his most beautiful works: in 1796 the country seat at
Paretz in
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
for King
Frederick William III
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
, deliberately simple in design, according to the King's wishes, and two years later the Schloss
Freienwalde
Bad Freienwalde is a spa town in the Märkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg, Germany.
Geography
The town is situated on the Alte Oder, an old branch of the Oder River at the northwestern rim of the Oderbruch basin and the steep rise of the B ...
for Queen
Louise
Louise or Luise may refer to:
* Louise (given name)
Arts Songs
* "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005
* "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984
* "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013
* "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929
*"Louise", by Clan of ...
. The most influential late Classicist architect of the time was
Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans (15 December 1732 – 1 October 1808) was a Prussian master builder and royal architect. His churches, palaces, grand houses, interiors, city gates and theatres in Silesia (now Poland), Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere bel ...
, director of the royal building commission in Berlin. The younger David Gilly overtook him in terms of modernity, but did not outlive him.
Gilly conceived and erected an office building in Braunschweig for the publisher
Friedrich Vieweg
Johann Friedrich Vieweg (; 11 March 1761 – 25 December 1835) was a German publisher and the founder of Vieweg Verlag.
Early life
He was the son of master tailor Johann Valentin Vieweg (d. 1785), who later owned a starch factory. After cancelli ...
in 1801, and almost at the same time he rebuilt Schloss
Steinhöfel
Steinhöfel is a municipality in the Oder-Spree district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Since the beginning of 2019 it belongs to the collective municipality " Amt Odervorland"
In 1774, the Prussian Minister of War and Treasury Joachim von Blumenthal p ...
for the
Hofmarschall
The ''Hofmarschall'' (plural: Hofmarschälle) was the administrative official in charge of a princely German court, supervising all its economic affairs.
Historically, every civil service was regarded as court service (e.g. the Russian nobility is ...
Valentin von Massow
Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...
.
He and his son, the architect
Friedrich Gilly
Friedrich David Gilly (16 February 1772 – 3 August 1800) was a German architect and the son of the architect David Gilly. His works are influenced by revolutionary architecture (''Revolutionsarchitektur''). Born in Altdamm, Pomerania, (today ...
, were teachers of the young
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 neoclassica ...
who would dominate the next generation of Prussian architects. When on 3 August 1800 his son Friedrich died, David Gilly lost his creative impulse, even finding no pleasure in a short study trip to Paris in 1803/04. His wife Friederike died in 1804 and after the obligatory year of mourning, Gilly married her sister, Juliane Ziegenspeck.
At the age of 60, on 5 May 1808, Gilly died in Berlin, a few months before Langhans. His grave in Berlin in the
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
''Friedhof II der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde'' (Cemetery No. II of the congregations of
Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem Church (german: Jerusalem(s)kirche, Jerusalemer Kirche) is one of the churches of the Evangelical Congregation in the Friedrichstadt (under this name since 2001), a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of ...
and
New Church) was rediscovered and renovated in 1938.
Writings
* ''Beschreibung der Feuer abhaltenden Lehmschindeldächer : nebst gesammelten Nachrichten und Erfahrungen über die Bauart mit getrockneten Lehmziegeln.'' (1794)
* ''Grundriß zu den Vorlesungen über das Praktische bey verschiedenen Gegenständen der Wasserbaukunst.'' (1795)
* ''Vergleichung der verschiedenen Bauarten welche bey Gründung der im Meere erbauten Werke, vorzüglich aber bey Aufführung der Hafen-Wände oder der sogenannten Molen an den See-Häfen, gebräuchlich sind.'' (1796)
* ''Sammlung nützlicher Aufsätze und Nachrichten.'' (1797)
* ''Ueber Erfindung, Construction und Vortheile der Bohlen-Dächer.'' (1797)
* ''Handbuch der Landbaukunst.'' (1798, 2. Aufl. 1800, 3. Aufl. 1805, 4. Aufl. 1818, 5. Aufl. 1822)
* ''Kurze Anleitung auf welche Art Blitzableiter an den Gebäuden anzubringen sind.'' (1798, 2. Aufl. 1802)
* ''Abriss der Cameral-Bauwissenschaft.'' (1799)
* ''Praktische Anleitung zur Anwendung des Nivellirens oder Wasserwägens in den bey der Landeskultur vorkommenden gewöhnlichsten Fällen.'' (1800, 2. Aufl. 1804, 3. Aufl. 1827)
* ''Praktische Anweisung zur Wasserbaukunst.'' (1802, 2. Aufl. 1809)
* ''Über die Gründung der Gebäude auf ausgemauerte Brunnen.'' (1804)
* ''Sammlung von Aufsätzen und Nachrichten die Baukunst betreffend'' (This collection counts as one of the first trade-journals written by a builder.)
Buildings
* Schloss Steinhöfel
* Gutshaus
Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow is a municipality of about 20,000 inhabitants in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated South-West of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf and East of Potsdam.
First mentioned in the Landbuch of Karl ...
1796-1803
* Schloss and village Paretz 1797-1805
* Schloss Freienwalde
* Vieweghaus Braunschweig 1798-1804 (npw the
Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum
Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum (BLM) is a history museum in Braunschweig, Germany, operated by the state of Lower Saxony. The museum is scattered on four locations: ''Vieweghaus'', ''Hinter Ägidien'' (both in Braunschweig), ''Kanzlei'' (Wolfenbü ...
)
Images
Schloss Paretz Front mit Bäumen.jpg, Schloss Paretz, 1797
Schloss Bad Freienwalde Rückseite.jpg, Schloss Freienwalde
Bad Freienwalde is a spa town in the Märkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg, Germany.
Geography
The town is situated on the Alte Oder, an old branch of the Oder River at the northwestern rim of the Oderbruch basin and the steep rise of the B ...
, 1798
Braunschweig Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum (BLM).jpg, Vieweg-Haus, Braunschweig, 1799
Wrangel-Schloss Gilly 2.jpg, Steglitz
Steglitz () is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is a Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German .
Steglitz was also a borough from 1920 to 2000. It contained the ...
manor house, 1804
Steinhoefel Schloss und Landschaftspark 02.jpg, Steinhöfel manor house
Bibliography
* ''Denkmal der Liebe und Verehrung: ihrem verewigten Lehrer Herrn David Gilly ... gewidmet von den studirenden Mitgliedern der Königlichen Bau-Akademie zu Berlin.'' (1808)
* Kahlow, Andreas (Hrsg.): ''Vom Schönen und Nützlichen.'' : David Gilly (1748–1808); Exhibition catalogue - Berlin : Stiftung Preußischer Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburgs, 1998
* Lammert, Marlies: ''David Gilly.''. - Berlin : Mann, 1981. - (Repr. d. Ausg. Berlin 1964)
* Schmitz, Hermann: ''Berliner Baumeister.''. - Berlin : Mann, 1980. - (Repr. d. Ausg. Berlin 1925)
External links
David Gilly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilly, David
1748 births
1808 deaths
People from Schwedt
People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg
18th-century German architects