Egon Hartmann (24 August 1919 – 6 December 2009) was a German architect and city planner who won prizes for his city planning concepts for both East and West Berlin.
Early life and education
![Hochhaus Landtag Erfurt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Hochhaus_Landtag_Erfurt.JPG)
Egon Hartmann was born on 24 August 1919 in Reichenberg (
Liberec
Liberec (; german: Reichenberg ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preser ...
),
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. After graduating from the ''Staatsgewerbeschule'' technical high school in 1938, he moved to
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 ...
to work for the architect Henry König. However, he was drafted into the army in January 1939 and was among the troops that entered
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
during the
invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...
in March 1939.
While injured and on medical leave from the army, he started studying at
Bauhaus University, Weimar
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is a university located in Weimar, Germany, and specializes in the artistic and technical fields. Established in 1860 as the Great Ducal Saxon Art School, it gained collegiate status on 3 June 1910. In 1919 the sc ...
in winter 1942/43. In late 1944, he was severely wounded in the
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...
, and lost his lower jaw, which made him undergo 48 surgeries and caused him problems for the rest of his life.
He resumed his studies in Weimar in 1946, graduating in 1948. In 1962, he obtained a doctoral degree from
TH Darmstadt with a thesis about the city development of
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, supervised by Max Guther and Karl Gruber.
Career as architect and city planner
![Karl-Marx-Allee Block B Nord Berlin April 2006 099](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Karl-Marx-Allee_Block_B_Nord_Berlin_April_2006_099.jpg)
From 1950 to 1954, Hartmann worked for the city and town planning office of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
, becoming its chief architect in 1951.
During this time he designed a high-rise government office building in
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
now used by the
Landtag of Thuringia
The Landtag of Thuringia is the parliament of the German federal state of Thuringia. It convenes in Erfurt and currently consists of 90 members from six parties. According to the free state's constitution, the primary functions of the Landtag ...
. This was the first high-rise building in East Germany outside of
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
.
In 1951, he won the contest to design the
Stalinallee 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 ...
.
However,
Richard Paulick
Richard Paulick (7 November 1903 – 4 March 1979) was a German architect with political connections. In professional terms his most productive period, frequently overlooked in western sources, may have been the time he spent in Shanghai betwe ...
was appointed lead planner,
and eventually, only block B was based on Hartmann's designs.
In 1954, he did not return from a vacation in Austria, but went to West Germany and took up a position as city planner in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, where he worked among other things on a concept for the post-war reconstruction of the city. In 1958, he won a second prize in a West German competition to plan the reconstruction of
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 ...
, the same prize level as
Hans Scharoun
Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (20 September 1893 – 25 November 1972) was a German architect best known for designing the Berliner Philharmonie (home to the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. He was an important ...
and beating
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
, whose entry was not ranked.
Having been sidelined and with his urban planning initiatives not supported in Mainz,
Hartmann moved to
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in 1959, where he became city director of constructions in 1964 and worked until his retirement in 1976.
He was one of the main planners of the
Neuperlach
Neuperlach (Central Bavarian: ''Neiperlach'') is a borough in the southeast of the Bavarian capital, Munich. and is part of the city district no. 16, Ramersdorf-Perlach. It was built starting in 1967 east of the former village of Perlach on the g ...
satellite district.
Later life and death
![Reichenberger_Brunnen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Reichenberger_Brunnen.JPG)
After his retirement at age 57, Hartmann concentrated on his interests in the arts, creating drawings and sculptures.
He also designed fountains, including the ''Reichenberger Brunnen'' fountain in
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...
, the twin town of his hometown Liberec (Reichenberg), and a glass fountain in
Bad Reichenhall
Bad Reichenhall (Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufe ...
.
Hartmann died in Munich on 6 December 2009.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartmann, Egon
20th-century German architects
1919 births
2009 deaths
People from Liberec
Sudeten German people
German Army personnel of World War II
Czechoslovak emigrants to Germany