Erwin Schleich (20 April 1925 – 13 August 1992) was a German architect, architectural conservator, and architectural historian known for his post-war reconstruction of buildings and monuments in

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 ...

Biography

Erwin Schleich was born on 20 April 1925 in Munich. He graduated from the Wilhelmsgymnasium in 1943, and from 1947 to 1951, he studied architecture at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; german: Technische Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Establis ...

. In 1957, he received his doctorate on the subject ''The Peterskirche in Munich, its building history and its relationship to the city in the Middle Ages, presented on the basis of the results of the excavations''. Schleich later worked as a freelance architect and was responsible for the restoration and reconstruction of numerous monuments in Munich. In 1973, he was appointed to the , or State Monument Council. The Bavarian State Historic Preservation Law of 1973, which boosted cultural heritage preservation in the state, emerged from a suggestion by Schleich. In contrast with the growing trend towards modernism in post-war Germany, historical preservationists like Schleich kept the spirit of traditionalism alive when rebuilding Munich after the war. For example, in the case of Klosterkirche St. Anna im Lehel in 1968, Schleich reconstructed

Johann Michael Fischer Johann Michael Fischer (18 February 1692 – 6 May 1766) was a German architect in the late Baroque period. Fischer was born in Burglengenfeld, Upper Palatinate. He is a major representative of south German Baroque architects. He studied in Bohem ...

's original 18th century

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

façade, instead of

August von Voit Richard Jakob August von Voit (17 February 1801 in Wassertrüdingen – 12 December 1870 in Munich) was a German architect specializing in glass and iron structures. Notable projects Voit designed the city hall of Annweiler am Trifels (Rhinela ...

's 19th century

neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

façade, which had been destroyed in the war. In the case of Heilig-Geist-Kirche in 1970, Schleich replaced the simple white interiors of the church's 1950s renovation with recreations of its original frescoes and Rococo ornementation. From 1974 to 1991, Schleich was a member of the board of directors of the Bavarian Association for Home Care. He died in Munich on 13 August 1992.

Selected projects

* 1946–1955: Reconstruction of St. Peter's Church in Munich * 1955: Reconstruction of the

Ruffinihaus The ''Ruffinihaus'' ("Ruffini House") is a group of three houses (also known as ''Ruffinihäuser'') on the ''Rindermarkt'' ("cattle market") 10 in the Old Town of Munich, Germany. It was built by Gabriel von Seidl from 1903 to 1905 and is named ...

in Munich * 1956–1973: Reconstruction of the

Ludwigskirche Ludwigskirche in Old Saarbrücken, Germany, is a Lutheran baroque-style church. It is the symbol of the city and is considered to be one of the most important Protestant churches in Germany, along with the Dresden Frauenkirche and the St. Mich ...

in Munich * 1956–1959: Reconstruction of the

Palais Preysing The Palais Preysing is a late- Baroque mansion in Munich, southern Germany, which served as residence for the Counts of Preysing. To distinguish it from the nearby Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, it is also called the ''Elder Palais Preysing''. Joseph ...

in Munich * 1957–1979: Reconstruction of the Damenstiftskirche St. Anna in Munich * 1960–1962: Reconstruction of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich * 1962–1964: Reconstruction of the former Augustinian Church on

Neuhauser Straße Neuhauser Straße is part of the first and largest pedestrian zone in Munich's Old Town. Here, many retail shops and restaurants are to be found. Location and direction The road runs almost straight ahead in the southeast-northwest direction o ...

in Munich; today the German Hunting and Fishing Museum * 1966–1975: New construction of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God and of St. Andrew in Munich * 1968: Reconstruction of the façade of the Klosterkirche St. Anna im Lehel in Munich * 1970: Interior renovation of the Heilig-Geist-Kirche in Munich * 1971–1974: New construction of the tower at the Altes Rathaus for the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

in Munich * 1971–1980: Restoration of the Palais Montgelas and expansion into the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich * 1981–1983: Restoration of the

Possenhofen Castle Possenhofen Castle (german: Schloss Possenhofen) is located in the town of Possenhofen on the western shore of Lake Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany. History The castle was built in 1536 by Jakob Rosenbusch, was destroyed during the Thirty Years' ...

complex in Possenhofen

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schleich, Erwin 1925 births 1992 deaths German architects 20th-century German architects Architects from Munich Conservation architects Technical University of Munich alumni