Franjo Klein (1828–1889) was one of the most important

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 ...

s in the period of an early and mature

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 u ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and the most prominent architect in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

in the 1860s and 1870s.

Biography

Early work in Vienna and Bjelovar

Klein was born into an evangelical family in

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

where he received training in building and stone carving trades and completed two years of architecture studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

. For some time, he worked as a draughtsman in Vienna. He moved to Croatia in 1851, successfully applied for a job as a bricklayer foreman in the

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

Đurđevac Đurđevac is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are a total of 8,264 inhabitants in the municipality, in the following settlements: * Budrovac, population 373 * Čepelovac, population 3 ...

Regiment, and spent the next eight years working for the Regiment in

Bjelovar Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats. History ...

, until he was transferred to Zagreb in 1859. It is known that Klein designed and built a number of public buildings during his stay in Bjelovar, but there are no surviving records that would support a reliable attribution. It is conjectured that several buildings in Bjelovar - such as Adjutant's house (1855–1859), Sergeant Major's house (1855–1856) and the prison building (1854–1861) - were actually designed by Klein. His earliest known work is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

Molve Molve (in Hungarian ''Molna'') is a municipality in the Koprivnica–Križevci County in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are 2,189 inhabitants in the area. History In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Molve was part of ...

, built between 1855 and 1862. It is the most significant example of ''

Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) is a nineteenth-century historic revival style of architecture popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora. It combines elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance architecture with particular ...

'' in

sacred architecture Sacral architecture (also known as sacred architecture or religious architecture) is a religious architectural practice concerned with the design and construction of places of worship or sacred or intentional space, such as churches, mosques, stu ...

of Croatia.

Work in Zagreb

Klein was commissioned to build the

Zagreb Synagogue The Zagreb Synagogue ( hr, Zagrebačka sinagoga) was the main place of worship for the Jews, Jewish community of Zagreb in modern-day Croatia. It was constructed in 1867 in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within the Austrian Empire, and was used u ...

. Construction began in 1866 and was completed the following year. He also built

Zagreb Orthodox Cathedral The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Храм преображења Господњег, Hram preobraženja Gospodnjeg) is a Serbian Orthodox cathedral located on the Petar Preradović Square in Zagreb, Croatia. It was ...

located on the

Petar Preradović Petar Preradović (19 March 1818 – 18 August 1872) was a Croatian poet, writer, and military general. He was one of the most important Croatian poets of the 19th century Illyrian movement and the main representative of romanticism in Croatia. ...

Squ,are. In 1868 Klein and Janko Grahor founded a construction company called Grahor and Klein. After Klein left the company in 1886, it was renamed to Grahor and Sons.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Župna crkva Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije i sakralna baština župe Molve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Franjo 1828 births 1889 deaths Architects from Vienna Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni 19th-century Croatian architects