Johann Balthasar Lauterbach (20 May 1663, Ulm - 20 April 1694,

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest c ...

) was a German mathematician, architect and

master builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a precursor to the modern architect and engineer). Historically, the term has generally referred to "the head of a construction project in the ...

at the Court in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

, from 1688 until his death.

Life and work

His father, Johann (1640–1719), was a shoemaker and guild master. His half-brother, from his father's second marriage, was the

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, . After grammar school, he studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

, then studied mathematics at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

. In 1687, Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, assigned him to the

Rudolph-Antoniana The Akademie Rudolph-Antoniana was an early modern Ritterakademie sited in Wolfenbüttel in what was then the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in Germany. It was founded on 18 July 1687 by Rudolph Augustus and Anthony Ulrich, brothers and co-dukes ...

, a Ritterakademie in Wolfenbüttel, where he taught mathematics and architecture. Two years later, he was appointed Master Builder, in charge of a new princely Building Authority, assisted by

Hermann Korb Hermann Korb (1656, Niese (near Lügde) - 23 December 1735, Wolfenbüttel) was a German architect who worked mainly in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Life Little is known of his early life. It is generally believed that he started ...

. In 1692, he became the Fortress Engineer and proceeded to expand the city's fortifications. He died in 1694, following a long illness, aged only thirty. Korb succeeded him as Master Builder and took his place at the Ritterakademie. His largest project was the initial draft for the

Schloss Salzdahlum Schloss Salzdahlum was a former summer palace built by Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1684. It was dismantled in 1813 but parts of it can still be seen in the town of Salzdahlum. Located between Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel, ...

. Although monumental in appearance, much of it was actually made of timber and wood panels. During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, it fell into neglect and was demolished in 1813. From 1688 to 1692, he worked on a major expansion of the Schloss Wolfenbüttel. He also created the original designs for the , , and the first church St. Trinitatis, Wolfenbüttel. His treatise, ''Compendium Architecturae Civilis Harmonicae Antiquae et Novae'', was published posthumously in Amsterdam in 1698.

Sources

* Elmar Arnhold: "Lauterbach, Johann Balthasar, Prof." In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck, Dieter Lent (Eds.): ''Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon – 8. bis 18. Jahrhundert''. Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, , pg.430. * Hans-Henning Grote: ''Johann Balthasar Lauterbach (1663–1694), Professor für Mathematik, Landbaumeister und Ingenieur am Wolfenbütteler Fürstenhof.'' Wolfenbüttel 1995, . * Museum im Schloss Wolfenbüttel und Fachgebiet Baugeschichte TU Braunschweig, ''Hermann Korb (1656–1735) und seine Zeit – Barockes Bauen im Fürstentum Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel.'' Braunschweig 2006, . *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauterbach, Johann Balthasar 1663 births 1694 deaths 17th-century German architects University of Tübingen alumni University of Jena alumni People from Ulm