Joseph Effner (February 4, 1687 (baptized) – February 23, 1745) was a German architect and decorator.

Biography

Effner was born in Dachau as a son of the court gardener Christian Öffner. Effner accompanied the

elector of Bavaria The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic state in the Federal Republic of Germ ...

Max Emanuel to Bruxelles. In 1706 Effner was retrained by Gabriel Germain Boffrand in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Here he changed his family name to "Effner". In 1717 Effner was sent by the elector to Italy for a study trip. From 1715 to 1726 Effner was then court architect to the elector. Joseph Effner introduced modern French ideas of architecture to the Munich court. After the death of

Enrico Zuccalli Enrico Zuccalli (''Johann Heinrich Zuccalli''; c. 1642 – 8 March 1724) was a Swiss architect who worked for the Wittelsbach regents of Bavaria and Cologne. Biography Zuccalli was born in Roveredo, Switzerland. From 1669 he lived in Munich ...

in 1724 he received even more competences. With the accession to power of

Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independence ...

in 1726 Effner was replaced by his pupil

François de Cuvilliés François de Cuvilliés, sometimes referred to as ''the Elder'' (23 October 1695, Soignies, Hainaut14 April 1768, Munich), was a Belgian-born Bavarian decorative designer and architect. He was instrumental in bringing the Rococo style to the Witt ...

and then worked in the administration. He died 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 ...

Training

Effner studied architecture under the famous French architect

Germain Boffrand Germain Boffrand () (16 May 1667 – 19 March 1754) was a French architect. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the '' style Régence'', and in his interiors, of the ...

. The latter made a deep impression on Effner's style. It was this training that led to his introducing French designs upon his return to Germany with the Elector.

Designs

As chief court architect, Effner worked on the Elector's residences in Munich. He made several changes to these buildings. His work on the

Nymphenburg Palace The Nymphenburg Palace (german: Schloss Nymphenburg, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park it consti ...

is regarded as his best. He increased the palace's size. He also added three pavilions, an octagonal Chinese pagoda, a ruined hermit's cell, and a tiled bathhouse.

Chief Works

* Upgrading of

Dachau Palace The Dachau Palace is a former residence of the rulers of Bavaria at Dachau, Bavaria, Dachau, southern Germany. History The castle was constructed around 1100 as a castle by the cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. In 1182, the last Count ...

(1715–1717) *

Fürstenried Palace Fürstenried Palace is a Baroque ''maison de plaisance'' and hunting lodge in Munich, Germany. It was built from 1715 to 1717 for Elector Maximilian II Emanuel. Today the palace serves as spiritual house for archdiocese and as pastoral center. ...

in Munich (1715–1717) * Expansion of the Park and Palace of

Nymphenburg The Nymphenburg Palace (german: Schloss Nymphenburg, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park it const ...

and construction of the Pagodenburg (1716–1719) and the Badenburg (1718–1721) * Expansion of

Schleissheim Palace The Schleißheim Palace (german: Schloss Schleißheim) comprises three individual palaces in a grand Baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian ruler ...

(1719–1726) * Construction of the ''Reiche Zimmer'' in the

Munich Residence The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displ ...

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 (1723–1729)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Effner, Joseph 1687 births 1745 deaths People from Dachau German Baroque architects Architects of the Bavarian court