Leopold Krakauer (March 1890 – December 1954) was an architect and a painter. He was one of the most prominent architects who worked in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in the mid-twenties. He was also a painter who presented drawings and paintings at exhibitions in Israel and all over the world. Krakauer lived in Israel from 1924 until his death.

Biography

Leopold Krakauer was born 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 ...

, the capital of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

on March 30, 1890. He attended the Royal Imperial High School 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 ...

. Then, from 1907 to 1912, Krakauer was a student at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, the

Technical College An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

, 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 ...

. In 1909, he studied architecture at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

in Vienna. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served on the Italian front. During the war, he worked on his own designs. In 1919, Krakauer had an exhibition 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 ...

. At this exhibition, he met his wife, Greta Wolfe. From 1920–1921, Krakauer participated in the planning of the parliament building in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. Being one of the finest architects of the International Style of his time, Krakauer immigrated to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

with his wife in 1924 after winning an architectural competition for Palestine and soon became involved in architectural projects. He began to work under the leadership of

Alexander Baerwald Alexander Baerwald (1877–1930) was a German Jewish architect best known for his work in Haifa, today in Israel, during History of Palestine#Ottoman period, Late Ottoman and Mandate Palestine, British rule. Life and career Baerwald was born i ...

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

. Later, Krakauer moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. He worked on designing many houses in

as well as in other parts of Israel. He was prominent in planning dining rooms and other public buildings. Krakauer was the first to bring modern architecture to Israel. Krakauer was particularly inspired by the architect

Adolf Loos Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos (; 10 December 1870 – 23 August 1933) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, and a polemicist of modern architecture. He was an inspiration to modernism and a widely-k ...

, who was also a frequent visitor to his home 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 ...

. In 1948, he was appointed as a member of the Committee of the Flag Symbol, under the

Provisional State Council The Provisional State Council ( he, מועצת המדינה הזמנית, ''Moetzet HaMedina HaZmanit'') was the temporary legislature of Israel from shortly before independence until the election of the first Knesset in January 1949. It took the ...

. Krakauer helped choose the symbol of Israel. His daughter

Trude Dothan Trude Dothan ( he, טרודה דותן‎; 12 October 1922 – 28 January 2016) was an Israeli archaeologist who focused on the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in the region, in particular in Philistine culture. Biography Trude Krakauer (later Dotha ...

was an archaeologist. His grandson is Danny Dotan, a singer and songwriter.

Works

Most of Krakauer's work focuses on field drawing. Many of his works depict

and its landscapes. His works can be found in museums in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

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 ...

, and Zurich, as well as all over Europe. His most famous architectural works include: * "Bunam House", "The Boksboim" and "Kisher House" in the

Rehavia Rehavia or Rechavia ( he, רחביה, ar, رحافيا) is an upscale Jerusalem neighborhood located between the city center and Talbiya. Since its establishment in the 1920s, the area has always been associated with German-Jewish culture and tra ...

neighbourhood of Jerusalem * Beit Ussishkin museum on

Kibbutz Dan Dan ( he, דָּן) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the north of the Hula Valley, at the foot of Mount Hermon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. As of it had a population of . History Kibbutz Dan was ...

* Dining rooms in

Beit Alfa Beit Alfa ( he, בֵּית אַלְפָא; also Beit Alpha, Bet Alpha and Bet Alfa) is a kibbutz in the Northern District of Israel, founded in 1922 by immigrants from Poland. Located at the base of the Gilboa ridge, it falls under the jurisdic ...

, Tel Yosef 1933 * Hotel Talpash in

External links

Leopold Krakauer Memorial Exhibition

Davar ''Davar'' ( he, דבר, lit. ''Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. It was relaunched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an online outlet by th ...

, January 21, 1955
Extraordinary artist: Memorial Exhibition of the Krakauer Haifa Museum

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

, August 5, 1955
Article
on the remodeling of Beit Bunem
Stamp
issued by the Philatelic Service in 1990 showing the dining room designed by Krakauer at Kibbutz Tel Yosef
Hecht Museum Exhibition

Chapters
in the making and shaping of the collective dining room (1926–1935), Cathedra 70, January 1994 (article deals with, among other things, the planning of the dining rooms at the Alpha and Tel Yosef)

The historic dining room at Tel Yosef becomes a warehouse, February 8, 2015
Architecture
February 24, 2015
Review on Building architecture – The Teltsch Haifa Hotel
May 14, 2015 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krakauer, Leopold 1890 births 1954 deaths Austrian Jews Artists from Vienna Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni TU Wien alumni Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austrian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Jews in Mandatory Palestine Jewish painters Israeli painters Jewish Israeli artists International style architects Jewish architects Architects in Mandatory Palestine Israeli architects