Wilhelm Ludwig Nikolai Bockslaff ( lv, Vilhelms Ludvigs Nikolajs Bokslafs, russian: Вильгельм Людвиг Николай Бокслаф; ,

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

– 9 March 1945,

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

) was a

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

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 ...

working in

. He is considered one of the most important representatives of

Eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in ...

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

styles in the city. He is noted in particular for his construction of churches.

Biography

Wilhelm Bockslaff was born in Riga on 12 October 1858. His father was the wealthy merchant and industrialist Nicholas Ludwig Bockslaff. In 1878 he started

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

studies in

Riga Polytechnicum Riga Technical University (RTU) ( lv, Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte) is the oldest technical university in the Baltic countries established on October 14, 1862. It is located in Riga, Latvia and was previously known as 'Riga Polytechnical Inst ...

and graduated in 1885. After graduation, he stayed in the polytechnikum to work as an assistant. He also worked in the offices of architects Johann Koch and

Heinrich Scheel Heinrich Karl Scheel ( lv, Heinrihs Kārlis Šēls; 17 May 1829 – 13 April 1909) was a Baltic German architect who lived and worked in Riga, Latvia. He is considered one of the greatest 19th century Riga architects and has designed more than ...

. Later he established his own architects office. In this period he studied the history of St. Peter's church in Riga and other

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

buildings in the city. In 1894 he married Eva Riker. Bockslaff worked mainly in

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

styles, especially in the

style. However, he also designed buildings in forms of

. Most notable buildings are Jaunmokas Manor near

Tukums Tukums (; german: Tuckum; liv, Tukāmō) is a town in the Zemgale region of Latvia. History The historical center of Tukums developed between trade routes leading from the mouth of the Daugava River to Prussia. The oldest part is today's Ta ...

and the Commercial school in Riga (Now

Art Academy of Latvia The Art Academy of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija) is an institution of higher education and scientific research in art, located in Riga, Latvia. The neo-Gothic brick building is located on Krišjānis Valdemārs Street, next to t ...

). The architect also restored many manors after the

Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

. He also has designed a large number of churches and various industrial objects such as factories and

water towers A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

. In the 1930s he designed an impressive memorial for him and his wife in Riga

Great Cemetery The Great Cemetery ( lv, Lielie kapi; german: Großer Friedhof) was formerly the principal cemetery of Riga in Latvia, established in 1773. It was the main burial ground of the Baltic Germans in Latvia. Extensive damage and removal of many heads ...

. However, only his wife was buried there in 1939. He himself was forced to leave Latvia together with a majority of

Baltic Germans Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declin ...

and settled in Posen. He died on 9 March 1945 in the bombing of Posen. His daughter buried him in the garden of their residence.Gunars Priede: ''Der Architekt Wilhelm Bockslaff und Riga'', p. 60. After the war he was anonymously reburied in a local cemetery. In honor of the architect's 150th birthday, a monument was erected in the park of Mālpils Manor. File:Jaunmoku pils 1999-11-06 (2).jpg, Jaunmokas Manor. Built in 1901 File:Riga makslas akademija academy of art.jpg, Commercial School built in 1902–1905. (Now

.) File:Building in Riga 5.JPG, Building at the Amatu street 4, Old Riga. Built in 1903 File:Rīga, Krusta baznīca 2002-05-12.jpg, Church of the Cross, Riga. Built in 1910 File:Jauniela 25 29 02.JPG, Building in Jauniela 25/29 (Neuburg house) Old Riga. Built in 1903 File:Nometņu iela 47-8.JPG, Building at the Nometņu street 47 (1909) File:Ūdenstornis, Rīga, Alīses iela 4.JPG, Water tower at the Alīses street 4, Riga. Built in 1910 File:Brīvības iela 137.JPG, Building of the former Leutner bicycle factory on Brīvības street 137 Riga. Built in 1894.

References

*''This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bokslafs, Vilhelms 1858 births 1945 deaths Architects from Riga Baltic-German people Art Nouveau architects Riga Technical University alumni Academic staff of Riga Technical University

Biography

See also

References