Gustav Eduard Schaubert ( el, Εδουάρδος Σάουμπερτ, translit=Edouárdos Sáoumpert) 27 July 1804, Breslau,

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

– 30 March 1860, Breslau) was a

n architect, who made a major contribution to the re-planning of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

after the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

Life

Urban planner

Schaubert studied in Breslau and at the

Bauakademie The Bauakademie (''Building Academy'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education school for the art of building to train master builders. It originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from ...

in Berlin, where he was a pupil of

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassic ...

and studied alongside Stamatios Kleanthis. Schaubert and Kleanthis were among the pioneers of nineteenth century urban redevelopment in Greece. After studying in Berlin they began their architectural careers in Athens under

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: � ...

, producing a highly detailed topographical plan of Athens' ancient ruins, Byzantine churches and the buildings of the old city in 1831. This plan became the foundation of the building of a modern capital for the new

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

, expanding it in a triangle to the north of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

and the Old Town whilst protecting the ancient remains in the northern half of the original city. This resulted in a neoclassical city with long vistas from the Acropolis and the

Church of Panaghia Kapnikarea The Church of Panagia Kapnikarea ( el, Εκκλησία της Παναγίας Καπνικαρέας) or just Kapnikarea (Greek: Καπνικαρέα) is a Greek Orthodox church and one of the oldest churches in Athens. History It is esti ...

. It also took ancient remains in other areas into account and combined

Otto I of Greece Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862. The second son of King Lud ...

absolutism Absolutism may refer to: Government * Absolute monarchy, in which a monarch rules free of laws or legally organized opposition * Absolutism (European history), period c. 1610 – c. 1789 in Europe ** Enlightened absolutism, influenced by the En ...

(building him a

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

) and his

philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek ...

(reshaping the medieval city and incorporating the classical and Byzantine archaeological sites). Although the plan was modified, such as by

Leo von Klenze Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784, Buchladen (Bockelah / Bocla) near Schladen – 26 January 1864, Munich) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, L ...

(1784-1864), architect to

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, its key points were implemented and it later served as a model for other cities, most notably

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...

and

Eretria Eretria (; el, Ερέτρια, , grc, Ἐρέτρια, , literally 'city of the rowers') is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th centur ...

. Schaubert and Kleanthes planned Piraeus together, Schaubert produced the plans for Eretria alone, as a planned city for 10,000 inhabitants. This plan sited the city in an opening through to the bay which functioned as a port, and again protected the archaeological sites in the area. Similar to Athens, he planned north-south axes between a town hall, the

agora The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order o ...

or marketplace, the church and the Acropolis, but also between the naval school and the library, which were situated on an axis with the ancient theatre.

Archaeological digs

In 1836 Schaubert and Christian Hansen restored the

Temple of Athena Nike A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose tem ...

on the Acropolis, under the direction of the archaeologist Ludwig Ross. Ross, Schaubert and Hansen published a book on the excavation and re-erection of the structure, making the temple well-known among German art historians. In 1845/1846 Schaubert led the excavation of the so-called Grave of Coroebus, on behalf of Ludwig Ross. Ancient sources named Coroebus as the first-ever victor in the Olympics. His probably fictitious victory was supposed to have occurred in 776 BC, at the first ever Olympic Games. Financed by

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

, the excavations were thus the forerunner of the German excavations at Olympia.

Works

* with Ludwig Ross and Christian Hansen: ''Die Akropolis von Athen nach den neuesten Ausgrabungen. Abt. I: Der Tempel der Nike Apteros.'' Berlin 1839.

References

Bibliography

* Alexander Papageorgiou-Venetas: ''Eduard Schaubert, Der Städtebauliche Nachlass zur Planung der Städte Athen und Piräus.'' Bibliopolis 2001, . * *

External links

Schaubert's plan of 1827 in the Architekturmuseum of the TU Berlin: Wirtshaus am Seeufer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaubert, Eduard 1804 births 1860 deaths Architects from Wrocław Modern history of Athens People from the Province of Silesia 19th-century architects