Friedrich Ludwig Persius (15 February 1803 in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...

– 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a

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 ...

n architect and a student 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 ...

. Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Castle and the Roman Baths in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. He was also involved with the construction of the Great Fountain, the Church of Peace, and the

Orangery An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very lar ...

and

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

on the Ruinenberg opposite

Sanssouci Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...

Palace.

Life

Persius was born in

, where he went to public school and grammar school. From 1817 to 1819 he worked with the building inspector Gotthil Hecker; he enrolled as a carpenter. From 1819 he studied to become a surveyor at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and took his exam in March 1821. From 1821 he worked as a building planner in Potsdam, working under, among others,

during the building of the castle and church on the grounds of Graf Potocki at

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. In 1824 Persius became a member of the Association of Architects. In Glienicke he worked as a successful architect under Schinkel. In 1826 he passed his exam to become a master builder at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and became a building planner in Charlottenhof. In 1827 he married Pauline Sello (1808–1883), with whom he had six children: Elisabeth (1829–80), Ludwig (1832–1902), Marie (1834–47),

Reinhold Reinhold is a German male given name. This German name is originally from "Reinold", composed of two elements. The first is from ''ragin'', meaning "the (Germanic) Gods" and ''wald'' meaning "powerful". This name was popularised by the ancient Ge ...

(1835–1912), Conrad (1836–1903) and Felix (1842–1885). In 1829 Persius became a building inspector with the Royal Government in Potsdam. In 1833 he completed his first independent work, renovating the artificial mills (near the Roman Baths) into a residential house for Handmann, the gardener. In 1834 he became the Royal Court Building Inspector. In 1840 he made a journey on the Rhine, that brought him to, among others,

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

and

Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...

, as well as the Stolzenfels Castle and

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (german: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, ) is a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz. Occupying the position of an ...

. In 1841 he travelled to Paris, and went on to visit

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, Strasbourg,

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the '' Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing villa ...

, Remagen-Rolandseck,

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg ( ksh, Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings ar ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. In 1842 he went on a further journey: to Lehnin, Chorin, Halle and thence to

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

. In 1841 Frederick William IV named Persius as his court architect. In 1842 he became a Royal Architectural Advisor and member of the Chief Architectural Authority. In 1843/44 Persius worked for Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau among others. In 1843 he made a further journey on the Rhine, which included Bingen,

and

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. In 1844 he travelled to

Bad Muskau Bad Muskau (; formerly ''Muskau'', hsb, Mužakow, pl, Mużaków, cs, Mužakov) is a spa town in the historic Upper Lusatia region in Germany, at the border with Poland. It is part of the Görlitz district in the State of Saxony. It is located ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In 1845 he undertook a journey to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

via Nîmes,

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

to Rome,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

. In 1845 Persius was appointed as Head Architectural Advisor with retrospective effect from 12 October 1842. On 12 July 1845 he died and was laid to rest in the Bornstedt Cemetery in Sello-Teil (near the Krongut Bornstedt).

Works

Built in co-operation with Schinkel

*1821, castle and church on the grounds of Graf Potocki at

Remaining

*1833, house in Sanssouci Park near the Roman Baths *1834/35, Traveller's and Fisherman's House in Uetz (in Uetz-Paaren, near

) *1837/38, Schierstedt Farmhouse in Gräben-Dahlen *1838/39, gardener and machine house, the Devil's Bridge, Orangery and greenhouse in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee) *1840, Stibadium in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee) *1840/41, Entenfang Establishment at the

Safari Park A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals. A safari park ...

(in Geltow, Schwielowsee) as well as the rebuilding of the side wings of the Sanssouci Palace *1840-42, Rebuilding of Glienicke Castle (in Berlin-Wannsee) *1841, Prince's Underforester's House at Moorlake (in Berlin-Wannsee); first blueprints for the Church of Peace (completed in 1844) *1841/42, Stag Gate in Glienicke Park; first, second and third Forester's Establishment and the Gamekeeper's House in the Safari Park; Blueprints for the dome of the Church of St. Nikolai (completed in 1850) *1841-43, Conversion of the Royal Civil Cabinet House (in Potsdam, Allee nach Sanssouci 6); Head gardener's House in Sello (now the Villa Kache in Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2); Steam engine house for Sanssouci (in Potsdam, Breite Str. 28); steam flour mills of the former Preußische Seehandlung (in Potsdam, Zeppelinstr. 136) *1841-44, Church of the Redeemer and Roman Bank in Potsdam-Sacrow (Krampnitzer Str. 9); Fountains and minor architectural details in

Park; Atrium and Pergola in the Paradise Garden (completed in 1848); Mulberry Alley, now part of the Botanical Gardens at the

University of Potsdam The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known ...

*1842, north wing of the Picture Gallery and conversion of the New Chambers (near Sanssouci Palace); Blueprints of the Exedra on Ruinenberg (completed 1843/44) *1842-44, Charlottenhof Pheasantry (in Potsdam, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 36) *1842/43, Blueprints for the Körner Repository on the site of the Department of Provisions (in Potsdam, Leipziger Str. 7/8); Hunter's Gate in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee) *1843, Seaman's House in Schweizerstil in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee); Blueprints for the Villa Tieck (completed 1845/46; in Potsdam, Schopenhauerstr. 24); Blueprints for Ahok House (completed 1845; in Potsdam, Weinbergstr. 9); Plans for the conversion of the Villa Illaire (formerly the house of the head gardener Voss; completed 1846) *1843/44, Brandt House (in Potsdam, Zeppelinstr. 189); Orangery in Fürst-Pückler Park in

; Viaduct in

-Bornstedt ("Devil's Grave Bridge" over the Bornstedt Durchstich); Preacher House in Lehnin; Conversion and extension of the

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...

in the New Garden *1843-45, Extension of Babelsberg Castle; Engine house and gatekeeper's house in

Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palac ...

; Villa Tiedke (in Potsdam, Reiterweg 1); Villa Schöningen (in Potsdam, Berliner Str. 86) *1844, Blueprints for Lindstedt Castle (completed elsewhere in Potsdam); Blueprints for the Norman tower on the Ruinenberg (completed 1845 under chief architectural advisor Ferdinand von Arnim); Blueprints for the Nedlitzer Farmhouse (in Potsdam-Neu Fahrland, Tschudistr. 1); Bornim Economy Grange (only the tower remains; in Potsdam, Max-Eyth-Allee); House of Master Carpenter Rietz (in Potsdam-Bornstedt, Ribbeckstr. 22); Blueprints for the church in Saarmund (completed 1846-48) *1844/45, conversion of Minerva Box (in Potsdam, Kiezstr. 10) *1845, Farmyard in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee); Blueprints for the church in

Heringsdorf Heringsdorf is a semi-urban municipality and a popular seaside resort on Usedom Island in Western Pomerania, Germany. It is also known by the name Kaiserbad ('' en, Imperial Spa''). The municipality was formed in January 2005 out of the former ...

(1846-48 ausgeführt)

No longer remaining

*1835-39, Villa Jacobs *1837, Villa Persius; Barns (Schweizerhaus) at the Historic Mill in

Park *1842, Gangway over the

City Canal *1842/43, Kneib steam mills; Jacobs sugar silo *1844, Plans for the Nedlitz Northern Bridge (completed 1853/54, demolished 2001 despite preservation status); "To Doktor Faust" pub in Potsdam-Sacrow

References

*''Architekturführer Ludwig Persius - Architekt des Königs, Baukunst unter Friedrich Wilhelm IV., Hrsg.: Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg'', Potsdam 2003

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Persius, Friedrich Ludwig 1803 births 1845 deaths People from Potsdam 19th-century German architects People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg