Georg Moller (21 January 1784 – 13 March 1852) was an architect and a town planner who worked in the South of Germany, mostly in the region today known as
Hessen
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darm ...
.
Life and family background
Moller was born in
Diepholz
Diepholz (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Deefholt'') is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the rivers Hunte and Lohne, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of ...
, a descendant of an old Norwegian family of clergy, who were known in the 17th century for publishing protestant songbooks. His father, Levin Adolf Moller, grew up in Westphalia and became a notary in Celle, and from 1777 worked as an advocate and
attorney-at-law
Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the United ...
in Diepholz. Moller's mother, Elisabeth von Castelmur, originated in an old Swiss family of nobility from the
Upper Engadin district of
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Therefore, Moller grew up in a well-situated family.
In 1800, after finishing secondary school Moller began studying architecture with Christian Ludwig Witte in Hannover. Here he was introduced to
Friedrich Weinbrenner
Friedrich Weinbrenner (24 November 1766 – 1 March 1826) was a German architect and city planner admired for his mastery of classical style.
Birth and education
Weinbrenner was born in Karlsruhe, and began his career apprenticed to his father, ...
whom he followed to Karlsruhe in 1802, to continue studies at a school for building trades. During the years 1807–1809 Moller took a study trip to Rome where he gained crucial insight from members of the Roman colony of German artists. After finishing this journey he became a construction superintendent in 1810 and was hired as court master builder of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
.
Among his major works in this capacity are , the first Roman Catholic church building in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
since the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
— a building whose forms were inspired by the
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
in Rome – the former
Landestheater, the
Luisenplatz and the Masonic Lodge, what today is the "Moller-Haus". Furthermore, he designed the
Staatstheater Mainz, which created a stir because of its semicircular facade, and the
Stadtschloss Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden City Palace (german: Stadtschloss Wiesbaden or ''Wiesbadener Stadtschloss'') is a neo-classical building in the center of Wiesbaden, Germany. It was completed in 1841 as the principal city residence of the Dukes of Nassau. The palace ...
of the
Dukes of Nassau
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
, today the seat of the
Landtag of Hesse
The Landtag of Hesse (german: link=no, Hessischer Landtag) is the unicameral parliament of the State of Hesse in the Federal Republic of Germany. It convenes in the Stadtschloss in Wiesbaden. As a legislature it is responsible for passing l ...
. From 1843 to 1847 Moller was commissioned by
Grand-Duke Ludwig II. to overview the restoration of
Schloss Biedenkopf.
Only two of Georg Moller's major works survived the second world war without damages: the grand-ducal mausoleum at the and the Ludwigsmonument on the Luisenplatz, both of them in Darmstadt. The other buildings Moller designed were damaged beyond repair or were reconstructed in a more simple design.
Moller was also responsible for the reconstruction of the castles in
Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe () is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains. Bad Homburg is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. The town's offic ...
and
Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is s ...
, the latter called Wolfgangsbau, for the
Landgrave
Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...
of
Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt; it was to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668. It was briefly divided into Hesse-Homburg and ...
. He also worked for prince
Klemens von Metternich
Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...
, redesigning his castle
Schloss Johannisberg
Schloss Johannisberg is a castle and winery in the village of Johannisberg (Geisenheim), Johannisberg to the west of Wiesbaden, Hesse, in the Rheingau (wine region), Rheingau wine-growing region of Germany. It has been making wine for over 900 ...
. He worked in
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
as well.
Moller is considered, along with
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 neoclassica ...
and
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, Leo ...
, to be one of the most important German architects working in the Greek Revival and
Romanticist
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
styles. His ingenuity as an engineer and when working space is most evident in the Ludwigskirche in Darmstadt.
Aside his work as an architect Moller was successful as a preserver of buildings. He was at least partly responsible for preserving the Carolingian
Torhalle in
Lorsch
Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Geography
Location
Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...
, which today is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moller in 1818 convinced the Grand-Duke of Hessen-Darmstadt to edict the first ordinance of preservation of ancient buildings, the first law concerning the protection of historic buildings in Germany.
![Moller Denkmähler Oppenheim South Elevation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Moller_Denkm%C3%A4hler_Oppenheim_South_Elevation.png)
Moller was also well-known for his writings on architecture. His book ''Denkmähler der Deutschen Baukunst'' ("Milestones in German architecture"; 1815–1851)
[Volume 1]
Volume 2 Part 1
Volume 2 Part 2
Volume 2 Part 3
Volume 3
covered buildings from
Lorsch
Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Geography
Location
Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...
(founded 764) to
Oppenheim
Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbru ...
(14th century). The work is notable both for its scholarship and for the quality of its illustrations. He was one of the first to take a stylistic approach to dating of buildings rather than accepting all recorded dates.
An English translation of the text was published in 1836.
He also wrote ''Beiträge zu der Lehre von den Konstruktionen'' ("Contributions to knowledge on construction"; 1833–1844).
Moller also played an important role for the completion of
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...
. It was he who discovered one half of the original facade drawing by cathedral masterbuilder Arnold in an attic near Darmstadt, while the other half was found by
Sulpiz Boisserée
Sulpiz Boiserée (2 August 1783 - 2 May 1854) was a German art collector and art historian. With his brother Melchior he formed a collection that ultimately formed the basis of that of the Alte Pinakothek. He played a key role in the completion of ...
in Paris in 1816. The uncompleted cathedral was completed in accordance with these designs.
Moller died in Darmstadt, aged 68.
Architects Georg Moller educated
*
Rudolf Wiegmann
*
Gottfried Bandhauer (possible)
Gallery
File:Ludwigsmonument-3.jpg, Ludwigsmonument in Darmstadt
File:Opper-darmstadt-ludwigskirche1.jpg, Ludwigskirche in Darmstadt
File:Haus der Geschichte-Darmstadt.jpg, House of History, Darmstadt
File:Wiesbaden Hessische Landtag.jpg, Stadtschloss in Wiesbaden
File:Mainz staatstheater 1903.jpg, Staatstheater Mainz
Literature
*
* Bernd Krimmel: ''Darmstadt in der Zeit des Klassizismus und der Romantik''. Hess. Staatsarchiv Darmstadt, 1979
* Eckhart G. Franz: ''Georg Moller''. Hess. Staatsarchiv Darmstadt
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moller, Georg
1784 births
1852 deaths
People from Diepholz
19th-century German architects
Greek Revival architects