HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

József Hild (born Josef Hild, 8 December 1789 – 6 March 1867) was a Hungarian-German
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 ...
.Hild József
Hungarian Electronic Library, retrieved 11 May 2012
One of the major exponents of neoclassical architecture of the time, he played an important part in the remodelling of Pest during the so-called reform era (early 19th century).


Life and career

Hild gained an early interest in architecture through his father, János Hild, a
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n construction engineer, and was on building sites beside his father at a very young age. József attended the
Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...
’ grammar school, and then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna while working as court architect for the Esterhazy family. There he worked under Charles de Moreau in Kismarton and Vienna. Following his father's death in 1811, he interrupted his studies but applied to become a master builder which was granted pending he gain further experience. This lead him to traveling to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in 1816, where he completed further studies in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
,
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. After returning home in the 1820s he slowly built up a reputation which was to culminate in the rebuilding of Pest following the floods of 1838. He was so busy that it was not until 1844 he completed the requirements to become a master builder; from 1845 to 1861 he was city architect of Pest. Ascension Cathedral in
Szatmárnémeti Satu Mare (; ; ; or ) is a city with a population of 102,400 (2011). It is the capital of Satu Mare County, Romania, as well as the centre of the Satu Mare metropolitan area. It lies in the region of Maramureș, broadly part of Transylvan ...
(today Satu Mare, Romania) was built between 1830 and 1837 according to plans by Hild, using parts of the former baroque cathedral. In 1831 archbishop
Ladislaus Pyrker Johann Ladislaus Pyrker (von Oberwart) ''(von Felsö-Eör)'' (; 2 November 1772 in Nagyláng, Soponya, near Székesfehérvár, Hungary – 2 December 1847 at Vienna) was a Hungarian Cistercian abbot, archbishop and poet. Life He was descend ...
of
Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...
commissioned Hild to design the Cathedral. In 1839 he was placed in charge of the construction of the Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Adalbert in Esztergom. In 1851 construction first began on Saint Stephen's Basilica under Hild's supervision."St. Stephen's Basilica", Visit Hungary, Hungarian Tourism Agency
/ref> In 1835 Teleki castle in
Gyömrő Gyömrő is a town in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. The City of Gyömrő is situated in the center of the hilly region of Monor, in the outskirt of the capital city, Budapest. The whole territory of Gyömrő is 26,51 km2, i ...
burnt down. On the base of the former castle Count Sámuel Teleki had the new neo-classicist castle constructed according to the plans of József Hild. One of his students was Frigyes Feszl. In 1822, he married Karolina Ritter, and three of their five children lived to adulthood. Despite plenty of work, Hild never amassed a fortune. He designed hundreds of residential buildings and villas, but lived himself in a modest apartment in Lipótváros until the end of his life. His work gradually fell out of fashion. After his wife's death, he lived alone and died almost forgotten"József Hild, a classicist master of the reform era", Hungarian National Digital Archive
/ref>


Works

Hild's classicist style contributed greatly to the transformation of Pest in the early 19th century. In his last decades he began to incorporate a broader historicist style, but his best known works are still strongly neoclassicist, particularly the churches. ;
Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...
: * Cathedral Basilica (1831) ;
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
: * Nákó House, Roosevelt Square (1833) (subsequently demolished & replaced by the Gresham Palace) * Saint Stephen's Basilica plans (1848)(completed by Miklos Ybl) * Apartment buildings e.g. Gross (Jozsef nador squ. 1); Karolyi-Trattner (Petofi Sandor str. 3); Marczibanyi palace (Oktober 6 str.) * Villas in
Hűvösvölgy Hűvösvölgy is a neighbourhood in the 2nd district of Budapest, 2nd District of Budapest. The area is a popular hiking destination and is also an important transport hub. The suburb is known for its terminus of the Budapest Children's Railway. A ...
: Csendilla, Hild-villa * Remodelling of Kalvin Square & Kalvin Church following the floods in 1838, then also in 1854–55 ;
Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...
: *
Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
, Savings Bank building, Cathedral Library,
Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
;
Cegléd Cegléd (; ) is a city in Pest County, Pest county, Hungary, approximately southeast of the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Name The name of the town is of disputed origin. The name may be derived from the word "szeglet" (meaning "corner") due to i ...
: * Reformed Church Image:Esztergom.bazilika.lights.jpg, Esztergom Basilica File:Gyömrő telekikast.jpg, Teleki castle File:Református templom (6944. számú műemlék).jpg, Reformed Church, Cegléd (1835) File:Vörösmarty Square, snowy winter, Budapest.jpg, Gerbeaud building (formerly the Pest Trade Bank)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hild, Jozsef Hungarian architects Hungarian-German people German Bohemian people Hungarian people of Czech descent Hungarian people of German descent Danube-Swabian people People from Pest, Hungary 1789 births 1867 deaths