Karl Friedrich Schinkel

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a German architect, city planner and painter who was one of the most influential figures of Neoclassicism and Romanticism in Germany. He was born in Neuruppin, near Berlin, in 1781. His father was an archdeacon who died in a fire when Schinkel was six years old. He studied architecture with Friedrich Gilly and his father David Gilly, who were prominent architects of the Berlin school of Neoclassicism. He also developed an interest in painting and visited Italy in 1803-1805, where he was inspired by the ancient monuments and landscapes. He returned to Berlin and worked as a painter, stage designer and architect. He designed several buildings in Berlin and other Prussian cities, such as the New Guardhouse, the Berlin Theatre, the Palace Bridge, the Altes Museum, the Friedrichswerder Church, and the Schauspielhaus. He also designed furniture, ceramics, metalwork and textiles. He was appointed as the Prussian state architect in 1815 and oversaw the reconstruction of Berlin after the Napoleonic wars. He also planned projects for other regions of Prussia, such as the Gothic revival of Schloss Rosenau in Coburg and the renovation of Chorin Abbey. He also designed proposals for the transformation of the Athenian Acropolis into a royal palace for the new Kingdom of Greece and for the erection of the Orianda Palace in Crimea. He was influenced by Greek and Roman architecture, as well as Gothic and medieval styles. He aimed to create buildings that were harmonious with their surroundings and expressive of their function and meaning. He also had a vision of a modern industrial society that could be enriched by art and culture. He died in Berlin in 1841 from a nervous disorder that had afflicted him for several years. He was buried at the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery, where a monument was erected in his honor. He is regarded as one of the greatest architects of Germany and his buildings are still admired for their elegance and beauty.