Bruno Schmitz (21 November 1858 – 27 April 1916) was a 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 ...

best known for his monuments in the early 20th century. He worked closely with sculptors such as Emil Hundrieser,

Nikolaus Geiger Nikolaus Geiger (6 December 1849 – 27 November 1897) was a German sculptor and painter. Life Born at Lauingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria, he began an apprenticeship as a stonemason. At the age of 16, he went to Munich, to study with Joseph K ...

and

Franz Metzner Franz Metzner (18 November 1870, Všeruby (Plzeň-North District), Wscherau, near Plzeň – 24 March 1919, Berlin) was an influential German sculptor, particularly his sculptural figures integrated into the architecture of Central European publ ...

for integrated architectural and sculptural effect. His single most famous work is the massive 1913

Völkerschlachtdenkmal The Monument to the Battle of the Nations () is a monument in Leipzig, Germany, to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th a ...

(Monument to the Battle of the Nations) located in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, designed with local architect Clemens Thieme. The Monument was inaugurated in 1913 by

Wilhelm II, German Emperor Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

. Bohemian sculptor

designed the architectural figures, including the powerful and strangely scaled ''Masks of Fate'' in the monument's crypt.

Artistic commissions

Apart from the

(Monument to the Battle of the Nations) in

, Schmitz designed the

Kyffhäuser Monument The Kyffhäuser Monument (), also known as Barbarossa Monument (), is an Emperor William monuments, Emperor William monument in the Kyffhäuser mountain range in the Germany, German state of Thuringia. It was erected from 1890 to 1896 atop the ...

and the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument at

Porta Westfalica Porta Westfalica () is a town in the district of Minden-Lübbecke, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name "''Porta Westfalica''" is Latin and means "gate to Westphalia". Coming from the north, the gorge is the entry to the region of West ...

, bringing him the distinction of designing the three largest war monuments in Germany. All of them are rough, primitive masonry structures in a style that blends Romanesque precedents with modernist touches, and all of them are associated with

German nationalism German nationalism () is an ideological notion that promotes the unity of Germans and of the Germanosphere into one unified nation-state. German nationalism also emphasizes and takes pride in the patriotism and national identity of Germans as ...

in the period before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Schmitz's daughter Angelica Schmitz (1893–1957) was the wife of the Ukrainian-American sculptor

Alexander Archipenko Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko (February 25, 1964) was a Ukrainian-American avant-garde artist, sculpture, sculptor, and graphic designer, graphic artist, active in France and the United States. He was one of the first to apply the principles o ...

Selected works

*Geschäftshaus (commercial building) (1883),

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. *

(1889–96),

, with Emil Hundrieser and

, sculptors. *

Kaiser Wilhelm Monument {{no refs, date=December 2017 A large number of monuments were erected in Germany in honour of William I, German Emperor, Emperor William I (known in German as ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal''). As early as 1867 the Berlin sculptor, Friedrich Drake, h ...

(1890–96),

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed the ''Teutoburg Forest'' ...

, with Caspar von Zumbusch, sculptor. * Deutsches Eck Monument (1894–97),

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

, with Emil Hundrieser, sculptor. *Kaiserin Augusta Monument (1896),

, with

Karl Friedrich Moest Karl Friedrich Moest (also Carl Friedrich Moest: 26 March 1838 - 14 August 1923) was a German sculptor. Life Moest was born in Gernsbach, a short distance to the east of Baden-Baden. He learned drawing skills, etching on copper and steel, h ...

, sculptor. *

(Monument to the Battle of the Nations) (1898–1913),

, with Clemens Thieme, architect, and

, sculptor. *Bismarckturm (Bismark Tower) (1899–1900),

Unna Unna () is a city of around 59,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the seat of the Unna (district), Unna district. The newly refurbished Unna station has trains to all major cities in North Rhine Westphalia including Dortmund, Köln H ...

. *Villa Stockwerk (1899–1902),

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. *

Mannheimer Rosengarten Mannheimer Rosengarten is a concert hall and congress centre in Mannheim, Germany designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz. It was built between 1900 and 1903 in an Art Nouveau style, with a main hall that can accommodate up to 2,300 guests. Art ...

(1899–1903), Friedrichsplatz,

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

. *Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (1901), Halle. *Automat Commercial Building (1904–05),

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. *Weinhaus Rheingold (Rheingold Wine House) (1905–06),

(destroyed). *Carl Hoffman Tomb, Old St. Matthew's Church,

, with

, sculptor. *A number of the

Bismarck tower A Bismarck tower () is a specific type of monument built according to a more or less standard model across Germany to honour its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898). A total of 234 of these towers were inventoried by Kloss and Seele i ...

United States

* Indiana Soldiers and Sailors' Monument (1888–1902), Monument Circle,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. *German Pavilion (1904), Saint Louis World's Fair,

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. File:Geschäftshaus Schadowstraße 17 in Düsseldorf der Firma J. H. Wildemann, Umbau von den Architekten "van Els & Schmitz" im Jahre 1883.jpg, Geschäftshaus (commercial building) (1883),

. File:Old rendering of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis, IN, USA.jpg, ''The Symbol of Indiana''. Schmitz's 1888 rendering for the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in

. File:Kyffhäuser general view.jpg,

(1889–96),

. File:ReiterstandbildKyffhäuser.JPG, ''Equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I'' by Emil Hundrieser,

. File:Denkmal-Wilhelm-I Schmitz.jpg, Schmitz's ca. 1890 rendering for the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument in

. File:Porta Westfalica - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal.jpg, Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (1890–96),

, Caspar von Zumbusch, sculptor. File:Deutsches Eck LOC.jpeg, Deutsches Eck Monument (1894–97),

. File:Kaiser W 1.jpg, Emil Hundrieser's colossal ''Equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I'' atop the

Deutsches Eck The Deutsches Eck (, "German Corner") is the name of a promontory in Koblenz, Germany, where the Moselle, Mosel river joins the Rhine. Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order, it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of Wil ...

was severely damaged in World War II. A copy by Raymond Kittl was installed in 1993. File:Kaiserin-Augusta-Denkmal 11 Koblenz 2014.jpg, Kaiserin Augusta Monument (1896),

, sculptor. File:Bismarckturm Unna IMGP2644 wp.jpg, Bismarckturm (Bismark Tower) (1899–1900),

. File:Villa Stockwerk an der Volksgartenstraße 54 in Köln 1899 von Schmitz.jpg, Schmitz's 1899 rendering for the Villa Stockwerk in

. File:Haus in Köln, Volksgartenstr. 58, Architekt Prof. Bruno Schmitz, Berlin.jpg, Villa Stockwerk (1899–1902),

. File:Friedrichsplatz Mannheim 1901 von Bruno Schmitz.jpg, Schmitz's 1901 rendering of Friedrichsplatz,

. File:Mannheim Friedrichsplatz Rosengarten.jpg, Rosengarten Concert Hall (1899–1903), Friedrichsplatz,

. File:LPE02134 Germany Louisiana Purchase Expostion.jpg, German Pavilion (1904), Saint Louis World's Fair,

. File:Berlin, Mitte, Geschäftshaus Automat 01.jpg, Automat Commercial Building (1904–05),

. File:WP Aschinger Berlin.JPG, Schmitz's 1905 rendering for the Weinhaus Rheingold (Rheingold Wine House) in

. File:WP Aschinger Berlin 2.JPG, Weinhaus Rheingold (Rheingold Wine House) interior, 1906 (destroyed). File:Matthäuskirchhof Berlin4.JPG, Carl Hoffmann Tomb, Old St. Matthew's Church,

. ''Weeping Woman'' by

. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-0929-301, Leipzig, Völkerschlachtdenkmal, Wächterfiguren.jpg, ''Wächterfiguren'' (''Guards''), by

, encircling the dome of the

. File:Krypta Völkerschlachtdenkmal.JPG, ''Masks of Fate'', by

, crypt of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitz, Bruno 1858 births 1916 deaths People from Düsseldorf 19th-century German architects People from the Rhine Province