Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 projects. He was the father of Judith Holzmeister.

Biography

Holzmeister was born in the village of Fulpmes in the

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

state of

. He and Judith Bridarolli married in 1913 in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

. In 1914 His son Guido was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. He attended the Vienna University of Technology and earned a doctorate in architecture in 1919. His daughter Judith Holzmeister was born in

in 1920. After submitting a prize-winning design, he became the Head of the Architecture Department of Austria's Academy of Fine Arts in 1924. In 1926 he oversaw the remodelling of the Festival Theatre in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, then spent several years erecting government buildings in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 1931 Holzmeister became the Director of the Austrian Academy of Fine Arts. Besides building projects in Austria, Germany and Turkey, he remained the Director of the Academy until being removed from this post during the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

by the new German government in 1938. Although his offices, journals and papers were seized by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, he had the good luck to be in

on another commission at the time; during which he designed the former Turkish Parliament building (1938) as well as numerous other state buildings. He remained in Turkey until 1954, then returned to Austria, where his 1950s commissions include the Großes Festspielhaus. His body of work includes a large number of public and semi-public buildings and churches. He developed a new interpretation of local building traditions between simplicity and expressiveness. He also built monuments and scenery. Holzmeister repeatedly worked as a stage designer beginning in the 1930s in collaboration with

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

for whom he created the ''Faust-City'' for the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

. In the 1950s Holzmeister returned to stage design and again worked for the Salzburg Festival (''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'') as well as the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

(''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...

'', 1955, for the opening of the renovated State Opera) and the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

. Holzmeister's stage designs always respected the requirements of stage productions but never concealed the architectonic background of their creator. Petersfriedhof Salzburg - Grave of Clemens Holzmeister 1 - DSC01436

Petersfriedhof Salzburg - Grave of Clemens Holzmeister 1 - DSC01436

He is buried in St. Peter's Cemetery in

Honours and awards

* Grand Austrian State Prize for Architecture (June, 1953) * Honorary Ring of Vienna (1955) *

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

(1957) * Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (1981) *

Order of Merit of the Republic of Turkey Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

(1990)

Works

Sacred Buildings * Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Batschuns (1921-1923) * Kloster Maria Hilf with the retreat house of the

Missionaries of the Precious Blood The Missionaries of the Precious Blood () is a Catholic community of priests and brothers. The society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815. The name "Missionaries of the Precious Blood" is a shortened English translation of the La ...

in Kufstein (1923, 1928) *Extensions of the parish church of Obergurgl in the municipality of Sölden (1924, 1966) *Parish Mariahilf (Heldendankkirche) in Bregenz (1925-1931), Vorarlberg *Parish church Crimea in Vienna Dobling (1931/32) *Reconstruction and extension of the parish church Dornbach in Vienna Hernals (1931/32) *Reconstruction and extension of the parish church of St. Anton am Arlberg (1932) *Filialkirche Erlöserkirche in Wiener Neustadt; Reconstruction of a factory building to the Church (1932) * (now Christ the King Church) Neufünfhaus in Vienna (1933/34) *Parish Church of St. Erhard, Mauer (Vienna) (1934–36) *Christ Evangelical Church in Kitzbühel (1962) *Parish Church of All Saints -St. George, Hoetting,

(completed in 1964) *Parish Pertisau, Tirol (1966-1970) *Parish Don Bosco (Großfeldsiedlung) in Vienna Floridsdorf (1971 built) *Guardian Angel Chapel (Schutzengel-Kapelle) in the Schlickeralm in the municipality of Telfes *Parish Erpfendorf, Tirol *Parish Bruckhäusl in Wörgl, Tirol *Christ the King Church in Gloggnitz *Mortuary Grafstein (Carinthia) (1965) *Church of St. Stephan in Gmünd (Lower Austria), 1981-1982 Expansion *Parish church in Zwölfaxing (1966-1967) *Filialkirche Holzhausen, community Sankt Georgen bei Salzburg, 1985 Extension Civil Buildings *Elementary school in

Marbach an der Donau Marbach an der Donau is a town in the district of Melk in the Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, ...

(debut) *

Feuerhalle Simmering Feuerhalle Simmering is a crematorium with attached urn burial ground in the Simmering (Vienna), Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It lies at the end of an alley, directly opposite Vienna Central Cemetery's main gate. Description Opened o ...

in Vienna (1921–22) *Sanatorium Mehrerau in Bregenz (1922-1923) *Hotel Steinbock in Steinach am Brenner (built in 1923; demolished 1986) *Council Blathof in Vienna (1924-1925) *Hotel Post in St. Anton am Arlberg (1927/28) *The , Kitzbühel (1929/30) *Cardinal Piffl dormitory of Akademikerhilfe in Vienna (1931/32) *New spa / therapy center in Bad Ischl (1932, today: Euro Therme Bad Ischl ) *2 houses in the Werkbundsiedlung Vienna (1932) *Memorial at Fuschertörl, Grossglockner High Alpine Road (1933) *Broadcasting House Argentinierstraße in Vienna (1935–39) *Festspielhaus in Salzburg (1 reconstruction in 1926; 2 reconstruction 1936/38) *State Theatre in Linz (1953-1958) *Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg (1955-1960) *Schülerheim Don Bosco in Fulpmes *Leopold Figl waiting on Tulbingerkogel Lower Austria (1966–67; opened in 1968) *Elementary school Grafstein (Carinthia) (1969/71) *Elementary school Jenbach, Tirol *Cultural Hall at the elementary school Himmelberg, Carinthia (1978/80) *Andreas Hofer monument in Vienna-Wieden on Südtirolerplatz (design, executed by Jacob Adlhart) Germany Sacred Buildings *Parish Church of St. Mary of the Assumption, Mary Green, Blankenese, 1929–30 *St. Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin, expressionist remodeling of the interior of the episcopal church, (destroyed in war) *Parish Church of St. Peter, Mönchengladbach -Waldhausen, 1933 *Church of St. Adalbert, Berlin-Mitte, 1933 *Parish Church of St. Agatha, Merchingen *Catholic parish church of St. Martin, Nuremberg, 1934-1935, reconstruction after the planned by Rolf Behringer 1946-1948 *Christ the King Church in Kleve (1934), (destroyed in war in 1944) * St. Mary Magdalene, Brotdorf *Franciscan monastery, Hermes wedge *Reconstruction in the Romanesque church of St. Georg (Cologne) *Parish Church in Augsburg-Hochzoll, 1964–66 Civil Buildings * Schlageter National Monument, Dusseldorf-Golzheim, 1931 Italy *Hotel Drei Zinnen, Sexten, 1929-1931 *Hotel Adler, St. Ortisei, 1926 *Villa Dr. Runggaldier, Ortisei, 1926 *Villa Pretz, Bolzano, 1926-1928 *Settlement Klösterlegrund, Bolzano, 1925 *Reconstruction of the parish church of San Vigilio, Untermais, Merano Turkey *Ministry of Defence 1928 *The Office of Commander in Chief 1929-1930 *Ankara Officers’ Club 1930-1933 *War Academy 1930-1935 *Çankaya Mansion 1931-1932 *Central Bank 1931-1933 *Ministry of Interior 1932-1934 *Court of Appeal 1933-1934 * Property Credit Bank 1933-1934 *Embassy of Austria 1935-1936 *Turkish Grand National Assembly 1938-1960

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holzmeister, Clemens 1886 births 1983 deaths People from Innsbruck-Land District Austrian architects TU Wien alumni Austrian expatriates in Turkey Expatriate academics in Turkey Academic staff of Istanbul Technical University Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Grand Austrian State Prize Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Turkey Burials at Petersfriedhof Salzburg