Friedrich Adler (15 October 1827 – 15 September 1908) 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 ...
and
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
.
After having studied at the
Bauakademie
The Bauakademie (Building Academy, also known as the ''Schinkelsche Bauakademie'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education institution for the art of building to train master builders. Founded on 18 March 1799 by King Frederick William II ...
(
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
of
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
) in his native
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 ...
, he began
teaching
Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...
there in 1855, and was soon famous for building churches. In 1863, he was named a professor of
architectural history
The history of architecture traces the changes in architecture through various traditions, regions, overarching stylistic trends, and dates. The beginnings of all these traditions is thought to be humans satisfying the very basic need of shelt ...
at the academy.
[Adler, Johann Heinrich Friedrich]
In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 1, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, , S. 71.
Due to his profound knowledge of
antique
An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...
architecture, he took part of
Ernst Curtius
Ernst Curtius (; 2 September 181411 July 1896) was a German archaeologist, historian and museum director.
Biography
He was born in Lübeck. On completing his university studies he was chosen by Christian August Brandis, C. A. Brandis to acco ...
' archaeological expedition to
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
.
He was part of the leading directory of the major excavations in
Olympia (1874–81), and took part in the planning of the whole enterprise,
[ which was at first scheduled to last no more than five years. At one point, he was even leader of the excavations. He was also the ]editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
, together with Ernst Curtius, of the publication of the excavations report.
Adler died in his home city of Berlin, aged 80.
Archaeological works (as co-editor, together with Ernst Curtius)
"''Olympia: die Ergebnisse der von dem Deutschen Reich veranstalteten Ausgrabung''"
(Olympia, Results of the Excavation). Tome I-V (1890–1897).
* "''Olympia und Umgegend''" (Olympia and its surroundings); (2 maps and a plan, drawn by Adler's son-in-law Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Wilhelm Dörpfeld (26 December 1853 – 25 April 1940) was a German architect and archaeologist, a pioneer of stratigraphy, stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects. He is famous for his work on B ...
and Johann August Kaupert; 1882).Olympia und Umgegend
OCLC WorldCat
Architectural works

Adler designed and built many structures, among them 300 churches, some villas, castles and manor houses, holiday resorts, urban residential buildings etc.
* Lutheran St. Peter's Church, Berlin, as master builder for
Heinrich Strack
Johann Heinrich Strack (6 July 1805, Bückeburg – 13 June 1880, Berlin) was a German architect of the '' Schinkelschule''. His notable works include the Berlin Victory Column.
Life and work
His father, , was a painter of portraits and vedu ...
as of 1850 (destroyed in WW II)
*
Babelsberg Palace
Babelsberg Palace () lies in the eponymous park and quarter of Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor William I and King of Pruss ...
, Potsdam, as master builder for
Heinrich Strack
Johann Heinrich Strack (6 July 1805, Bückeburg – 13 June 1880, Berlin) was a German architect of the '' Schinkelschule''. His notable works include the Berlin Victory Column.
Life and work
His father, , was a painter of portraits and vedu ...
as of 1850
* Lutheran Village Church,
Gräben
Gräben is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.
Demography
File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Gräben.pdf, Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: ...
, as architect, refurbish, as of 1855
* Lutheran Christ Church, Berlin, as architect between 1862 and 1865 (destroyed in WW II)
* Lutheran
Saint Thomas Church (Berlin), as architect between 1865 and 1869 (severely damaged in WW II, rebuilt)
*
Meyenburg Castle as architect, refurbished in 1865/1866
* Lutheran Christ and Garrison Church,
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
, as architect between 1869 and 1872 (severely damaged in WW II, rebuilt)
* Lutheran St. Peter's Church,
Bromberg
Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its left-bank tributary, the Brda, the strategic location of Bydgoszcz has made it an inland ...
(today's
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...
), as architect between 1872 and 1878 (converted into Catholic
Sts. Peter and Paul Church on 2 July 1945)
* Lutheran
Redeemer Church,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, as architect, built after his designs by his pupil Paul Ferdinand Groth between 1893 and 1898
* Lutheran St. James Church,
Luckenwalde
Luckenwalde (; Upper Sorbian language, Upper and , , ) is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Ni ...
* Lutheran Village Church, Atzendorf (a part of today's
Staßfurt
Staßfurt (Stassfurt) () is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on both sides of the river Bode, approximately northeast of Aschersleben, and south of Magdeburg. Pop. (2005) 23,538.
It was one of th ...
)
* Lutheran St. Nicholas Church,
Frankfurt upon Oder, as architect he designed and added a new double-towered façade
* Lutheran Church,
Schwetz (today's
Åšwiecie
Åšwiecie (; ) is a town in northern Poland with 24,841 inhabitants (2023), capital of Åšwiecie County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is located within the ethnocultural region of Kociewie in the historic region of Pomerania.
Founded ...
)
* Calvinist Church,
Insterburg
Chernyakhovsk (; German language, German: Insterburg) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District. Located at the confluence of the Instruch and Angrap ...
(today's
Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsk (; German: Insterburg) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District. Located at the confluence of the Instruch and Angrapa rivers, which unite to become the Pregolya river bel ...
)
* Lutheran
Castle Church of All Saints,
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...
, as architect he directed the intrusive renovation between 1883 and 1892
* Lutheran
St. Peter's Cathedral,
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...
, as architect he designed and added a new western main tower between 1888 and 1894
* Catholic St. Peter's Collegiate Church,
Bad Wimpfen
Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar.
Geography
Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...
, as architect he renovated the church and designed and completed the unaccomplished towers between 1898 and 1902.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Friedrich
1827 births
1908 deaths
Architects from Berlin
19th-century German architects
Archaeologists from Berlin
Academic staff of Technische Universität Berlin