Gerhard Fischer (12 July 1890 – 10 September 1977) was a Norwegian architect and archaeologist.

Biography

Johan Adolf Gerhard Fischer was born in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, Norway. He was the son of architect Adolph Fischer (1844–1925) and Dorothea Margaretha Elisabeth Wilcken (1857–1943). Fischer studied at the Bergen Technical School (''Bergens Tekniske Skole''), the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design () was established in 1818. In 1996, the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO), along with the Norwegian National Academy of ...

(''Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole'') in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

(''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi'') in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. From 1916 to 1926 he was employed by the

Norwegian State Railways Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

architectural office. During that period, he designed the

Lillestrøm Station Lillestrøm Station () is a railway station serving the town of Lillestrøm in Skedsmo, Norway. Located on the Gardermoen Line and the Trunk Line as well as being the western terminus of the Kongsvinger Line, it is the main transport hub of th ...

, Notodden Station, Åneby Station, Ljan Station and Bekkelaget Station. From 1938 until 1960, he was employed as a conservator at Universitetets Oldsaksamling, now part of Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. He chaired several excavations of sites dating from the Middle Ages in Norway including

Sverresborg Sverresborg (Norwegian:''Sverresborg i Trondheim'') or ''Sverre Sigurdsson's castle'' (''Kong Sverres borg'') was a fort and residence built in the medieval city of Nidaros (later Trondheim) by King Sverre Sigurdsson. The fortification was buil ...

in Trondheim and the

Bergenhus Fortress Bergenhus fortress () is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway. History The fortress contains buildings dating as earl ...

in Bergen. He was also associated with archeological excavations at

Utstein Abbey Utstein Abbey () is Norway's best-preserved medieval monastery. It is located on the southern shore of the island of Klosterøy in Stavanger municipality, Rogaland county. It was built in the late 1200s. Utstein Church is located on the grounds ...

Hovedøya Abbey Hovedøya Abbey (''Hovedøya kloster'') was a medieval era Cistercian monastery on the island of Hovedøya in Oslofjord outside of Oslo, Norway. History The monastery was founded on 18 May 1147 by monks from Kirkstead Abbey in England on Ho ...

Tønsberg Fortress Tønsberg Fortress (''Tunsberghus festning'') was a medieval fortress and castle, located in Tønsberg, Norway which was defended by the fortress for over 300 years. It includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13 ...

Stavanger Cathedral Stavanger Cathedral () is Norway's oldest cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Stavanger who leads the Diocese of Stavanger in the Church of Norway. It is located in the centre of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southw ...

Nidarosdomen Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is t ...

and the

Archbishop's Palace Various residences for archbishops are locally known as the Archbishop's Palace, including the following: * Archbishop's Palace, Perth, Western Australia * Metropolitan Palace, Lviv, Austria, also known as Archbishop's Palace * Archbishop's Palac ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. He also led the final stage of excavation in

Minneparken Minneparken is situated in Gamle Oslo adjacent to Oslo torg at Gamlebyen in Oslo, Norway. The park is bounded by St. Hallvards plass and Oslo gate in the west, Bispegata in the south, St. Halvards gate in the southeast, Egedes gate in the ...

Gamlebyen The Old Town of Oslo (, ) is a neighbourhood in the inner city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo and is the oldest urban area within the current capital. This part of the capital of Norway was simply called Oslo until 19 ...

in Oslo. His books include ''Oslo under Eikaberg'' from 1950, ''Norske kongeborger'' (two volumes, 1951 and posthumously 1980), ''Domkirken i Stavanger'' from 1964, ''Domkirken i Trondheim'' (1965), and ''Utstein kloster'' from 1965. He was awarded the

Medal of St. Hallvard The Medal of St. Hallvard () is the highest award of the City of Oslo, Norway. It is awarded to people who have made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the City of Oslo. It is named after the city's patron, Saint Hallvard (ca. 1020–1043) ...

in 1956, and was decorated Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1965. He was an honorary member of the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usu ...

, and of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

Gallery

File:Garnes stasjon (141026).jpg, Garnes Station (1918) File:Notodden stasjon.jpg, Notodden Station (1919) File:Åneby stasjon 1.JPG , Åneby Station (1919) File:Bjorli Station 2009.jpg, Bjorli Station (1923) File:Ljan 013.jpg, Ljan Station (1923)

References

1890 births 1977 deaths Architects from Bergen Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Archaeologists from Bergen Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London 20th-century Norwegian archaeologists {{norway-architect-stub