Johann Heinrich Strack (6 July 1805,

Bückeburg Bückeburg ( Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21 ...

– 13 June 1880,

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

) was a German architect of the '' Schinkelschule''. His notable works include the

Berlin Victory Column The Victory Column (german: , from '' Sieg'' ‘victory’ + '' Säule'' ‘column’) is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War, by the time it wa ...

Life and work

His father, , was a painter of portraits and vedute. His mother's brother was Johann Heinrich Tischbein, a famous portrait and history painter. Between 1824 and 1838, he studied at both the

Bauakademie The Bauakademie (''Building Academy'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education school for the art of building to train master builders. It originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from ...

and the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and lat ...

. During that time, he passed the surveyor's examination (1825), the construction manager examination (1827) and the Master Builder's examination (1838), which qualified him to be an inspector. He also assisted

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. ...

, furnishing an apartment for Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm at the Berliner Schloss; and

Friedrich August Stüler Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

, in renovating the

Ordenspalais The Ordenspalais ("Palace of the Order f Saint John) was a building on the northern corner of Wilhelmplatz with Wilhelmstraße in Berlin (now in Berlin- Mitte). Erection of the building at Wilhelmplatz No. 7/8 began in 1737 as the residence ...

. The latter resulted in a lifetime friendship. His first independent employment was as a construction manager, for renovating the Prinz-Albrecht-Palais (1829–1830). He worked as an freelance manager and architect from 1832 to 1837. He began teaching at the Prussian Academy in 1839, and was appointed a Professor there in 1841. The following year, he became a building inspector for the Court, in service to then-Prince Wilhelm. In 1850, he became a member of the new "Technical Building Deputation". He succeeded Stüler as a Professor at the Bauakademie in 1854. He also taught drawing to Wilhelm's son, Friedrich, and accompanied him on a trip to Italy. In 1862, during excavations in Athens, Strack, Ernst Curtius and Karl Bötticher discovered the Theatre of Dionysus, near the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

. Three years later, he was accepted as a foreign member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, and began writings texts on architectural subjects. When he retired in 1876, then-Emperor Wilhelm I appointed him "Architect to the Emperor". His tomb at Dorotheenstadt Cemetery was designed by two of his students; Reinhold Persius and .

Selected works

* 1845–1849: Babelsberg Palace, completion after the death of Ludwig Persius * 1854: Refurbishment of the Old Palace,

Unter den Linden Unter den Linden (, "under the Tilia, linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte (locality), Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. Running from the City Palace, Berlin, City Palace to Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the l ...

, Berlin * 1853–1856: St. Andrew's Church, formerly Stralauer Platz, Friedrichshain * 1856–1858: Expansion of the Kronprinzenpalais,

, Berlin * 1867–1868: Gatehouses of the

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...

* 1869–1873:

, now in

Großer Stern Der Große Stern (''The Great Star'') is the central square of the Großer Tiergarten park in Berlin; the Berlin Victory Column is sited in it. Squares in Berlin Tiergarten (park) {{Berlin-geo-stub ...

in the Tiergarten in Berlin * 1866–1875: Construction of the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin * 1853–1856: Flatow Tower in Babelsberg Park * 1870/1871: Redesign of the Berlin Gerichtslaube in the park of Babelsberg Palace

Sources

* * Franz Jahn, Hans Vollmer; "Strack, Johann Heinrich", In: ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol. 32: Stephens–Theodotos, E. A. Seemann, Leipzig, 1938 * ''Wochenschrift d. Architekten-Vereins zu Berlin'', Vol.2, 1907, Heymanns

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strack, Heinrich 1805 births 1880 deaths People from Bückeburg Prussian Academy of Arts faculty Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) 19th-century German architects