Joseph Effner (February 4, 1687 (baptized) – February 23, 1745) was a German architect and decorator.

Biography

Effner was born in Dachau as a son of the court gardener Christian Öffner. Effner accompanied the

elector of Bavaria The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...

Max Emanuel to Bruxelles. In 1706 Effner was retrained by Gabriel Germain Boffrand in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Here he changed his family name to "Effner". In 1717 Effner was sent by the elector to Italy for a study trip. From 1715 to 1726 Effner was then court architect to the elector. Joseph Effner introduced modern French ideas of architecture to the Munich court. After the death of Enrico Zuccalli in 1724 he received even more competences. With the accession to power of Charles Albert in 1726 Effner was replaced by his pupil François de Cuvilliés and then worked in the administration. He died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Training

Effner studied architecture under the famous French architect

Germain Boffrand Germain Boffrand () (16 May 1667 – 19 March 1754) was a French architect. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the ''style Régence'', and in his interiors, of the ...

. The latter made a deep impression on Effner's style. It was this training that led to his introducing French designs upon his return to Germany with the Elector.

Designs

As chief court architect, Effner worked on the Elector's residences in Munich. He made several changes to these buildings. His work on the

Nymphenburg Palace The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...

is regarded as his best. He increased the palace's size. He also added three pavilions, an octagonal Chinese pagoda, a ruined hermit's cell, and a tiled bathhouse.

Chief Works

* Upgrading of Dachau Palace (1715–1717) * Fürstenried Palace in Munich (1715–1717) * Expansion of the Park and Palace of Nymphenburg and construction of the Pagodenburg teahouse (1716–1719) and the Badenburg bathing house (1718–1721) * Expansion of

Schleissheim Palace The Schleißheim Palace () comprises three individual palaces in a grand Baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian rulers of the House of Wittelsbac ...

(1719–1726) * Construction of the ''Reiche Zimmer'' (Rich Rooms) in the Munich Residence * Palais Preysing in Munich (1723–1729)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Effner, Joseph 1687 births 1745 deaths People from Dachau German Baroque architects Architects of the Bavarian court