Paul Buchner (June 1531 – 13 November 1607) 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 ...

, geometer,

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

and screw maker from

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

Life

Buchner grew up in

and was an apprentice carpenter and screw maker, training under his cousin, Leonhard Danner. In 1556 he worked for

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where his job was to produce screws which would be used to strengthen fortifications. In 1557 Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy invited him to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. On a recommendation from Leonhard Danner, who supplied military equipment for the Saxon court,

August of Saxony August of Saxony (7 September 1589, Dresden – 26 December 1615, Naumburg) from the Albertine line of the House of Wettin was Administrator of the diocese of Naumburg-Zeitz. Life August was the youngest son of the elector Christian I of ...

invited Buchner in 1558 to

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. He made screw tools before being appointed as an electoral master craftsman in 1559, then became commander of the Dresden arsenal in 1563. He worked with Voigt von Wierandt, an experienced architect and master builder. Starting in 1567 he supervised the expansion of Dresden's fortifications. Due to his extensive knowledge of fortress construction and weapons technology, Buchner was appointed as a master of the house and land of Dresden in 1575. He was then responsible for all fortifications and armories throughout

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

. From 1586 to 1590, Buchner built the

Stallgebäude (the Stable Building) at the Jüdenhof under Elector Christian I. It is likely that he collaborated with the Italo Swiss artist Giovanni Maria Nosseni on various buildings, such as the Langer Gang at the Stallhof in Dresden and the gate to the Kleiner Schlosshof. Buchner was later married to Maria Kröß, the daughter of a chamber servant in the

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...

and the mayor of Dresden, Bastian Kröß. Together, Buchner and Kröß were the parents of the scholar

August Buchner August Buchner (2 November 1591 – 12 February 1661) was a German philologist, poet and literary scholar, an influential professor of poetry and rhetoric at the University of Wittenberg. Career Buchner was born in Dresden the son of Paul Buch ...

. Buchner died in 1607 in Dresden, and was buried at the Frauenkirchhof in Dresden. The

medalist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

Tobias Wolff made a portrait medal of Paul Buchner depicting him at the age of 49.The undated medal is in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Münzkabinett. An illustration can be found in the German Digital Library(DDB): https://ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/festungxperience/items/show/13 Illustration of the medal

Works

* Collaboration on the

Dresden Armoury The Dresden Armoury or Dresden Armory (German: ''Rüstkammer''), also known as the Dresden Historical Museum (German: ''Historisches Museum Dresden''), is one of the world's largest collections of ceremonial weapons, armour and historical textile ...

(Zeughaus) - 1559-1563 * Conversion of Wilsdruffer Gate at Dresden - 1568 * Powder Mill at Dresden - 1574-1575 * Conversion of Castle Gommern into a hunting lodge - 1578 * Dresden Stallhof (Princely Stable Building) at the Jüdenhof (1586-1589) connected with Dresden Castle, today the

Dresden Transport Museum The Dresden Transport Museum (German: Verkehrsmuseum Dresden) displays vehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof. The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden. The Jo ...

* Electoral Stable Building, also known as the "Old Castle" at Zabeltitz - 1588-1598 * Extension of the

Königstein Fortress Königstein Fortress (), the "Saxony, Saxon Bastille", is a hilltop fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, above the town of Königstein, Saxony, Königstein on the left bank of the River Elbe. It is one of the largest hilltop for ...

in 1589 (Gate House, Old Armoury, Guard House, Christiansburg) * Pirna Gate at Dresden - 1590–1591, in collaboration with Giovanni Maria Nosseni * Gate to the Kleiner Schlosshof, in collaboration with Giovanni Maria Nosseni * Old Gewandhaus at Dresden - 1591 Weck,_Stall_1680.png, Stallgebäude and Stallhof Dresden, engraving 1680, by Anton Weck Dresden Johanneum ehemals das Stallhofgebäude mit Bauplastik von Andreas Walther III - SHoppe2019 14.jpg, Entrance to the Stallhof Dresden 2017-06-02 Stallhof, Dresden.jpg, Langer Gang (long corridor) at the Stallhof Dresden, in collaboration with Giovanni Maria Nosseni Anton Weck 1680 Stallhof Dresden Langer Gang.jpg, Langer Gang (long corridor) in the Stallhof Dresden, in collaboration with Giovanni Maria Nosseni, engraving 1680, by Anton Weck Das Pirnaische Tor Dresden 1679.jpg, The Pirnaische Tor Dresden 1679, in collaboration with Giovanni Maria Nosseni Schloss Zabeltitz.jpg, Zabeltitz Castle Altes Zeughaus Königstein 2020-06-20 2.jpg, Königstein Fortress, Altes Zeughaus Festung Königstein Altes Zeughaus - Nr DSC08744 mit DSC-RX100M4 SHoppe2018.jpg, Königstein Fortress, Altes Zeughaus

Sources

* Esther Hoppe-Münzberg: ''The Elector's Stable and Armory Chamber Building with Long Corridor and Stable Courtyard - a new construction task in the complex of the Dresden Residential Palace'' in: Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (Ed.): ''The Residence Palace of Dresden.'' Volume 2: ''The castle complex of the Renaissance and its early baroque alterations and decorations.'' Petersberg 2019, pp. 397–419. * :de:Richard Steche
''Hans von Dehn-Rothfelser. Ein Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte Sachsens''
(online at Google Books). Blochmann, Dresden 1877, on Buchner pp. 36–43.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchner, Paul Renaissance architects 1531 births 1607 deaths Architects from Nuremberg German geometers German carpenters