Schwechten, Franz Heinrich

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Schwechten, Franz Heinrich (1841–1924). German architect. A pupil of Martin Gropius, F. A. Stüler, and J. A. Raschdorff, he established his practice in Berlin in 1869, specializing in buildings for the railways. He was greatly influenced by the polychromy of Schinkel and M. Gropius in his designs for the Anhalter Bahnhof (Anhalt Station), Berlin (1875–80—destroyed). He also designed the railway-stations at Dessau and Wittenberg (both 1875–80). His best-known work was the Romanesque-revival Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächt-niskirche (Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church), Berlin (1891–5—of which part remains), and he also designed the Church of the Redeemer, Essen (1905–9), and the Kaiserschloss (Emperor's Palace), Posen (1905–10—now Poznań, Poland). He had a successful career, building all over the German Empire.

Bibliography

DB, xlvi (1912), 421–6, and lviii (1924), 427–8;
Posener (1979)

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Schwechten, Franz Heinrich

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