Ferstel, Heinrich, Freiherr von

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Ferstel, Heinrich, Freiherr von (1828–83). Prolific Austrian architect. He designed the twin-towered Gothic Revival Votivkirche (1856–82) and various other Historicist buildings, including the vast Italian Renaissance Revival University (1873–84) in Vienna. Much of his important work (where the influence of Semper is often clear) was done for the area adjoining the Ringstrasse, but he also designed many buildings throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. An advocate of housing reform, he admired English low-density developments, which influenced the Cottageverein (Cottage Association), Vienna (1872–4), responsible for building small single-family houses. Ferstel also promoted the laying out of the Türkenschanzpark, a public park on English lines (from 1883). Among his publications, Über Styl und Mode (On Style and Fashion—1883) is revealing of his attitudes.

Bibliography

Eitelberger & and Ferstel (1860);
Wagner-Rieger (1970);
Wibiral & and Mikula (1974)