Gothic architecture in Germany

Architecture in Germany : A wide field that begins at some point in the turmoil of the fighting between Romans and Germanic tribes, i.e. at a time that is not very long after the start of our time. Unfortunately, the Germanic tribes left us no interesting structures that have not yet built, but may have just put together their huts from wood.

Certainly, among these dwellings, there were artistically interesting pieces, but their durability unfortunately left much to be desired. Thus, from the year 100 onwards, we can consider little more than the remnants of Roman military structures, and in the following few centuries, more precisely until around the year 800, the territory of present-day Germany was continuously embroiled in military conflicts that brought architecture to a standstill.

Around 800, the first buildings of priority were created among the builders Charlemagne in the German area, from 1000 the first Romanesque buildings, some of which can still be visited, examples of these beginnings of German architecture from antiquity to Romanesque are mentioned in the article of the same name.

The transition to the historically highly interesting epoch of Gothic architecture is fluid; many buildings were begun in the Romanesque style but were only completed in the Gothic period that followed Romanesque.

The period

Gothic architecture emerged in the 12th century in France and quickly spread throughout Europe.

The period of Gothic architecture is divided into Early, High, and Late Gothic. Regional architectural forms clearly define the three different phases of Gothic architecture.

France 1140 - 1530

Early gothic 1140 - 1200
high -gothic 1200 - 1350
late Gothic 1350 - 1530

Germany 1250 - 1530

Italy 1200 - 1420

What characterizes the Gothic architectural style?

You have certainly visited a Gothic church before and were fascinated by its impressive architecture. But how exactly was this architectural style developed and what techniques were used in the process?

High vaults, pointed arches and filigree decorations are characteristic of this construction . In order to implement these constructions, new techniques such as the cruess vault and the buttress developed.

The use of stained glass windows and rose windows also contributed to the beauty and brightness of Gothic churches.

Important design features at a glance:

• Filigree buildings
• Broken outer walls with finely structured windows
• Pointed arches, vaults
• External strutor for the stability of the building
• Wimperg: decorative gable over portals and windows
• Facilities as a filigree design element in a geometric form of the windows
• Colored glass windows and window roses: circular with tracery
• Fiale: Slanker flanking small tower, which emphasizes the highly striving for construction in the Gothic architecture
• Krabbe: Decorative element in the form of folded leaves along the fials
• Wasserget as an architectural element to derive the rainwater

Over time, these techniques were increasingly refined and perfected, leading to ever larger and more impressive structures. Today, these masterpieces of Gothic architecture are not only religious sites but also significant cultural and historical monuments.

Gothic architecture in Germany - the beginnings

The Gothic style started in France, where buildings get characteristics from around 1130 that can be clearly assigned to the Gothic. The other countries of the time followed that Italy and Spain and the countries north of the Alps only begin to give Gothic trains from around 1200.

The first characteristics of the Gothic style on German soil are z. B. at the Wartburg and at the Nuremberg Castle , both of them started in the 11th century, but only ended when the Gothic had already reached Germany.

The Magdeburg Cathedral , whose construction began in 1209, is being viewed as the first completely Gothic building in Germany

Although the Magdeburg Cathedral was begun in 1209 as the first Gothic work, it was not completed until 1520. The choir of the cathedral still shows influences of the late Romanesque style, while the nave can clearly be assigned to the High Gothic style. The west towers, on the other hand, are designed in a typical late Gothic style.

Around 1200, the construction of Freiburg Minster also began. Its tower spire, completed only around 1340, is considered one of the jewels of Gothic architecture in Germany, and the entire cathedral is regarded as one of the significant Gothic structures in German territory.

This long construction period was common for churches and dome , around these outstanding construction sites, entire craftsmanship that were organized in construction huts were organized. These settlements are known from films around the novels Ken Folllets, some of them had a long stock, even if the buildings often remained unfinished after a frequently centuries -long building.

It was only when you remembered the Gothic style in the 19th century, in the age of romanticism and historicism, that it even became fashionable that several of these wonderful buildings were finally completed. Cologne cathedral is particularly possible as an example of this way of working.

The Cologne Cathedral was modelled after the cathedrals of Amiens and Beauvais. Over a period of 300 years, construction was repeatedly interrupted, so the cathedral existed for a long time only as a fragment. Only in 1880 were the west towers fully completed, when old Gothic plans were rediscovered. The Gothic decorative gable above the portal of the High Cathedral was also added only in the 19th century.

It was only very late that the Cologne Cathedral really became the world's largest Gothic cathedral Milan Cathedral

Ulm Münster also had to prevent a very long construction freeze , which was also only completed at the end of the 19th century. It was also very artistic in 1890, the almost 162 -meter -high tower of the cathedral was the highest church tower in the world at the time and it is still today.

North German brick gothic

Around the Baltic Sea coast we can visit wonderful buildings of the so -called brick gothic , e.g. B. the town hall of Stralsund or the Nikolaikirche there. This regional variant of the Gothic style is significantly formative in several cities in this district, in Stralsund and Lübeck, in Wismar, Rostock and Greifswald we find the red brick buildings.

They originally arose out of necessity, as very few natural stones were found in the coastal regions, but they have developed their own distinct forms, as it was only the production of bricks that led to this pronounced shaping of the building blocks. A beautiful example is also the Marienkirche in Lübeck, which was built between 1200 and 1350.

The St. Petrikirche in Rostock is a historical jewel and the oldest fishing church in the city. As early as 1252, she was mentioned for the first time and is therefore a real treasure of the past. Although the transeptless basilica was heavily destroyed in the Second World War, it has been gently and gradually rebuilt since the 1960s.

A special highlight is the Gothic tower cap, which was restored in the 1990s and, with its impressive height of 117 meters, shapes the skyline of Rostock. A visit to St. Peter's Church is an unforgettable experience and a must for every history lover.

In the 13th century, Gothic architecture in Germany was primarily characterised by the construction of churches that still exhibited elements of the Romanesque style. Particularly impressive are the Gothic cathedrals, such as the one in Strasbourg, which was built between 1245 and 1275. Although Strasbourg is now part of France, the construction of the cathedral is attributed to German Gothic.

There was a race for ever larger churches and cathedrals , such as Cologne Cathedral, which is larger than the cathedral of Amiens in France.

In Germany, many churches were also built that were part of monasteries or pens and are referred to as Münster. Examples of this are Münster in Freiburg im Breisgau, Ulm, Basel and Strasbourg. The Aachen Cathedral was of particular importance as a church for German kings from 936 to 1531, in which 31 kings were crowned.

While so far the most important buildings have always been churches, the first sensational profit buildings created in the Gothic age, the first town halls and the first guild houses have been created, and were testified by the uprising of the bourgeoisie.

From around 1350 the town hall of Stralsund was built, from 1410 the town hall of Bremen . However, the latter was completely redesigned in the Renaissance when the entire facade was renewed.

At this time the first residential buildings, almost always half -timbered buildings , which can also be admired today, e.g. B. in Goslar or in Quedlinburg, which was declared a World Heritage Site as a whole.

Significant Gothic builders

Some of the most significant Gothic architects gained great fame and left impressive marks in architectural history to this day.

These outstanding personalities include the master builder of the famous Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, Pierre de Montreuil , as well as the members of the prestigious family of builders Parler , who were significantly involved in the construction of numerous cathedral and cathedral.

Interestingly, the family name Parler developed over the course of the concept of polishing . The builders always marked their works with a stonemason sign that allows conclusions to be drawn about the building builder.

While in earlier epochs each individual stone was marked with such a sign, in the Gothic period it was customary for one stone to be marked on behalf of the master builder with the corresponding sign.