Johann Felsko
Encyclopedia
Johann Daniel Felsko (born 30 October 1813, Riga
, Russian Empire
— died 7 October 1902, Riga, Russian Empire) was an architect
, urban planner
and the chief architect of Riga for 35 years in the period 1844—79. The most significant accomplishment of his creative work is the development of the center of Riga.
from Königsberg
, East Prussia
, to settle in Riga. Johann's mother was Therese Luise Heydemann (died 1868) from Schönberg
in Courland
. Johann Felsko married Georgine Wilhelmine Groos from Copenhagen
, Denmark
in 1842; they had three children, two of them being architect Karl Johann
(1844—1918) and painter Oskar Eduard Daniel (born 1848).
, East Prussia
, to work on fortifications with Captain Gersohn in Warsaw
, on whose recommendations he went to Copenhagen
, Denmark
, then later to Poznań
, and then back to Denmark, in Hillerød
. Felsko studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1835—40. With a scholarship from the Riga City Council
, his studies continued at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts
, where he 1851 was awarded the degree of Free Artist.
style, while still preserving its harmonic scale and the overall historic character of the building. In 1849 Felsko renovated the Neo-Gothic
spire
of St. John's Church
, which remains in place to this day. In 1856 Tsar
Alexander II of Russia
approved the demolition of the city fortification
s, and Felsko together with his colleague Otto Dietze
began the development of a plan for the reconstruction of the city without delay. In the fall of that year, the work was done. In the following year, the Tsar approved this plan, and the same fall, the residents of Riga began digging up the old fortifications. The initial project underwent several alterations in order to decrease the costs, significantly however, Felsko's basic ideas were preserved and gradually were implemented in the construction of the semicircle of Riga's boulevards. The result is a superb urban ensemble with a canal — formed from the moat of the fortifications — becoming the central axis of the composition, which in turn, borders with free-standing public buildings, green spaces and separate blocks of apartment buildings. In the 1870s, the citadel fortress
was also torn down, and the esplanade
territory of the fortress was re-designed following the guidelines advanced in the designs of Felsko and Dietze.
at 8, Raiņa Boulevard (1874), another grammar school, now the Riga State Gymnasium No.2 at 1, Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street (1876—79), and the Craftsmen's Association School at 34, Aspāzijas Boulevard (1876). He also designed the Sadovnikow home for the poor at 20, Sadovņikova Street (1873), various apartment buildings at 49, Elizabetes Street (1870), 2, Antonijas Street (1879), 71, Brīvības Street (1879), 11, Šķūņu Street (1854) and a few others. Felsko utilised a rather wide spectrum of the formal elements of Eclecticism
style in his buildings, elements of the Renaissance
and of the Rundbogenstil
can be found; however; his favourite was Neo-Gothic. This style appears in completely different forms and tones from building to building. Felsko, in his reconstruction project for Riga's center envisioned the riverbank development of the Daugava in a Neo-Gothic style as well; however; this particular dream of his remained unfullfilled. He applied the same vision to the municipal gas works at 1, Basteja Boulevard (1861), which, however; no longer possesses the imposing gas tanks that once stood there.
Perhaps one of the most effective of Felsko buildings is the Small Guild
at 3/5 Amatu Street (1864—66) in Riga Old Town
. This building's architecture is in harmony with that of its slightly older neighbour - the Large Guild
. Felsko arranged a small square in front of the very bulky Medieval-like construction that already stood there. This feature was evaluated very positively by his contemporaries. The interior is very grand and ornate. Many of the windows are decorated with stained glass from Hanover
. In the windows of the rooms now used by actors, the portraits of the author of the paintings, as well as that of Felsko can be seen.
A whole array of churches were also fathered by the design of Felsko: St. Martin's Church
(1851), St. Gertrude Old Church
(1863—68), the St. Saviour's Anglican Church (1859), Holy Trinity Church
in the suburb of Sarkandaugava (1876—78), the St. Ann (1857—59) and St. Nicolai Church (1873—74), both on the lands of the Piņķi Mansion. All of them are Neo-Gothic in style with colourful and eloquent architectural touches.
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
— died 7 October 1902, Riga, Russian Empire) was an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, urban planner
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
and the chief architect of Riga for 35 years in the period 1844—79. The most significant accomplishment of his creative work is the development of the center of Riga.
Early life
Johann Felsko was born 30 October 1813 in Riga as son of mason Johan Jakob Felskau (1779—1858), who 1805 emigratedEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
from Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, to settle in Riga. Johann's mother was Therese Luise Heydemann (died 1868) from Schönberg
Skaistkalne
Skaistkalne is a village in Vecumnieki municipality, Latvia, and the centre of Skaistkalne parish....
in Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
. Johann Felsko married Georgine Wilhelmine Groos from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1842; they had three children, two of them being architect Karl Johann
Karl Felsko
Karl Johann Felsko , was an architect and son of chief architect of Riga Johann Daniel Felsko.- Education :...
(1844—1918) and painter Oskar Eduard Daniel (born 1848).
Education
Johann Felsko learned the building profession by being an apprentice to architect of Riga and master of the craft Johann Daniel Gottfriedt, until Gottfriedt died 1831. His education continued into the arts of technical drawing with Johann Adolf Spazier until 1832, which then led his travels as an apprentice via KönigsbergKönigsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, to work on fortifications with Captain Gersohn in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, on whose recommendations he went to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, then later to Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, and then back to Denmark, in Hillerød
Hillerød
Hillerød Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 191 km² , and has a total population of 46,568...
. Felsko studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1835—40. With a scholarship from the Riga City Council
Riga City Council
Riga City Council is the government of Riga City, the capital of Latvia. It is located in the Riga Town Hall at the Town Hall Square in the very heart of Riga....
, his studies continued at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
, where he 1851 was awarded the degree of Free Artist.
Creator of modern Riga
One of the first large projects by Felsko was the reconstruction of the Riga City Hall in 1848. He constructed a third storey on top of the almost 100-year-old monument of the ClassicismClassicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style, while still preserving its harmonic scale and the overall historic character of the building. In 1849 Felsko renovated the Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
of St. John's Church
St. John's Church, Riga
St. John's Church is a Protestant church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 24 Skārņu Street .- References :...
, which remains in place to this day. In 1856 Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
approved the demolition of the city fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s, and Felsko together with his colleague Otto Dietze
Otto Dietze
Otto Dietze was a German-born architect.He is most noted for his work in Jelgava from 1863–1872. He designed the Latvian pastor St. Peter's House , the railway station and residential houses....
began the development of a plan for the reconstruction of the city without delay. In the fall of that year, the work was done. In the following year, the Tsar approved this plan, and the same fall, the residents of Riga began digging up the old fortifications. The initial project underwent several alterations in order to decrease the costs, significantly however, Felsko's basic ideas were preserved and gradually were implemented in the construction of the semicircle of Riga's boulevards. The result is a superb urban ensemble with a canal — formed from the moat of the fortifications — becoming the central axis of the composition, which in turn, borders with free-standing public buildings, green spaces and separate blocks of apartment buildings. In the 1870s, the citadel fortress
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
was also torn down, and the esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
territory of the fortress was re-designed following the guidelines advanced in the designs of Felsko and Dietze.
Favourite Neo-Gothic style
This master is also the author of several schools: the municipal grammar school, which now houses the Riga State Gymnasium No.1Riga State Gymnasium No.1
Riga State Gymnasium No.1 , the oldest school in the Baltic states, offers secondary education in Riga, the capital of Latvia....
at 8, Raiņa Boulevard (1874), another grammar school, now the Riga State Gymnasium No.2 at 1, Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street (1876—79), and the Craftsmen's Association School at 34, Aspāzijas Boulevard (1876). He also designed the Sadovnikow home for the poor at 20, Sadovņikova Street (1873), various apartment buildings at 49, Elizabetes Street (1870), 2, Antonijas Street (1879), 71, Brīvības Street (1879), 11, Šķūņu Street (1854) and a few others. Felsko utilised a rather wide spectrum of the formal elements of Eclecticism
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
style in his buildings, elements of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and of the Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....
can be found; however; his favourite was Neo-Gothic. This style appears in completely different forms and tones from building to building. Felsko, in his reconstruction project for Riga's center envisioned the riverbank development of the Daugava in a Neo-Gothic style as well; however; this particular dream of his remained unfullfilled. He applied the same vision to the municipal gas works at 1, Basteja Boulevard (1861), which, however; no longer possesses the imposing gas tanks that once stood there.
Perhaps one of the most effective of Felsko buildings is the Small Guild
Small Guild, Riga
The Small Guild is a building situated in Riga, Latvia, at 3/5 Amatu Street. The building was erected in the years 1864—66 after a project by architect Johann Felsko in Neo-Gothic style.- References :...
at 3/5 Amatu Street (1864—66) in Riga Old Town
Vecriga
Vecrīga is the historical center of Riga, Latvia, located on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathedral and St. Peter's church.- Origins :...
. This building's architecture is in harmony with that of its slightly older neighbour - the Large Guild
Large Guild, Riga
The Large Guild is a building situated in Riga, Latvia, and was erected in the years 1854 - 1857 after a project by architect K. Bejne in English Gothic style. The building was erected to house the guild of the same name, and today it houses the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra .- References :...
. Felsko arranged a small square in front of the very bulky Medieval-like construction that already stood there. This feature was evaluated very positively by his contemporaries. The interior is very grand and ornate. Many of the windows are decorated with stained glass from Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. In the windows of the rooms now used by actors, the portraits of the author of the paintings, as well as that of Felsko can be seen.
A whole array of churches were also fathered by the design of Felsko: St. Martin's Church
St. Martin's Church, Riga
St. Martin's Church is a Protestant church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 34 Slokas Street .- References :...
(1851), St. Gertrude Old Church
St. Gertrude Old Church, Riga
St. Gertrude Old Church is a Protestant church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 6 Ģertrūdes Street .- References :...
(1863—68), the St. Saviour's Anglican Church (1859), Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Riga
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a Protestant church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 10 Sarkandaugavas Street....
in the suburb of Sarkandaugava (1876—78), the St. Ann (1857—59) and St. Nicolai Church (1873—74), both on the lands of the Piņķi Mansion. All of them are Neo-Gothic in style with colourful and eloquent architectural touches.