Balthasar Neumann
| Johann Balthasar Neumann | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
January 27, 1687 (?) Eger, Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | August 19, 1753 (aged 66) Würzburg, Bishopric of Würzburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Würzburg Residence, Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers |
Johann Balthasar Neumann (
listen ; 27 January 1687 (?)– 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Italian, and French elements to design some of the most impressive buildings of the period, including the Würzburg Residence and the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (called Vierzehnheiligen in German).
The Würzburg Residence is considered one of the most beautiful and well proportioned palaces in Europe and the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers is considered by some as the crowning work of the period.
Neumann was born in Eger, Kingdom of Bohemia, now known as Cheb, Czech Republic in January 1687. He was the seventh of nine children of cloth-maker Hans Christoph Neumann (d. 1713) and his wife Rosina (1645–1707). Neumann was baptized on 30 January 1687.
His first apprenticeship was spent working at a bell and gun foundry in Eger. However, during his Journeyman years he came to Würzburg in 1711. In 1712 he attended lessons on geometry, architecture and land surveying and joined the local military, in which he remained until his death, then holding the rank of colonel of the artillery. He created measurement instruments (1712, Deutsches Museum/Munich and 1713, Mainfränkisches Museum, Würzburg), a map of Würzburg (1715, copy at the War Archive, Munich) and some drawings for a new abbey at Ebrach Abbey (1716, now lost).
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