Erwin von Steinbach

Erwin von Steinbach (c. 1244 – 17 January 1318) was a German architect, and was a central figure in the construction of the Strasbourg Cathedral.

According to a tradition which arose in a later age he was called Erwin von Steinbach, and a monument has been erected to him in the village of Steinbach near Baden-Baden. Two of his sons, Erwin and Johannes, after them his grandson Gerlach, from 1341 to 1371 and, up to 1382, another scion of the family named Kuntze, were also superintending architects. Hence they were heads of the Straßburg guild of stonemasons, the influence of which extended as far as Bavaria, Austria, and the borders of Italy. No written account exists as to the training for his work which the elder Erwin received. It must, however, be taken for granted that he had proved his abilities as a master-builder in other places before he was entrusted with the construction of the façade of Notre-Dame de Strasbourg about the year 1277.

Steinbach's son Gerlach later constructed the Niederhaslach Church, a modest but artistically highly valuable building not far from Strasbourg.

His work on the cathedral shows the influence of the French Gothic. When Erwin took charge of the construction, the cathedral was completed except the porch of the tower, and reflected in its parts the development of architectural styles from the first quarter of the eleventh century. In fact, the west front was now built by three masters, of whom one was Erwin. At the same time a part of the nave damaged by fire in 1298 had to be repaired. Three plans of the façade are still in existence; according to German art historian Georg Dehio, the best design belongs to Erwin, to whom it is customary to ascribe the entire construction. Eichborn, however, has tried to prove that Erwin drew the weakest of the three plans. In any case the three master architects by their joint work deserve the praise that, especially since the days of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, has been assigned to Erwin alone.

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