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Meinhard von Gerkan

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Meinhard von Gerkan
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, one of von Gerkan's projects
Born(1935-01-03)3 January 1935[1]
Riga, Latvia[1]
Died30 November 2022(2022-11-30) (aged 87)[2]
Hamburg, Germany[2]
Alma materTechnical University of Braunschweig[3]
OccupationArchitect

Meinhard von Gerkan (3 January 1935 – 30 November 2022[1][2]) was a German architect and one of the founders of the architectural firm von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp).[4] Von Gerkan was known for being the architect of Berlin Tegel Airport and Berlin Hauptbahnhof ('Berlin main railway station').[5] At the time of his death, Deutsche Welle described him as "Germany's most famous architect".[5]

Early life and education

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Meinhard von Gerkan was born on 3 January 1935 in Riga, Latvia, to a Baltic German family.[6][1] He was baptized at St. Peter's Church.[6] Von Gerkan was an only child, and considered his childhood in Riga "idyllic".[6] His family lived on what is now called Eduarda Smiļģa Street [lv], and spent summers in the resort town of Jūrmala, where they stayed at a wooden house.[6]

In 1939, at the age of four, he moved with his family to Poznań when they were forced to emigrate from Latvia.[6] His father was a soldier during World War II, and died on the Eastern Front in 1942.[7] Von Gerkan and his mother left Poznań to settle in Lower Saxony in 1945.[7][8] His mother died shortly afterward, and as an orphan, von Gerkan stayed with a number of foster families before settling with a pastor's family in Hamburg in 1949.[7]

Von Gerkan attended various schools while growing up, including a Waldorf school in Hamburg from which he failed to graduate.[7][9] He eventually graduated with an Abitur from a night school in 1955.[7] Von Gerkan began his university studies in Hamburg, focusing on law and physics, before transferring to Technische Universität Berlin in 1956 to study architecture.[7] He met his future business partner Volkwin Marg [de] in Berlin.[7] Von Gerkan switched universities again in 1960, transferring to the Technical University of Braunschweig, which he graduated from in 1964.[10]

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

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External image
image icon Von Gerkan's original design of the lower platforms at Berlin Hauptbahnhof[11]
The lower platforms, in 2020

Von Gerkan won the competition to design Berlin Hauptbahnhof in the early 1990s.[12] After von Gerkan completed his design, Deutsche Bahn hired another firm to replace the vaulted ceiling in the design with a flat one, without informing the original architect.[13] Von Gerkan sued Deutsche Bahn, comparing the action to "ripping pages out of a novel", and the judge ruled in favor of von Gerkan, stating that the building had been "considerably defaced" by Deutsche Bahn.[14]

The court ruling ordered Deutsche Bahn to replace the station's flat ceilings with the vaulted ones in von Gerkan's original design.[15] Deutsche Bahn stated that it would take about three years to do so, and cost roughly 40 million EUR, while von Gerkan's firm stated that it would cost at most half as much, and that the station could continue to operate during that time.[11][13] The matter was eventually settled in a confidential agreement, which included a sizeable donation to Academy for Architectural Culture [de], an organization founded by gmp, von Gerkan's firm.[16][17] Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that an anonymous source who attended the negotiations stated that gmp received a high seven-figure amount.[18]

Awards

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Personal life

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From his first marriage, von Gerkan had two daughters, including costume design professor Florence [de].[8][22] He was married to his second wife, Sabine Rechenbach, from 1985 until his death.[23][8] They had three children.[10][8] Von Gerkan also had another daughter, model and jewelry designer Manon [de].[22] In addition, he was related to architect and archaeologist Armin von Gerkan, who served as director of the German Archaeological Institute's department in Rome [de] from 1938 to 1944.[24][25]

Von Gerkan spoke with a Baltic German accent even late in life.[6][26]

Notes

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  1. ^ Latvia's Cross of Recognition is awarded in five classes, with recipients of the second class being referred to as grand officers of the award.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d GmbH, Munzinger-Archiv; Ravensburg. "Meinhard von Gerkan – Munzinger Biographie". munzinger.de (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Meinhard von Gerkan, Founding Partner of gmp Architects, Passes Away at the Age of 87". ArchDaily. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. ^ "AD Interviews: Meinhard von Gerkan, gmp architekten". ArchDaily. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ "German architect von Gerkan, who designed Berlin airport, dies at 87". Reuters. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Meinhard von Gerkan: Germany's most famous architect dies – DW – 12/01/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "German traces in Latvia: Meinhard von Gerkan". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Kilian, Alexandra. ""Ich wurde Architekt aus Leidenschaft – und bin es geblieben"". morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "Der Architekt der Hauptstadt – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 23 June 2001. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  9. ^ NDR. "Architekt Meinhard von Gerkan mit 87 Jahren gestorben". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost –. "Zur Person: Meinhard von Gerkan". morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  11. ^ a b GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "Hauptbahnhof Berlin: Nicht nach Mehdorns Geschmack". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Juristische Dauerposse Berlin-Hauptbahnhof – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 2 December 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Andreas Zielcke: The bellyache of an architect (30/11/2006) – signandsight". signandsight.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Architect wins court case over 'defaced' Berlin station design". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Chief makers own intellectual property". ft.com. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  16. ^ Hamburg, Hamburger Abendblatt –. "Gerkan gründet eine Architektur-Akademie". abendblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Architektur: Streit über Berliner Hauptbahnhof beendet – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 24 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  18. ^ Leyendecker, Hans. "Kriegsfront Bahnhof". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Großer BDA-Preis für von Gerkan und Marg". BauNetz (in German). 28 January 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  20. ^ vestnesis.lv. "Par apbalvošanu ar Atzinības krustu – Latvijas Vēstnesis". www.vestnesis.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  21. ^ "The Cross of Recognition". ?. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  22. ^ a b ""Ich bin eine Indianerbraut" – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 1 May 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Pressemitteilung: Bundespräsident Steinmeier kondoliert zum Tod von Meinhard von Gerkan". Der Bundespräsident (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Gerkan, Armin von | Dictionary of Art Historians". arthistorians.info. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Nachruf auf Architekten: Meinhard von Gerkan als Kämpfer gegen banale Zirkusdekoration". Kölnische Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Rīga-born architect von Gerkan dies in Germany". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
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