Friedrich von Schmidt
*22. 10. 1825 – Frickenhofen, Germany
†23. 1. 1891 – Wien, Austria
Biography
The Freiherr Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt was a representative of the Neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. He studied architecture at the technical university in Stuttgart (under Prof. Breymann and Mauch). In 1845, he started as a stonemasonry apprentice and worked for 15 years on the construction of the Cologne Cathedral (most of the designs for the Neo-Gothic towers are attributed to him). In 1856, he passed the state architectural exam. Two years later, he converted to Catholicism and traveled to Milan, where he worked as a professor of architecture on the reconstruction of the Santa Ambrogio Cathedral. Due to the confusion caused by the Second Italian War of Independence, he arrived in Vienna in 1859, where he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and from 1862 onward became the architect of St. Stephen's Cathedral. In 1883, he was granted honorary citizenship of the city of Vienna, and in 1886 he was elevated to nobility (he received the title of baron).
Many of his architectural designs were realized by the Czech architect and builder Josef Hlávka. Among his most notable students and later collaborators are Franz von Neumann, Valentin Teirich, and Josef Mocker.
The Freiherr Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt was a representative of the Neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. He studied architecture at the technical university in Stuttgart (under Prof. Breymann and Mauch). In 1845, he started as a stonemasonry apprentice and worked for 15 years on the construction of the Cologne Cathedral (most of the designs for the Neo-Gothic towers are attributed to him). In 1856, he passed the state architectural exam. Two years later, he converted to Catholicism and traveled to Milan, where he worked as a professor of architecture on the reconstruction of the Santa Ambrogio Cathedral. Due to the confusion caused by the Second Italian War of Independence, he arrived in Vienna in 1859, where he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and from 1862 onward became the architect of St. Stephen's Cathedral. In 1883, he was granted honorary citizenship of the city of Vienna, and in 1886 he was elevated to nobility (he received the title of baron).
Many of his architectural designs were realized by the Czech architect and builder Josef Hlávka. Among his most notable students and later collaborators are Franz von Neumann, Valentin Teirich, and Josef Mocker.
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