Gottfried Böhm - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gottfried Böhm
Gottfried Böhm in 2015
Born(1920-01-23)January 23, 1920
DiedJune 9, 2021(2021-06-09) (aged 101)
OccupationArchitect

Gottfried Böhm (January 23, 1920 – June 9, 2021) was a German architect. In 1986, he became the first German architect to be honored with a Pritzker Prize.[1]

Böhm was born in Offenbach am Main near Frankfurt on 23 January 1920.[2][3] He was the youngest of three children of Maria and Dominikus Böhm. Böhm was forced to serve into the Wehrmacht during World War II. He served until he was injured in 1942.[2] He studied at Technische Hochschule, Munich.[1]

While traveling in the United States, he met two of his greatest inspirations, German architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius.[4]

He was known for creating sculptural buildings made of concrete, steel, and glass. Böhm's first independent building was the Cologne chapel "Madonna in the Rubble".[4] The chapel was completed in 1949 where a medieval church once stood before it was destroyed during World War II.[4] Böhm's most well known building is the Maria, Königin des Friedens pilgrimage church in Neviges.

He was a critic of urban planning.[4] He also built structures in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Turin.

Böhm was married to Elizabeth Haggenmüller, also an architect, until her death in 2012. He met her in 1948 while studying in Munich. She helped him in several of his projects, mainly through interior design.[5] Together, they had four sons.

Böhm turned 100 in January 2020.[6] He died on June 9, 2021 in Cologne at the age of 101.[7][8]

Famous buildings[change | change source]

  • St. Columba Church, in Cologne, Germany (1947-1950)
  • Pilgrimage Church, in Neviges, Germany (1968-1972)
  • Christi Auferstehung (Church of Resurrection), in Cologne (1968-1970)
  • Bensburg Town Hall, Germany (1964-1969)

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Gottfried Bohm on Architectuul
  2. 2.0 2.1 Goldmann, A. J. (10 June 2021). "Gottfried Böhm, Master Architect in Concrete, Dies at 101". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  3. Dege, Stefan (10 June 2021). "Star architect Gottfried Böhm has died aged 101". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Goldmann, A. J. (10 June 2021). "Gottfried Böhm, Master Architect in Concrete, Dies at 101". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. Hiltrud Kier, Bauten und Projekte in: Kristin Feireiss (ed.): Elisabeth Böhm: Stadtstrukturen und Bauten, p. 64 (in German)
  6. As Gottfried Böhm Turns 100, an Exhibition Foregrounds His Concrete Religious Architecture
  7. Felten, Uwe (10 June 2021). "Baumeister mit Faible für Beton: Gottfried Böhm im Alter von 101 Jahren gestorben". RP ONLINE. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  8. DER SPIEGEL. "Kirchen wie Gebirge, Rathäuser wie Burgen: Der Architekt und Betonkünstler Gottfried Böhm ist tot". www.spiegel.de. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Gottfried Böhm at Wikimedia Commons