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68-535: On 25 August 1615, the foundation stone of the building was laid by then Stadtbaumeister Elias Holl . The exterior of the building was completed in March 1620, and the interior in 1624. Technologically, the Augsburger Rathaus was a pioneering performance; upon its completion it was the first building in the world with more than six storeys. The rigid elegance of the large stonework was similar to Florence ,

136-488: A ceremonial masonry stone, or replica , set in a prominent location on the outside of a building, with an inscription on the stone indicating the construction dates of the building and the names of architect , builder , and other significant individuals. The rite of laying a cornerstone is an important cultural component of eastern architecture and metaphorically in sacred architecture generally. Some cornerstones include time capsules from, or engravings commemorating,

204-405: A cavity into which is placed a time capsule containing newspapers of the day or week of the ceremony plus other artifacts that are typical of the period of the construction: coins of the year may also be immured in the cavity or time capsule. A cornerstone ( Greek : Άκρογωνιεîς, Latin : Primarii Lapidis) will sometimes be referred to as a "foundation-stone", and is symbolic of Christ, whom

272-669: A cross has been carved. Below the cross, the following words are inscribed: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, this church is founded, in honour and memory of ( here the name of the patron saint of the new church is inserted ); in the rule of ( here the name of the ruler is inserted ); in the episcopacy of ( here the name of the bishop is inserted ); in the Year of

340-647: A crucial work that marked the start of the Gutenberg Revolution and the age of the printed book in the Western world . Johann Reuchlin was the most important aspect of world culture teaching within Germany at this time. He was a scholar of both Greek and Hebrew. Graduating, then going on to teach at Basel, he was considered extremely intelligent. Yet after leaving Basel, he had to start copying manuscripts and apprenticing within areas of law. However, he

408-513: A cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance . Many areas of the arts and sciences were influenced, notably by the spread of Renaissance humanism to the various German states and principalities . There were many advances made in the fields of architecture, the arts, and the sciences. Germany produced two developments that were to dominate

476-685: A distinctively German style, his work shows strong Italian influence, and is often taken to represent the start of the German Renaissance in visual art, which for the next forty years replaced the Netherlands and France as the area producing the greatest innovation in Northern European art. Dürer supported Martin Luther but continued to create Madonnas and other Catholic imagery, and paint portraits of leaders on both sides of

544-472: A new church may commence, and any clergyman who ventures to do so without a blessing can be deposed . The "Rite of the Foundation of a Church" (i.e., the laying of the cornerstone) will differ slightly depending on whether the church is to be constructed of wood or of stone. Even when a church is built of wood, the cornerstone must in fact be made of stone. The cornerstone is a solid stone cube upon which

612-514: A special prayer. Finally, Veni Creator Spiritus is sung, and two short prayers. Then the bishop, if he deems it opportune, sits down and exhorts the people to contribute to the construction, appointments and maintenance of the new church, after which he dismisses them with his blessing and the proclamation of an indulgence . In the Eastern Orthodox Church the blessing of the bishop must be obtained before construction on

680-473: A wooden ceiling, small doors and white plastered walls. It was used until the 1980s as an exhibition space. In the early 1980s, the council decided to renovate the Goldener Saal for the upcoming 2000th anniversary of the city in 1985. The room was redecorated according to historical drawings and photographs, starting with the basic reconstruction of the coffered ceiling, together with the painted ceilings,

748-457: Is an entrance charge to the Goldener Saal. The basement of the Rathaus houses a Rathskeller . Foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone ) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation . All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure . Over time a cornerstone became

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816-433: Is believed that the man will die within the year. The Roumanians of Transylvania think that he whose shadow is thus immured will die within forty days; so persons passing by a building which is in course of erection may hear a warning cry, Beware lest they take thy shadow! Not long ago there were still shadow-traders whose business it was to provide architects with the shadows necessary for securing their walls. In these cases

884-513: Is continuing on the others. The Augsburger Rathaus now houses permanent exhibits on the history of the former imperial city and its partner cities, as well as frequently changing exhibitions on different historical and current political issues. These are held in the Lower Fletz and are open to any visitor. The Goldener Saal is a popular venue for receptions, concerts and ceremonies. The Lower Fletz and Goldener Saal are open daily, although there

952-572: Is most known for his work within Hebrew studies. Unlike some other "thinkers" of this time, Reuchlin submerged himself into this, even creating a guide to preaching within the Hebrew faith. The book, titled De Arte Predicandi (1503), is possibly one of his best-known works from this period. Albrecht Dürer was at the time, and remains, the most famous artist of the German Renaissance. He was famous across Europe, and greatly admired in Italy, where his work

1020-585: Is placed in the north-east corner of the Lodge as a figurative foundation stone. This is intended to signify the unity of the North associated with darkness and the East associated with light. Normally, a VIP of the organization, or a local celebrity or community leader , will be invited to conduct the ceremony of figuratively beginning the foundations of the building, with the person's name and official position and

1088-492: Is the main entrance to one of two staircases leading to the upper floors of the Rathaus. The Upper Fletz, on the second floor, once housed the offices of the Augsburg town council, but since the war has been used as the meeting room of the council. The second floor also has offices of the political groups represented on the council. This part of the Rathaus is not generally open to visitors. The Goldener Saal , or Golden Hall,

1156-458: Is the most impressive of the Rathaus's rooms, and one of the most important cultural monuments of the late German Renaissance . The Hall covers an area of 552 square metres (5,940 sq ft) with a ceiling height of 14 metres (46 ft), and is richly adorned with large doorways, magnificent murals and a coffered ceiling . The interior of the Hall was designed by Johann Matthias Kager , and

1224-405: Is the symbol of Augsburg. The view of the Rathaus was almost completely blocked by the stock exchange building built in 1828, until British bombing on the night of 25 February 1944 destroyed the latter. The removal of the remains of the stock exchange in the 1960s finally made it possible to view the Rathaus properly from the town square. The original Augsburger Rathaus was built in 1385, and it

1292-534: Is widely considered the most influential person within the German Renaissance. As a free thinker, humanist, and inventor, Gutenberg also grew up within the Renaissance, but influenced it greatly as well. His best-known invention is the printing press in 1440. Gutenberg's press allowed the humanists, reformists, and others to circulate their ideas. He is also known as the creator of the Gutenberg Bible ,

1360-528: The Dance of Death relate to the works of the Little Masters , a group of printmakers who specialized in very small and highly detailed engravings for bourgeois collectors, including many erotic subjects. The outstanding achievements of the first half of the 16th century were followed by several decades with a remarkable absence of noteworthy German art, other than accomplished portraits that never rival

1428-519: The Apostle Paul referred to as the "head of the corner" and is the "Chief Cornerstone of the Church" ( Ephesians 2:20 ). A chief or head cornerstone is placed above two walls to keep them together and prevent the building from falling apart. Many of the more ancient churches will place relics of the saints , especially martyrs , in the foundation stone. According to the pre- Vatican II rite of

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1496-777: The Landshut Residence , Heidelberg Castle , the Augsburg Town Hall as well as the Antiquarium of the Munich Residenz in Munich, the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps. The Renaissance was largely driven by the renewed interest in classical learning, and was also the result of rapid economic development. At the beginning of the 16th century, Germany (referring to the lands contained within

1564-614: The Litany of the Saints is said, followed by an antiphon and Psalm 126 ( Psalm 127 in the Hebrew numbering), which appropriately begins with the verse, "Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it". Then the stone is lowered into its place with another prayer and again sprinkled with holy water. More antiphons and psalms follow, while the bishop sprinkles the foundations, dividing them into three sections and ending each with

1632-486: The Roman Catholic Church : Before the construction of a new church begins, the foundations of the building are clearly marked out and a wooden cross is set up to indicate where the altar will stand. Once preparations have been made, the bishop —or a priest delegated by him for that purpose—will bless holy water and with it sprinkle first the cross that was erected and then the foundation stone itself. Upon

1700-430: The angry ghost may haunt the place and guard it against the intrusion of enemies. Ancient Japanese legends talk about Hitobashira (人柱, "human pillar"), in which maidens were buried alive at the base or near some constructions as a prayer to ensure the buildings against disasters or enemy attacks. Historically, Freemasons sometimes performed the public cornerstone laying ceremony for notable buildings. This ceremony

1768-667: The 16th century all over Europe: printing and the Protestant Reformation . One of the most important German humanists was Konrad Celtis (1459–1508). Celtis studied at Cologne and Heidelberg , and later travelled throughout Italy collecting Latin and Greek manuscripts. Heavily influenced by Tacitus , he used the Germania to introduce German history and geography. Eventually he devoted his time to poetry, in which he praised Germany in Latin. Another important figure

1836-651: The 16th century in Bavaria and Austria, including Albrecht Altdorfer , Wolf Huber and Augustin Hirschvogel . With Altdorfer in the lead, the school produced the first examples of independent landscape art in the West (nearly 1,000 years after China), in both paintings and prints. Their religious paintings had an expressionist style somewhat similar to Grünewald's. Dürer's pupils Hans Burgkmair and Hans Baldung Grien worked largely in prints, with Baldung developing

1904-476: The 16th century. The concept of the Northern Renaissance or German Renaissance is somewhat confused by the continuation of the use of elaborate Gothic ornament until well into the 16th century, even in works that are undoubtedly Renaissance in their treatment of the human figure and other respects. Classical ornament had little historical resonance in much of Germany, but in other respects Germany

1972-699: The Alps. A particular form of Renaissance architecture in Germany is the Weser Renaissance , with prominent examples such as the City Hall of Bremen and the Juleum in Helmstedt . In July 1567 the city council of Cologne approved a design in the Renaissance style by Wilhelm Vernukken for a two storied loggia for Cologne City Hall . St Michael in Munich is the largest Renaissance church north of

2040-759: The Alps. It was built by Duke William V of Bavaria between 1583 and 1597 as a spiritual center for the Counter Reformation and was inspired by the Church of il Gesù in Rome. The architect is unknown. Many examples of Brick Renaissance buildings can be found in Hanseatic old towns, such as Stralsund , Wismar , Lübeck , Lüneburg , Friedrichstadt and Stade . Notable German Renaissance architects include Friedrich Sustris , Benedikt Rejt , Abraham van den Blocke , Elias Holl and Hans Krumpper . Born Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden, Johannes Gutenberg

2108-680: The Elder , a close friend of Luther, had painted a number of "Lutheran altarpieces", mostly showing the Last Supper , some with portraits of the leading Protestant divines as the Twelve Apostles . This phase of Lutheran art was over before 1550, probably under the more fiercely aniconic influence of Calvinism , and religious works for public display virtually ceased to be produced in Protestant areas. Presumably largely because of this,

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2176-480: The Golden Hall during the war was restored to its original splendour, and on 9 January 1985, the Rathaus was reopened as part of the city's two-thousandth anniversary celebrations. The visitor enters the Augsburger Rathaus through an inconspicuous door at the front of the building, through a vestibule and into the Lower Fletz, on the ground floor. This monumental hall, with its marble columns and vaulted ceiling,

2244-573: The Gothic tradition of wood carving continued to flourish until the end of the 18th century, adapting to changes in style through the centuries. Veit Stoss (d. 1533), Tilman Riemenschneider (d.1531) and Peter Vischer the Elder (d. 1529) were Dürer's contemporaries, and their long careers covered the transition between the Gothic and Renaissance periods, although their ornament often remained Gothic even after their compositions began to reflect Renaissance principles. Renaissance architecture in Germany

2312-520: The Holy Roman Empire) was one of the most prosperous areas in Europe despite a relatively low level of urbanization compared to Italy or the Netherlands. It benefited from the wealth of certain sectors such as metallurgy, mining, banking and textiles. More importantly, book-printing developed in Germany, and German printers dominated the new book-trade in most other countries until well into

2380-609: The World _____ ( Anno Mundi ), and from the Birth in the flesh of God the Word _____ ( Anno Domini ). In the top of the stone a cross-shaped space is hollowed out into which relics may be placed. Relics are not required, but they are normally placed in the cornerstone. If no relics are inserted in the stone, the inscription may be omitted, but not the cross. After the foundations for the new church have been dug and all preparations finished,

2448-668: The achievement of Holbein or Dürer. The next significant German artists worked in the rather artificial style of Northern Mannerism , which they had to learn in Italy or Flanders. Hans von Aachen and the Netherlandish Bartholomeus Spranger were the leading painters at the Imperial courts in Vienna and Prague, and the productive Netherlandish Sadeler family of engravers spread out across Germany, among other counties. In Catholic parts of South Germany

2516-529: The bishop (or his deputy) with the other clergy vest and form a crucession to the building site. The service begins with a moleben and the blessing of holy water . Then a cross is erected in the place where the Holy Table (altar) will stand, and the cornerstone is consecrated and set in place. German Renaissance The German Renaissance , part of the Northern Renaissance , was

2584-461: The council, and, to Holl's surprise, he was issued with a new brief, on the initiative of mayor Hieronymus Imhoff (1575–1638): to demolish the old Gothic town hall and erect in its place a beautiful new building. Elias Holl produced his plan for the new Augsburger Rathaus, which was to be built in the Renaissance style, and, on 25 August 1615, the foundation stone was laid. It was the will of

2652-623: The cultural and financial capital of Northern Italy , with which the city gladly compared itself. The self-image of the Free Imperial City of Augsburg is represented by two conspicuous ornaments on the large gable at the front of the building: the first is the Reichsadler , or Imperial Eagle of the Holy Roman Empire , representing the town's importance; the second is the large copper pine cone , or Zirbelnuss , which

2720-447: The date usually being recorded on the stone. This person is usually asked to place their hand on the stone or otherwise signify its laying. Often still, and certainly until the 1970s, most ceremonies involved the use of a specially manufactured and engraved trowel that had a formal use in laying mortar under the stone. Similarly, a special hammer was often used to ceremonially tap the stone into place. The foundation stone often has

2788-534: The development of German art had virtually ceased by about 1550, but in the preceding decades German artists had been very fertile in developing alternative subjects to replace the gap in their order books. Cranach, apart from portraits, developed a format of thin vertical portraits of provocative nudes, given classical or Biblical titles. Lying somewhat outside these developments is Matthias Grünewald , who left very few works, but whose masterpiece, his Isenheim Altarpiece (completed 1515), has been widely regarded as

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2856-421: The edges of the Golden Hall. They were originally used as retreats for distinguished guests of the council. Each room is around 150 square metres (1,600 sq ft) with coffered ceiling, panelled walls and parquet floors, and containing elaborately carved writing desks, tables, chairs and stools and several lamps. These rooms were also badly damaged during the war, and only one has yet been fully restored. Work

2924-539: The emerging split of the Protestant Reformation . Dürer died in 1528, before it was clear that the split of the Reformation had become permanent, but his pupils of the following generation were unable to avoid taking sides. Most leading German artists became Protestants, but this deprived them of painting most religious works, previously the mainstay of artists' revenue. Martin Luther had objected to much Catholic imagery, but not to imagery itself, and Lucas Cranach

2992-402: The exterior of the building. The Rathaus was rebuilt after the war, the exterior according to its historic appearance but the interior much simplified, and from 1955 was again used as the administrative centre of the city. Between 1980 and 1984, the façade of the building was restored to its original colours, according to historical records. Inside the Renaissance building, what had been damaged in

3060-403: The floor and the doors. On 9 January 1985, the Hall was re-opened close to its former glory. Supported by numerous donations and the active interest of Augsburg, the murals and extensive gold jewellery that had once decorated the Hall were reinstated over subsequent years, and the hall was reopened a second time in 1996. The Fürstenzimmer , or Prince's Rooms, are four in number and located around

3128-658: The following prayer: 'May the Great Architect of the universe enable us as successfully to carry out and finish this work. May He protect the workmen from danger and accident, and long preserve the structure from decay; and may He grant us all our needed supply, the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy, Amen. So mote it be.' The choir and congregation then sang the Hundredth Psalm . The initiate (Entered Apprentice ) in Freemasonry

3196-410: The foundation-stone, under which the animal is afterwards buried. The object of the sacrifice is to give strength and stability to the building. But sometimes, instead of killing an animal, the builder entices a man to the foundation-stone, secretly measures his body, or a part of it, or his shadow, and buries the measure under the foundation-stone; or he lays the foundation-stone upon the man's shadow. It

3264-476: The greatest German Renaissance painting since it was restored to critical attention in the 19th century. It is an intensely emotional work that continues the German Gothic tradition of unrestrained gesture and expression, using Renaissance compositional principles, but all in that most Gothic of forms, the multi-winged triptych . The Danube School is the name of a circle of artists of the first third of

3332-478: The lead in developing book illustrations, typically of a relatively low artistic standard, but seen all over Europe, with the woodblocks often being lent to printers of editions in other cities or languages. The greatest artist of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer , began his career as an apprentice to a leading workshop in Nuremberg, that of Michael Wolgemut , who had largely abandoned his painting to exploit

3400-401: The magistrates that the Rathaus should not have a tower, however Elias Holl insisted on the famous onion domes by the gable, and in 1618 was allowed to proceed. The exterior of the Rathaus was completed in 1620, and the interior in 1624, following an almost fifteen-year planning phase and nine years of building. Inside the Rathaus, Holl built three overlaying halls: on the ground floor, behind

3468-647: The main entrance, is the Lower Fletz , and on the floor above, the Upper Fletz ; by far the most impressive room in the building, however, is the double-height Goldener Saal , or Golden Hall, with its magnificent doorways, murals and coffered ceiling . Adjacent to the Goldener Saal are the Fürstenzimmer , or Prince's Rooms, designed as retreats for important guests. The construction cost of

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3536-409: The measure of the shadow is looked on as equivalent to the shadow itself, and to bury it is to bury the life or soul of the man, who, deprived of it, must die. Thus the custom is a substitute for the old practice of immuring a living person in the walls, or crushing him under the foundation-stone of a new building, in order to give strength and durability to the structure, or more definitely in order that

3604-477: The new Rathaus was around 100,000 Guilder . The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which spread across Europe shortly after the beginning of work on the Rathaus, also took its toll on Augsburg. One of the major economic centres of the continent before the war, it emerged in the middle of the seventeenth century in decline. The war had cost Augsburg not only its centuries-old economic supremacy in Europe, but also more than half of its population. The Reichstag, for which

3672-581: The new medium. Dürer worked on the most extravagantly illustrated book of the period, the Nuremberg Chronicle , published by his godfather Anton Koberger , Europe's largest printer-publisher at the time. After completing his apprenticeship in 1490, Dürer travelled in Germany for four years, and Italy for a few months, before establishing his own workshop in Nuremberg. He rapidly became famous all over Europe for his energetic and balanced woodcuts and engravings, while also painting. Though retaining

3740-523: The occasion by John Hawkesworth, a silversmith and a jeweller. He then gave the stone three knocks with a mallet and declared the stone to be 'duly and truly laid'. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Munster poured offerings of corn, oil and wine over the stone after Bishop Gregg had declared it to be 'duly and truly laid'. The Provincial Grand Chaplain of the Masonic Order in Munster then read out

3808-577: The splendid Rathaus was originally built, now took place in other German cities. Only once more, in the late 17th Century, was the Rathaus the scene of a celebration of nationwide importance, when Joseph I held a banquet in the Golden Hall in 1690, on his coronation as King of the Romans . During the devastating British bombing of Augsburg in World War II , the Rathaus was hit a number of times by high-explosive and incendiary bombs, completely burning

3876-407: The stone he is directed to engrave crosses on each side with a knife, and then pronounce the following prayer: "Bless, O Lord, this creature of stone ( creaturam istam lapidis ) and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name that all who with a pure mind shall lend aid to the building of this church may obtain soundness of body and the healing of their souls. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen." After this,

3944-537: The time a particular building was built. The ceremony typically involved the placing of offerings of grain , wine and oil on or under the stone. These were symbolic of the produce and the people of the land and the means of their subsistence. This in turn derived from the practice in still more ancient times of making an animal or human sacrifice that was laid in the foundations. Frazer (2006: pp. 106–107) in The Golden Bough from 1890 charts

4012-605: The topical subject matter of witches in a number of enigmatic prints. Hans Holbein the Elder and his brother Sigismund Holbein painted religious works in the late Gothic style. Hans the Elder was a pioneer and leader in the transformation of German art from the Gothic to the Renaissance style. His son, Hans Holbein the Younger was an important painter of portraits and a few religious works, working mainly in England and Switzerland. Holbein's well known series of small woodcuts on

4080-482: The various propitiary sacrifices and effigy substitution such as the shadow , states that: Nowhere, perhaps, does the equivalence of the shadow to the life or soul come out more clearly than in some customs practised to this day in South-eastern Europe. In modern Greece, when the foundation of a new building is being laid, it is the custom to kill a cock, a ram, or a lamb, and to let its blood flow on

4148-507: Was Johann Reuchlin (1455–1522) who studied in various places in Italy and later taught Greek. He studied the Hebrew language , aiming to purify Christianity, but encountered resistance from the church. The most significant German Renaissance artist is Albrecht Dürer especially known for his printmaking in woodcut and engraving , which spread all over Europe, drawings, and painted portraits. Important architecture of this period includes

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4216-575: Was a Protestant Reformer who criticized church practices such as selling indulgences, against which he published in his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517. Luther also translated the Bible into German, making the Christian scriptures more accessible to the general population and inspiring the standardization of the German language. Paracelsus (1493-1541) Paracelsus

4284-413: Was decided at the beginning of the seventeenth century to complete a simple renovation of it in order to accommodate the Imperial Reichstag , which then sat in the city. In 1609, the town council commissioned the renowned architect, Elias Holl , to draw up a renovation plan for the Gothic building. It was only after six years of work that Holl could produce a plan for the magistrates, but it was rejected by

4352-421: Was described by The Cork Examiner of 13 January 1865 as follows: ...The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Munster, applying the golden square and level to the stone said ; " My Lord Bishop, the stone has been proved and found to be 'fair work and square work' and fit to be laid as the foundation stone of this Holy Temple".' After this, Bishop Gregg spread cement over the stone with a trowel specially made for

4420-415: Was inspired first by German philosophers and artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Johannes Reuchlin who visited Italy. Important early examples of this period are especially the Landshut Residence , the Castle in Heidelberg , Johannisburg Palace in Aschaffenburg , Schloss Weilburg , the City Hall and Fugger Houses in Augsburg and St. Michael in Munich , the largest Renaissance church north of

4488-405: Was mainly known through his prints . He successfully integrated an elaborate Northern style with Renaissance harmony and monumentality. Among his best known works are Melencolia I , the Four Horsemen from his woodcut Apocalypse series, and Knight, Death, and the Devil . Other significant artists were Lucas Cranach the Elder , the Danube School and the Little Masters . Martin Luther

4556-440: Was not completed until 1643 (the rest of the building was completed in 1624). The numerous ceiling paintings and murals were executed according to a concept of the Jesuit Matthäus Raders (1561 - 1634) and designs by the Flemish artist Peter Candid (1584-1628). The Hall was badly damaged by bombing during the war. When the Rathaus was restored after the war, the Goldener Saal was not repaired to its original state, but left with

4624-408: Was very quick to follow developments, especially in adopting printing with movable type , a German invention that remained almost a German monopoly for some decades, and was first brought to most of Europe , including France and Italy, by Germans. Printmaking by woodcut and engraving was already more developed in Germany and the Low Countries than elsewhere in Europe, and the Germans took

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