PERSIUS, Friedrich Ludwig

(b. 1803 Potsdam, d. 1845 Potsdam)

German architect. He was a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and assisted him at the building of Charlottenhof Castle and the Roman Bath at Sanssouci in Potsdam. He was also involved in the construction of the Great Fountain, the Church of Peace, and the Orangery and observation tower on the Ruinenberg opposite Sanssouci Palace.

From 1819 Persius studied to become a surveyor at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and took his exam in March 1821. From 1821 he worked as a building planner in Potsdam, working under, among others, Karl Friedrich Schinkel during the building of the castle and church on the grounds of Graf Potocki at Kraków. In 1824 Persius became a member of the Association of Architects. In Glienicke he worked as a successful architect under Schinkel. In 1826 he passed his exam to become a master builder at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and became a building planner in Charlottenhof.

In 1829 Persius became a building inspector with the Royal Government in Potsdam. In 1833 he completed his first independent work, renovating the artificial mills (near the Roman Baths) into a residential house for Handmann, the gardener. In 1834 he became the Royal Court Building Inspector.

In 1841 Frederick William IV named Persius as his court architect. In 1842 he became a Royal Architectural Advisor and member of the Chief Architectural Authority. In 1843-44 Persius worked for Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau.

In 1840-41 he traveled within Germany, in 1844-45 in France and Italy.

In 1845 Persius was appointed as Head Architectural Advisor with retrospective effect from 12 October 1842.

Exterior view

In the first half of the 19th century in Germany, alongside Gothic Revival buildings, other styles in church architecture had also gained a footing. The first sketch of the church of the Redeemer (Heilandskirche) as an Italianate building with a detached campanile was made by the new Prussian king, Frederick William IV. Standing on an artificial terrace surrounded by an open arcade, the church, executed by Friedrich Ludwig Persius, resembles a ship in the water. A particularly attractive feature is the contrast between the arcading and the delicate patterning in variegated brick on the walls behind.

Send Postcard Learn More

Exterior view

In the first half of the 19th century in Germany, alongside Gothic Revival buildings, other styles in church architecture had also gained a footing. For the design of the Friedenskirche (Peace church) in Potsdam, Persius turned to San Clemente in Rome, adding to it a clock tower that is closely related to Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome.

Send Postcard Learn More

Exterior view

In the first half of the 19th century, even industrial architecture was dominated by historical styles. In the age of the steam engine and nascent mechanization, architects wanted to beautify industrial processes with historical styles. An example is Persius’s pumping engine house for Sanssouci, Potsdam, constructed in a playful Moorish style that is more reminiscent of the “fabriques” of landscape gardens than a building for the latest pumping technology.

Send Postcard Learn More