ZANTH, Karl Ludwig Wilhelm von
German architect, architectural theorist and watercolour painter. He was the son of the Jewish doctor Abraham Zadig, who was in the service of the Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen. The father converted to Christianity in 1820 and the family adopted the name Zanth. Ludwig Zanth visited the art and building school in Breslau. In 1808, the family moved to Kassel. Through a scholarship from the Westphalian court, Ludwig Zanth was able to visit the École polymatique and the Lycée Bonaparte in Paris during the summer and autumn of 1813. At the end of 1813 the father sent his son to Stuttgart, where he completed his school education, especially in the classical languages. Following this, Ludwig Zanth completed an apprenticeship at the architectural office of Ferdinand von Fischer (1784-1860).
After staying in Schwäbisch Hall, Ellwangen and Paris, where he participated in two theater buildings and converted from Protestant faith to Catholicism, he settled down as an architect in Stuttgart in 1831. There he was responsible for the interior of the Wilhelmspalais, which was built between 1834 and 1840. King Wilhelm I built his magnificent building, built in classical style, for his daughters Marie and Sophie.
In 1835, Zanth participated in the competition for the construction of a royal court theater in Stuttgart. However, the project was not implemented. In 1838 he designed the plans for the Wilhelma theater, built in 1840, in Pompeian style. King William I of Württemberg entrusted him with the planning and execution of a bathhouse amidst exotic greenhouses and parks in the immediate vicinity of the Wilhelma Theater.
From 1843, Zanth planned a building in the Moorish style, which was given the name of Wilhelma by the king’s order, today the name of the zoological-botanical garden. The inauguration as a Moorish country house took place in 1846. The magnificent building was such a success that the architect made a large-scale portfolio with coloured drawings. King William I of Württemberg appointed him as a court master.
The Wilhelma Theater and the Wilhelma with the gardens and Moorish buildings are the main works of Ludwig von Zanth. The architect was also a gifted draftsman.
