Carl Lüdecke and dwelling-houses in Wrocław

Agnieszka Tomaszewicz

doi:10.5277/arc150202

Abstract

Carl Lüdecke was one of the most versatile architects of the 19th century Wrocław. He designed buildings of public services, country seats of aristocracy, he also carried out preservation works of the most important monuments in the Silesian capital. This article is an attempt at replenishing the gap in hitherto existing works related to the creation of the artist and shows the so far not described group of Lüdecke’s projects – the urban residential houses. The architect designed several tenament houses, most often of the service-tenament function, two villas, he also carried out reconstructions of existing houses, and created plans of facade decorations. In propositions of urban tenament houses Lüdecke employed the principle of style pluralism – to house elevations he gave classic form enriched with motives derived from various periods of Italian Renaissance. His standpoint related to styles in architecture the artist presented during his lectures which he gave in the Silesian Association of Native Culture. The architect realized only commissions of private investors, so that each design was the result of conditions of localization, the needs of the customer, legal requirements and artistic beliefs of the designer which were under a high influence of the Berlin school of architecture.