758 



ZWIRNER, ERNST FRIEDEIOH. 



z 



ZWIRNER, ERNST FEIEDEIOH, a German ar- 

 chitect, born at Jacobswald, in Silesia, Feb. 28, 

 1802, died at Cologne, September 22, 1861. He 

 was the son of an inspector of forges, and was 

 destined in childhood to the pursuits of metal- 

 lurgy, for which he manifested a high capacity ; 

 but his preference for architecture was so evi- 

 dent that his father consented to allow him to 

 follow his own inclination. After completing 

 his classical course of studies, he entered the 

 school of architecture at Breslau, from which 

 he graduated at the age of 19 years. His first 

 engagements procured him the means of enter- 

 ing, three years after, the Royal Academy of Ar- 

 chitecture and the University of Berlin. He 

 remained there four years, and was enrolled 

 among the auxiliary members of the Superior 

 Administration of Architecture in 1828. He 

 became next the pupil and assistant of Schin- 

 kel, one of the most eminent architects of mod- 

 ern times, and for a time followed his plans and 

 principles. In 1833 he was elected architect 

 of the Cathedral of Cologne, and thenceforth it 

 was the first object of his ambition to com- 

 plete that great work in accordance with the 

 spirit of its projector. The cathedral had been 

 already five hundred years in building, and 



each generation had advanced it somewhat, but 

 none had dared to dream of seeing it finished 

 and surmounted by its colossal dome. Zwir- 

 ner believed its completion within his life-time 

 and under his direction possible, and when the 

 good people shook their heads at his enthusi- 

 asm, it only strengthened his faith and made his 

 zeal the more fervid. He succeeded in inter- 

 esting Frederick William IV., king of Prussia, 

 in the work, and in inducing him to bestow 

 upon it an annual subsidy of $37,500, to aid in 

 its completion ; liberal subscriptions came also 

 from other quarters, and in 1854 King Fred- 

 erick "William, with his own hands, placed the 

 keystone in the north portal of the cathedral. 

 The great work, a most admirable reproduction 

 of the best gothic architecture of the middle 

 ages, was nearly completed in 1855, but the 

 last touches of the architect were not given to 

 it till 1860. M. Zwirner also designed and exe- 

 cuted several other chapels and castles of 

 great beauty, at different points on the banks 

 of the Rhine. At the time of his death he 

 had been for some years president of the 

 Council of Architecture of the province of 

 Cologne, and privy councillor of the Prussian 

 Government. 



