Rainer Schützeichel
In August 1912, Erich Mendelsohn received his diploma as an architect from the Royal Bavarian Technical University of Munich. Among his design professors was one of the most influential Southern German architects of the time, Theodor Fischer, who had established a liberal way of teaching architectural and urban design in Munich. The creative freedom that he allowed his students decisively differed from more dogmatic approaches to design, which must be understood as one of the reasons why reverberations of Fischer’s design principles can be perceived in the works of an entire generation of younger architects – amongst them representatives of all kinds of tendencies of modern architecture, often those who sought alternative paths to either traditionalism or radical modernization. Fischer himself was a reformer who believed in the “educational” influence of good design and a teacher in the broadest sense: At the end of his academic career, he was able to look back on almost three decades of teaching. Hardly less was he a “master” in his architectural practice, where numerous architects earned their spurs. The contribution examines works delivered by Fischer’s disciples in planning and theory, with a special focus on those by Mendelsohn and Richard Kauffmann. It will provide insights into effects of Fischer’s teaching on the shaping of the multifaceted face of architectural production in the 20th century.
Rainer Schützeichel (* 1977) is a historian of architecture and urban design. After having gained his diploma in architecture in 2006, he completed the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) program in History and Theory of Architecture at ETH Zurich. His doctoral thesis was awarded with the Theodor Fischer Award for Early Career Research in the History of Architecture in 2017. Since 2022, Rainer Schützeichel is Professor in History of Architecture and Urban Design at FH Potsdam.