Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach

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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (July 20, 1656 – April 5, 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian. He helped shape Baroque architecture in the Habsburg Empire and wrote a famous book, A Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture (1721), one of the first and most popular studies of world architecture.

His major works include Schönbrunn Palace, Karlskirche in Vienna, the Austrian National Library in Vienna, Schloss Klessheim, and in Salzburg the Holy Trinity Church and the Kollegienkirche.

Life and career:
- Born in Graz and trained as a sculptor by his father, Johann Baptist Fischer.
- Studied in Italy, working in Rome with Johann Paul Schor and the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and later in Naples.
- Returned to Austria in 1687 and became a sought-after architect, serving as court architect to three emperors.
- In the 1690s he gained fame for two temporary triumphal arches in Vienna for Joseph I’s coronation and, in 1696, was made a noble, becoming Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.

Style and influence:
- His work blends Bernini’s dramatic curves with the influence of Mansart and Palladian villas, helping create a distinctive Austrian Baroque style.
- The Winter Palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy (started 1695) exemplifies his innovative approach.
- In Salzburg, his Holy Trinity Church (1694–1702) and the Kollegienkirche (1696–1707) changed the city’s skyline with bold domes and towers.
- Schloss Klessheim (1700–1709) is another major project.
- His late work, Karlskirche in Vienna (begun 1715 and finished by his son), shows a synthesis of ideas from major Western churches, aiming to harmonize the great elements of church architecture.

Later years:
- After Emperor Joseph I’s death in 1711, he received fewer new commissions but continued to work on his architectural ideas and history. His 1721 Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture collected many of his visions for ancient and modern buildings.