Friedrich von Thiersch

Friedrich Maximilian Thiersch, after 1897 Ritter von Thiersch (18 April 1852, Marburg – 23 December 1921, Munich), was a German architect and painter in the late Historicist style. Life and work His father, H. W. J. Thiersch, was a prominent theologian and his uncle, Ludwig, was a painter. His older brother, , and his nephew, Paul, were also architects. From 1868 to 1873, he studied architecture at the Technical College of Stuttgart. He then worked for the firm of and Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli, in Frankfurt-am-Main. Following a series of professional disputes, he became a free-lance architect in 1878. He took several trips around Europe, notably Greece, to acquire a knowledge of building history. In 1882, he passed the exam for his habilitation and was appointed a Professor at the Technical University of Munich. Although he stayed there until his retirement (serving as Rector from 1906 to 1908), he designed and built projects throughout Germany. In 1882, he participated in the second competition to design a new Reichstag Building in Berlin. The jury had trouble coming to a decision, so both he and Paul Wallot were formally given first prize but, as only one design could be used, the contract went to Wallot. Three years later, he entered another competition, to design the Reichsgericht in Leipzig. Ludwig Hoffmann won the contract, but Thiersch's work made such a positive impression that he was awarded a contract for the Justizpalast in Munich two years later.