Abstract
The present paper discusses about K. F. Schinkel in relation to the Rundbogen (round arch) style, which was popularized from 1830's to 1840's in Germany and adopted by Schinkel earlier than any other architects. The Molkenhaus (1801-3) was the first example of this style but the architectural plans of Schinkel which are analysed in this paper are limited from 1810 when he entered the architectural bureau to 1826 of his english travel as follows : I. Petrikirche (1810), II. Neue Wache (1816), III. Friedrich Werdersche Kirche (1824), IV. Hamburger Stadttheater (1825), and V. Nikolaikirche (1826). To synthesize the two styles opposing each other, namely the classical and the medieval, was the Schinkel's architectural thought. He used the Rundbogen as a motif of the Middle Ages of which the Petrikirche was the first example. In the Neue Wache several styles were mixed. The Rundbogen appeared in the facade of the Friedrich Werdersche Kirche as a big archivolt to indicate the internal construction by the transverse arches. This tendency is more evident in the Hamburger Stadttheater and the Nikolaikirche; the former has a number of the Rundbogen-windows, while the latter has internal archivolts reflecting the external design. It is true that in the 1810's Schinkel was much inclined for the Gothic, but he used the Rundbogen in parallel. It seems important that the creation of a new style through a synthesis of styles was vital in his architectural thought and the Rundbgen was the most appropriate motif in realizing it. Thus, Schinkel's Rundbogen-architecture appeared at the beginning of 19th century and this architectural concept was firmly established by 1810.
