Architect on the Imperial Throne Or Fools' Tower by Joseph II.Pages
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Die approbierte Originalversion dieser Diplom-/ Masterarbeit ist in der Hauptbibliothek der Tech- nischen Universität Wien aufgestellt und zugänglich. http://www.ub.tuwien.ac.at The approved original version of this diploma or master thesis is available at the main library of the Vienna University of Technology. http://www.ub.tuwien.ac.at/eng Masterarbeit Architect on the Imperial Throne or Fools’ Tower by Joseph II ausgeführt zum Zwecke der Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Diplom-Ingenieurin unter der Leitung Ao. Univ. Prof. Dr. Ing. Dörte Kuhlmann E251 Institut für Kunstgeschichte, Bauforschung und Denkmalpflege Abteilung für Baugeschichte & Bauforschung eingereicht an der Technischen Universität Wien Fakultät für Architektur und Raumplanung von Jekaterina Medvecka Matr. Nr.:0828369 Wien, am Abstract The Narrenturm, which is located within the medical complex of the University of Vienna, was the first dedicated medical institution for the mentally ill worldwide. In 2012 the Narrentum was integrated into the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (the Museum of Natural History in Vienna) and since then houses the pathological-anatomical collection of the museum. The cylindrical building was erected in 1784 and was financed privately by Emperor Joseph II. It was ahead of it’s time in many ways and indicates the emperor’s embracement of the ideas of Enlightenment. The construction of the building raises several unanswered questions and mysteries. Up to this day, it is unknown where the emperor got the idea for the peculiar form of the building and why helping mentally ill patients was so important to him. The circular floor plan suggests a possible connection to Bentham’s idea of the Panopticon which deserves further investigation. This master work embarks on a fascinating journey, investigating the personality of Emperor Joseph II and focusing on his exchanges with other important figures of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe around the time the Narrenturm was designed and created. This makes Joseph II an important link for spreading the idea of a circular floor plan using the principle of supervision and control from a central vantage point from the French architectural scene, to the Russian Prince Potemkin and - finally - to the inventor of the Panopticon, Samuel Bentham, allowing us to see the Panopticon in a whole new light. Kurzfassung Der Wiener Narrenturm im Gelände des Universitätscampus, des historischen Allgemeinen Krankenhauses der Stadt Wien, war das weltweit erste Spezialgebäude zur Unterbringung und Behandlung von Geisteskranken. Im Jahr 2012 wurde der Narrenturm in das Naturhistorisches Museum Wien eingegliedert und ist Sitz der Pathologisch-anatomischen Sammlung. Das im Jahre 1784 errichtete, zylindrische Gebäude war ein Privatprojekt von Kaiser Joseph II, welches er aus eigenen Mitteln finanzierte. Dieses Bauwerk war seiner Zeit in vielfacher Hinsicht voraus und deutet auf die aufgeklärte Haltung des Kaisers hin. Die Bausubstanz des Narrenturms birgt zahlreiche ungeklärte Fragen und Geheimnisse in sich. Bis heute ist nicht klar, wie der Kaiser auf die Idee eines kreisförmigen Gebäudes für Geisteskranke gekommen ist, und warum er sich persönlich so sehr um die Versorgung von Geisteskranken angenommen hat. Die Kreisform des Narrenturms verleitet dazu, nach Verbindungen zu Bentham’s Idee des Panopticons zu suchen sowie den Kontext der Entstehung der beiden Konzepte genauer zu erforschen. Diese Masterarbeit begibt sich auf eine spannende Entdeckungsreise in der die Persönlichkeit von Kaiser Joseph II beleuchtet wird und der Fokus auf den durch seine Reisetätigkeiten ermöglichten Austausch mit dem russischen Prinzen Potemkin und anderen wichtigen Geistern der Epoche des aufgeklärten Absolutismus in der Zeit rund um der Errichtung des Narrenturms gerichtet wird. Damit wird Joseph II zum wichtigen Bindeglied für die Übertragung der Idee des kreisförmigen Grundrisses und des Prinzips der zentralen Überwachung von der französischen Architekturszene zum russischen Prinz Potemkin sowie zum Erfinder des Panopticons, Samuel Bentham. Aus diesem Zusammenhang wird ein neuer Blick auf das Panopticon ermöglicht. 3 Content: I. Preface II. Panopticon 1. Indefinite Discipline as a New Form of Power 2. The All-Seeing Eye 3. From Idea to Architecture 4. Samuel Bentham, Prince Potemkin and Their Panopticon 5. One Idea – Different Designs III. The Emperor and His Tower 1. Joseph II – Enlightened Monarch 2. Personality and Education 3. Personal Life 4. Co-Regent 5. The Traveling Monarch 6. The Reformer 7. City Planning and Architecture During the Reign of Joseph II 8. Josephinian Stars and Octagons 9. The Medical District 10. Narrenturm or Fools’ Tower IV. Two Genius Minds 1. The Legendary Prince Potemkin 2. The Greek Project and the Alliance with Austria 3. Joseph II’s Trip to Russia in 1780 and Potemkin’s Triumph 4. Potemkin as Co-Ruler, Builder and Visionary 5. Catherine II’s and Joseph II’s Visit to the South in 1787 V. Résumé 5 I Preface The period of Enlightened absolutism in the late eighteenth century inspired many new and innovative architectural concepts which were applied to public facilities such as hospitals, prisons, mental institutions, and educational facilities. One of the most important theoretical works of this time was Panopticon, written by the English philosopher and founder of modern utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham. Panopticon, or the inspection-house, published in 1791, is an architectural idea which can be applied to prisons, mental institutions, schools, hospitals, factories, etc., and is based on the principle of supervision and control from a central vantage point. Literally translated from Ancient Greek, “pan” means “all” and “opticon” means “observe”. Michel Foucault, whose work Discipline and Punish brought Bentham’s Panopticon back into the centre of the discussion at the end of the twentieth century elegantly summed it up with the words – “The perfect disciplinary apparatus would make it possible for a single gaze to see everything constantly.”1 He argued that the Panopticon “must be understood as a generalizable model of functioning; a way of defining power relations in terms of the everyday life of men,” and “not … as a dream building.” The Panopticon is “a pure architectural and optical system”, he said, “the diagram of a mechanism of power reduced to its ideal form … that may and must be detached from any specific use.”2 This “cruel, ingenious cage” – a cylindrical tower with a circular floor plan became a remarkable symbol of a time when absolutist monarchs ruled all over Europe. Seven years prior to the publication of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, a very special building was constructed in Vienna in 1784, the Narrenturm, or Fools’ Tower, which was the city’s first mental institution. Stylistically and functionally, it was in many ways unusual and way ahead of its time. The extraordinary, cylindrical shape of the Fools’ Tower, the number and arrangement of the cells spread around the periphery of the 5 circular floors, an octagonal structure on the roof, and, last but not least, the uncertainty surrounding the question of who was the actual architect of the building, are only some of the mysteries still surrounding the building. The construction of the Narrenturm was financed using the personal fortune of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. The emperor reportedly visited the institution more than once a week, and he immediately made his way up to the roof and entered a small octagonal turret on top of the building. From there, Joseph II could oversee a gigantic medical complex, his creation and a manifest of Enlightenment.3 The medical complex located between Alserstraße and Währingerstraße with the circular Fools’ Tower in the middle was undeniably one of Joseph II’s biggest projects and proudest creations for the city of Vienna. The complex was unique in all of Europe and was created in a record time of less than three years from the first construction decision to the opening. In addition to the Narrenturm, the medical complex also consisted of the civil hospital with 2,000 beds, a surgical academy for training new doctors, a military hospital with 1,200 beds and a medicinal herb garden.4 There had been a lot of confusion considering the architect of the Narrenturm. Both Isidore Canevale, the famous architect who also worked on the adjacent surgical academy and the military hospital, and Joseph Gerl, who was the executive architect of the Narrenturm, are sometimes considered to be the main architect of the Narrenturm. However, Joseph’s personal confidant and surgeon, Johann Alexander von 1Foucault, Michel: Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, NY: Vintage Books 1995, p. 173 2Ibid., p. 205 3Cf. Swittalek, Markus: Das Josephinum, Dissertation, eingereicht an der TU Wien, 2011, p. 176 4Cf. Ibid., p.127 9 Brambilla, put an end to this speculation by stating that the concept and design of the Narrenturm was created by the Emperor Joseph II himself. It turns out that this unusual monarch, known for his enlightened spirit and large number of reforms, had also shown a great interest in architecture. During his reign, a massive process of change occurred in city planning and the general appearance of Vienna. From the very beginning of his regency, Joseph II’s main focus was improving the health care system for his people. Joseph II became famous as a traveling monarch, spending almost a third of his reign traveling throughout Europe. He precisely analysed the visited places, especially in the areas of sanitary,