Gottfried Semper

An avowed Republican, professor at the Dresden Academy of Architecture in the service of the king, architect of the royal representative buildings that transformed Dresden into the "Florence on the Elbe," he could not refrain from constructing a stable barricade for the insurgents in May 1849. Wanted by the authorities, he fled to Paris and London, and was almost on his way to America—his bags were already packed—when he finally received an offer for a lifetime professorship with a top salary in Zurich. His friend Richard Wagner had actively promoted him. He lived there for sixteen years as a single father of six children, became the star of the newly founded Polytechnic, struggled with the young architecture students, and built, among other things, the main building of ETH and the town hall of Winterthur, while also writing his major work, "The Style." He was a welcome guest in many salons and became quite prominent.