Draft:Carl Weber

Carl Eugène Marie Hubert Apolinarius Ferdinand Weber (Keulen, 18 oktober 1820 - Roermond, 21 maart 1908) was a German architect who worked mainly in the Netherlands. He is especially significant for his churches in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanogothic styles. He called himself Carl or Karl until 1860. Once settled in Roermond, he called himself Charles or Karel.

Weber grew up in Cologne. Where he trained as an architect is not known. Because church architecture in the diocese of Cologne at the time was dominated by Vincenz Statz, Weber turned his attention early on to the Dutch province of Limburg, where he stayed regularly from 1846 onward, although he remained officially based in his hometown. In 1850 he converted the church of Panningen into a so-called "Stufenhalle," a Rhenish type of hall church. This type of church, in which the side aisles are slightly lower than the nave and the three naves are covered by a single gable roof, Weber would build several more times after this. The first church designed entirely by himself was that of Amstenrade, incidentally the very first neo-Gothic church in the province.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) After his first wife died in 1850, he remarried in 1857 and settled in Roermond, where he had to compete with the architect Pierre Cuypers, who was based there. Together with Cuypers, Weber was initially one of the leading architects of churches in the southern part of the Netherlands. In the conflict surrounding the restoration of the Munsterkerk in Roermond, Weber sided with the opponents of Cuypers' plans. Unlike Cuypers, Weber's field of work would always be limited to the dioceses of Roermond (Limburg) and 's-Hertogenbosch (eastern North Brabant and southern Gelderland); the only exception being the now defunct church in Franeker. Weber owed his success in large part to his good cooperation with the Ministry of Water Management, which was responsible for supervising the building of churches until 1875. After this interference came to an end, Weber's star also declined in Limburg. Initially Weber worked in the neo-Gothic style. Here, unlike Cuypers, he was not a purist; although, like Cuypers, Weber had studied Gothic architecture and understood its foundations, he had no objection to stucco vaults, for example. Around 1880, Weber began to work in the neo-Romanogothic style. Important works from this period are the domed churches in Raamsdonk, Uden and Geldrop and Lierop. The latter has preserved almost its entire interior and, despite its modest size, is considered the most successful of these typical "Weber churches." Weber's last work was the 1893 design for a spire for Roermond Cathedral. After this, an eye condition made him unable to work.

Weber built a total of 33 churches, many of which have since disappeared. The churches in Lage Zwaluwe, Nieuwkuijk, Raamsdonksveer and Zevenbergschen Hoek were severely damaged in World War II and were subsequently demolished. The church of Cromvoirt got away better, losing only the upper part of the tower. Before the war, the churches in Steyl, Valkenswaard and Lutterade all fell. During the sixties, the churches in Geertruidenberg, Franeker and Montfort were demolished; the church in Heesch went up in flames. The church at Vught, despite its status as a national monument, had been threatened with demolition since 2004. The church has since been restored on the outside and was remodeled inside in 2018 to become DePetrus meeting center with library and welfare facilities which design has attracted international attention. Many of the remaining churches were remodeled by other architects. In addition to churches, Weber designed several monasteries, schools and Sittard' s town hall, demolished in 1966. Main article: List of structures by Carl Weber


 * NAi
 * BONAS - Archiwijzer


 * Deursen, A. van, Carl (Karel) Weber (1820-1908) Van stukadoorsgotiek tot koepelkerk, (2020)
 * Helvoort, H. van, De kerken van C. Weber, (1974)
 * Broek, C. van den, Leven en werk van Carl Weber (1820-1908), (1988)
 * Dunk, Th.H. von der, Eminente persoonlijkheden zijn gelukkig in den loop van 1908 niet aan de Nederlandsche Bouwkunst ontvallen : de prijzige koepelkerken van Carl Weber (1820-1908) in Noord-Brabant, In: Noordbrabants Historisch Jaarboek 22-23 (2005-2006), p. 39-84


 * List of Dutch architects