Egon Eiermann
Egon Eiermann (29 September 1904 – 19 July 1970) was one of Germany's most prominent architects in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a furniture designer. From 1947, he was Professor for architecture at Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (today Karlsruhe Institute of Technology).
Egon Eiermann

Deutsche Post AG · scan by kandschwar · Public domain
- Name
- Egon Eiermann
- Born
- 29 September 1904
- Birthplace
- Neuendorf bei Potsdam, Prussia, German Empire
- Died
- 19 July 1970
- Place of death
- Baden Baden, West Germany
- Education
- Technische Universität Berlin
- Occupation
- Architect, furniture designer
- Nationality
- Germany
- Known for
- Langer Eugen
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Egon Eiermann (29 September 1904 – 19 July 1970) was one of Germany's most prominent architects in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a furniture designer. From 1947, he was Professor for architecture at Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (today Karlsruhe Institute of Technology).
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Egon Eiermann (1904–1970) was an architect, designer and furniture designer, among other activities, of German nationality. The architect was born in Neuendorf bei Potsdam and died in Baden-Baden.
Egon Eiermann was educated at Technische Universität Berlin. The architect worked for TH Karlsruhe and University of Karlsruhe.
Among the works is Langer Eugen. Languages used include German. Honours include Berliner Kunstpreis, Großer BDA Preis and Honorary doctor of the Technical University of Berlin, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Egon Eiermann • Born — 29 September 1904 • Birthplace — Neuendorf bei Potsdam, Prussia, German Empire • Died — 19 July 1970 • Place of death — Baden Baden, West Germany • Education — Technische Universität Berlin • Occupation — Architect, furniture designer • Notable Works — * Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. • New church at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church • Langer Eugen, Bonn
Biography
Biography
Eiermann was born in Neuendorf bei Potsdam (now part of Babelsberg, Potsdam), the son of Wilhelm Eiermann (1874–1948), a locomotive engineer and his wife Emma Gellhorn (1875–1959). He archived his Abitur at the Althoff-Gymnasium and studied architecture at Technische Universität Berlin. From 1925 to 1928, he was master student of Hans Poelzig. After graduating in 1928, he gained professional experience in the construction departments of Karstadt AG in Hamburg and the Berlin electricity works (Bewag (Berlin)). From 1931 to 1945, he was an independent architect in Berlin and initially planned residential buildings. Before World War II he had an office with fellow architect Fritz Jaenecke. During the Nazi era, he mainly created industrial architecture. In 1945, he escaped to Buchen in West Germany, the birthplace of his father. From 1946 to 1965, he had a shared office with Robert Hilgers. In 1948, the office was relocated to Karlsruhe. He joined the faculty of the Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe in 1947, working there on developing steel frame construction methods. Students were Oswald Mathias Ungers and Julia Bolles-Wilson. During a study trip to the United States in 1950, he met Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and Konrad Wachsmann in Boston and in 1956 also Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 1967, Eiermann chaired the jury in the architectural competition for the Olympic Park in Munich.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1940, he married in Berlin interior designer Charlotte, Friedheim (1912–2001) and in 1954 in Berlin architect Brigitte, née Feyerabendt (1924–2019). He had two children: with his first wife Andreas (born 1942), from his second marriage Anna (born 1956). He died in Baden-Baden, aged 65. He is buried at the Buchen Cemetery.
Works
Works
During the years of reconstruction, his steel-frame industrial buildings became exemplary. The buildings were transparent, inviting, democratic, making order visible. A functionalist, his major works include: the textile mill at Blumberg (1951); the West German pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair (with Sep Ruf, 1958); the Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. (1958–1964); the highrise Langer Eugen for the German Parliament in Bonn (1965–1969); the IBM-Germany Headquarters in Stuttgart (1967–1972); and, the Olivetti building in Frankfurt (1968–1972). By far his most famous work is the new church on the site of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin (1959–1963). The sets of the 1926 film The Pink Diamond were designed by Eiermann. Source: • 1929–1930 Substation of the Berliner Elektrizitätswerke AG, Berlin-Steglitz • 1931–1933 Hesse residential building, Berlin-Lankwitz • 1936–1937 Steingroever residential building, Berlin-Grunewald • 1938 factory building and boiler house of the Degea-AG-Auergesellschaft, Berlin-Wedding • 1938–1939 expansion and conversion of the Total-Werke Foerstner & Co, Apolda • 1939–1941 factory buildings of Märkische Metallbau GmbH, Oranienburg • 1948–1950 administration and factory building of Ciba AG, Wehr/Baden • 1949–1950 handkerchief weaving mill/spinning mill, Blumberg/Black Forest • 1950–1953 administration building of the United Silk Weaving Works, Krefeld • 1951–1956 experimental power plant of TU Karlsruhe • 1953 St. Matthew Church, Pforzheim • 1953–1954 Burda Moden publishing house, Offenburg • 1954–1961 residential building, Interbau, Hansaviertel, Berlin-Tiergarten • 1955–1957 Volkshilfe administration building, Cologne • 1956–1958 German Pavilion, World Exhibition in Brussels (with Sep Ruf, exterior planning by Walter Rossow) • 1956–1960 administration building of Steinkohlebergwerke AG, Essen • 1957–1963 Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin-Charlottenburg • 1958–1961 Head office of Neckermann Versand KG, Frankfurt am Main • 1958–1961 administration building of the steel structure Gustav Müller, Offenburg • 1958–1964 Chancellery building of the German Embassy, Washington • 1959–1962 Eiermann house, Baden-Baden • 1961–1967 buildings for the DEA-Scholven GmbH refinery, Karlsruhe • 1965–1969 high-rise building for members of the German Bundestag, Bonn • 1967–1972 Administration and training center of Deutsche Olivetti, Frankfurt am Main, • 1967–1972 IBM headquarters, Stuttgart-Vaihingen (Eiermann-Campus)
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche • Illustration — Olivetti Buildings in Frankfurt • Illustration — Office building of DEA oil refinery, Karlsruhe • Illustration — Langer Eugen, Bonn – detail of the facade • Illustration — Expo Brüssel 1958 German pavilion
Design
Design
From 1949, the first functional and serially produced seating furniture made of wood and tubular steel was created in cooperation with the Esslingen company Wilde + Spieth. Source: • 1950 SE 68 tubular steel chair • 1952 E 10 wicker chair • 1952–1953 SE 18 wooden folding chair • 1953 table frame Eiermann 1 • 1960–1961 Church seat SE 121 • 1965 table frame Eiermann 2
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Egon Eiermann”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q65803: Egon Eiermann
Unverified · Wikidata
Awards
Awards
Source: • 1962 Berlin Art Prize • 1965 honorary doctorate from Technische Universität Berlin • 1965 Grand State Prize for Architecture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia • 1968 Grand Prize of the Association of German Architects (Großer BDA Preis) • 1968 Grand Federal Cross of Merit • 1969 Hugo Häring Prize of the BDA Baden-Württemberg • 1970 Order Pour le Mérite for Science and Arts In 1997, the Egon Eiermann Society was founded in Karlsruhe. In 2004, the Bundespost honored Eiermann with a special postage stamp. In Karlsruhe, Egon-Eiermann-Allee was named after him in 2009. One of the lecture halls in the architectural building of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology bears his name. The Egon Eiermann Award is an international ideas competition in architecture.
Memberships
Memberships
Source: • 1926 Founding member of the "Group of Young Architects" ("Gruppe junger Architekten") • 1931 Member of the Association of German Architects (Bund Deutscher Architekten) • 1931 Member of Deutscher Werkbund • 1951 Founding member of the German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung) • 1955 Member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (West), Section Architecture • 1960 Honorary member of the Central Association of Austrian Architects • 1962 Member of the planning council for the new buildings of the German Bundestag and the German Bundesrat in Bonn • 1963 Corresponding Honorary Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects • 1969 Founding member of the Housing and Environment Institute of the Hessian state government

Das Bild zeigt ein Glasfenster, das aus dem Zwischenraum zwischen Innen- und Außenwand, nach draußen hin fotografiert.
Jan Mathys
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Egon Eiermann Tables and Chairs. Einrichten Design. 29 September 1904.
- 2.Jouini, Saoussen. Architektur – Fakultät – Über uns – Geschichte. KIT. 12 June 2021.
- 3.Egon Eiermann. Biografie WHO'S WHO.
- 4.Liebe zur Geometrie. Der Tagesspiegel. 4 October 2007.
- 5.Ausstellung Januar 2018. UAA. 9 February 2018.
- 6.Portrait: Julia Bolles-Wilson und Peter Wilson, Team und Paar. FAZ.NET. 26 April 2001.
- 7.AD Classics: Olympiastadion (Munich Olympic Stadium) / Behnisch and Partners & Frei Otto. ArchDaily. 11 February 2011.
- 8.Kubitza, Michael. Vier Jahrzehnte Olympiapark: Mona Lisas rote Augen. BR.de. 21 February 2018.
- 9.Eiermann Egon Fritz. LEO-BW.
- 10.Egon Eiermann – Stadtlexikon. Stadtlexikon Karlsruhe. 27 February 2022.
- 11.Persönlichkeiten. Stadt Buchen (Odenwald).
- 12.Eiermann, Egon. Architekturguide Krefeld. 11 March 2021.
- 13.Biesler, Jörg. 19.07.1970 – Todestag des Architekten Egon Eiermann. WDR. 14 July 2020.
- 14.Deutsche BauZeitschrift. 19 November 2021.
- 15.Murnau Stiftung.
- 16.Eiermann. Akademie der Künste, Berlin.
- 17.Egon Eiermann Versuchskraftwerk. Karlsruhe Erleben. 31 December 2021.
- 18.Gerbing, Chris. Leuchtende Wände in Beton: die Matthäuskirche Pforzheim (1951–1953) von Egon Eiermann: ihre Vorbilder, ihre Vorbildfunktion. Schnell & Steiner. 2013. 978-3-7954-2704-7.
- 19.Die neue Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche. Evangelische Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirchengemeinde Berlin.
- 20.Hoff, Sigrid. Vor 60 Jahren wurde der Neubau der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche geweiht. rbb24. 15 December 2021.
- 21.Kappel, Kai. Egon Eiermann: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche Berlin, 1961–2011. Kunstverlag Josef Fink. 2011. 978-3-89870-677-3.
- 22.Boyken, Immo. Egon Eiermann: German embassy, Washington. Axel Menges. 2004. 978-3-930698-54-7.
- 23.Deutsche Botschaft Washington – Kanzlei. BBR. 30 June 2021.
- 24.German Embassy, Washington. Arup.
- 25.Kabierske, Gerhard. Egon Eiermann: haus eiermann, baden-baden. Edition Axel Menges. 2021. 978-3-932565-87-8.
- 26.Plate, Ulrike. Funktionale Ästhetik am Rhein. Das Verwaltungsgebäude der DEA-Scholven-Raffinerie in Karlsruhe. Denkmalpflege in Baden-Württemberg – Nachrichtenblatt der Landesdenkmalpflege. 29. 4. 261–263. 11 March 2014. 0465-7519.
- 27.Langer Eugen – Weg der Demokratie. Weg der Demokratie. 1 January 1970.
- 28.Sack, Manfred. Zweimal Hochhaus am Stiel. Die Zeit. 6 October 1972.
- 29.Ex-IBM-Zentrale: Verfall – keiner will den Eiermann-Campus. DIE WELT. 22 May 2013.
- 30.Vor 50 Jahren starb der Architekt und Designer Egon Eiermann. domradio.de. 19 July 2020.
- 31.Die Selbstgewissheit der Moderne. db deutsche bauzeitung. 12 July 2020.
- 32.Pehnt, Wolfgang. Egon Eiermann: Deutsche Olivetti, Frankfurt am Main. Hirmer Publishers. 2019. 978-3-7774-3312-7.
- 33.Karlsruhe: Kulturdenkmal Dea-Scholven-Str. 1. Karlsruhe.
- 34.Castillo, Greg. Making a Spectacle of Restraint: The Deutschland Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels Exposition. Journal of Contemporary History. SAGE Publications. 47. 1. 97–119. 2012. 0022-0094.
- 35.Boyken, Immo. Egon Eiermann / Sep Ruf: Deutsche Pavillons, Brüssel 1958. Edition Axel Menges. 2007. 978-3-932565-62-5.
- 36.Egon Eiermann – Die Kontinuität der Moderne – Art Deco und Design in München. Style Deco. 1 April 2019.
- 37.Das Badische Landesmuseum Karlsruhe zeigt die Möbel des Architekten Egon Eiermann. Der Tagesspiegel. 18 October 1999.
- 38.Gesellschaft. Egon Eiermann Gesellschaft e. V.
- 39.Fakultät für Architektur. Karlsruhe: Hörsaal Egon Eiermann. 17 November 2003.
- 40.Egon Eiermann Award 2019. Deutsche BauZeitschrift. 19 November 2021.
- 41.Eiermann, Egon. gesichter-des-dka.gnm.de.
- 42.Egon Eiermann – Werkbundarchiv. Museum der Dinge.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 21
- Eiermann, Egon. Egon Eiermann 1904 – 1970 Bauten u. Projekte. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. 1984. 978-3-421-02805-1.
- Eiermann, Egon. Egon Eiermann (1904–1970): die Kontinuität der Moderne, anläßlich der Ausstellung. Hatje Cantz. 2004. 3-7757-1436-7.
- Fiell, Charlotte. Design of the 20th Century. Taschen. 239. 2005. 978-3-8228-4078-8.
- Hildebrand, Sonja. Egon Eiermann, die Berliner Zeit: das architektonische Gesamtwerk bis 1945. Birkhäuser. 1999. 978-3-7643-6690-2.
- Kielmeyer, Barbara. Egon Eiermann – die Möbel, Ausstellung im Museum beim Markt, Außenstelle des Badischen Landesmuseums Karlsruhe, 16. September – 14. November 1999; Ausstellung des Badischen Landesmuseums Karlsruhe in Verbindung mit dem Südwestdeutschen Archiv für Architektur und Ingenieurbau an der Universität Karlsruhe. INFO-Verl. 1999. 978-3-88190-236-6.
- Lampugnani, Vittorio. Hatje-Lexikon der Architektur des 20. Jahrhunderts. G. Hatje. 1983. 3-7757-0174-5.
- Nachhaltig prägend – Große Eiermann-Ausstellung in Karlsruhe. BauNetz. 14 September 2004.
- Egon Eiermann (Karlsruhe). db deutsche bauzeitung. 1 November 2004.
- Egon Eiermann DIGITAL. Exhibition in Karlsruhe, Germany – ndion. ndion. 12 February 2020.
- Sperling, Thomas. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. 2003. 10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t025681.
- Boyken, Immo. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Egon Eiermann: The Dictate of Order. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. University of California Press. 49. 2. 133–153. 1 June 1990. 0037-9808.
- Curl, James. The Oxford dictionary of architecture. Oxford University Press. 2015. 978-0-19-175298-8.
- Bauer, Anneke. Egon Eiermann, die Wohnhäuser . aus der Feder der Studenten. Inst. für Baugestaltung. 2004. 978-3-9805818-2-0.
- Kupke, Susanne. Egon Eiermann: Vorzeige-Architekt der jungen Demokratie. Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. 28 September 2004.
- Würdiges Gehäuse. Der Spiegel. 1 October 1963.
- Hildebrand, Sonja. Bedrohtes Hauptwerk der Nachkriegsmoderne. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 23 February 2009.
- Biography, Architecture, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. 25 September 2021.
- Stark, Ulrike. Architekten, Egon Eiermann. IRB Verlag. 1993. 978-3-8167-3361-4.
- Malave, Florita. Egon Eiermann, architect. Vance Bibliographies. 1985. 978-0-89028-235-9.
- Thomas, Christian. Einflussreichster Architekt der Nachkriegsperiode. Deutschlandfunk. 1 March 2021.
- Stock, Adolf. Eiermann und Henselmann. Deutschlandfunk Kultur. 1 March 2021.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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