Meinhard von Gerkan
Meinhard von Gerkan (3 January 193530 November 2022) was a German architect and one of the founders of the architectural firm von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). Von Gerkan was known for being the architect of Berlin Tegel Airport and Berlin Hauptbahnhof ('Berlin main railway station'). At the time of his death, Deutsche Welle described him as "Germany's most famous architect".
Meinhard von Gerkan

Ansgar Koreng · Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE) · CC BY 3.0 de
- Name
- Meinhard von Gerkan
- Born
- 3 January 1935
- Birthplace
- Riga, Latvia
- Died
- 30 November 2022
- Place of death
- Hamburg, Germany
- Occupation
- Architect
- Education
- Technical University of Braunschweig
- Nationality
- Germany
- Known for
- Berlin Central Station · BER Airport station · Nanhui New City
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Documentary summary
Meinhard von Gerkan (3 January 193530 November 2022) was a German architect and one of the founders of the architectural firm von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). Von Gerkan was known for being the architect of Berlin Tegel Airport and Berlin Hauptbahnhof ('Berlin main railway station'). At the time of his death, Deutsche Welle described him as "Germany's most famous architect".
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Authority files
gnd · 10048171-1 · wikidata · Q76846 · wikipedia · Meinhard von Gerkan
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Meinhard von Gerkan • Born — 3 January 1935 • Birthplace — Riga, Latvia • Died — 30 November 2022 • Place of death — Hamburg, Germany • Occupation — Architect • Education — Technical University of Braunschweig
Early life and education
Early life and education
Meinhard von Gerkan was born on in Riga, Latvia, to a Baltic German family. He was baptized at St. Peter's Church. Von Gerkan was an only child, and considered his childhood in Riga "idyllic". His family lived on what is now called Eduarda Smiļģa Street, and spent summers in the resort town of Jūrmala, where they stayed at a wooden house. In 1939, at the age of four, he moved with his family to Poznań when they were forced to emigrate from Latvia. His father was a soldier during World War II, and died on the Eastern Front in 1942. Von Gerkan and his mother left Poznań to settle in Lower Saxony in 1945. His mother died shortly afterward, and as an orphan, von Gerkan stayed with a number of foster families before settling with a pastor's family in Hamburg in 1949. Von Gerkan attended various schools while growing up, including a Waldorf school in Hamburg from which he failed to graduate. He eventually graduated with an Abitur from a night school in 1955. Von Gerkan began his university studies in Hamburg, focusing on law and physics, before transferring to Technische Universität Berlin in 1956 to study architecture. He met his future business partner Volkwin Marg in Berlin. Von Gerkan switched universities again in 1960, transferring to the Technical University of Braunschweig, which he graduated from in 1964.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
• Illustration — The lower platforms, in 2020 Von Gerkan won the competition to design Berlin Hauptbahnhof in the early 1990s. After von Gerkan completed his design, Deutsche Bahn hired another firm to replace the vaulted ceiling in the design with a flat one, without informing the original architect. Von Gerkan sued Deutsche Bahn, comparing the action to "ripping pages out of a novel", and the judge ruled in favor of von Gerkan, stating that the building had been "considerably defaced" by Deutsche Bahn. The court ruling ordered Deutsche Bahn to replace the station's flat ceilings with the vaulted ones in von Gerkan's original design. Deutsche Bahn stated that it would take about three years to do so, and cost roughly 40 million EUR, while von Gerkan's firm stated that it would cost at most half as much, and that the station could continue to operate during that time. The matter was eventually settled in a confidential agreement, which included a sizeable donation to Academy for Architectural Culture, an organization founded by gmp, von Gerkan's firm. Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that an anonymous source who attended the negotiations stated that gmp received a high seven-figure amount.
Personal life
Personal life
From his first marriage, von Gerkan had two daughters, including costume design professor Florence von Gerkan. He was married to his second wife, Sabine Rechenbach, from 1985 until his death. They had three children. Von Gerkan also had another daughter, model and jewelry designer Manon von Gerkan. In addition, he was related to architect and archaeologist Armin von Gerkan, who served as director of the German Archaeological Institute's German Archaeological Institute Rome from 1938 to 1944. Von Gerkan spoke with a Baltic German accent even late in life.

View from the shopping level to the lower urban train level
Fabian Sandner

View from the shopping level to the lower urban train level
Fabian Sandner
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1935
Meinhard von Gerkan was born on 3 January 1935.
2022
Meinhard von Gerkan died on 30 November 2022.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Meinhard von Gerkan was born at Riga.
Birthplace
Meinhard von Gerkan died at Hamburg.
Deathplace
Meinhard von Gerkan was born in Riga.
Birthplace
Meinhard von Gerkan died in Hamburg.
Deathplace
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Meinhard von Gerkan received Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Cross of Recognition, 4th class, Commander of the Order of Faithful Service, Fritz Schumacher Award, honorary doctor of the University of Marburg and ULI Leadership Award.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Meinhard von Gerkan”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 10048171-1, Ausstellung anlässlich des 40jährigen Bestehens des Instituts für Kirchenbau und Kirchliche Kunst der Gegenwart und der Verleihung der Ehrendoktorwürde des Fachbereichs Evangelische Theologie an der Philipps-Universität Marburg an Meinhard von Gerkan (2002 : Marburg).
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q76846: Meinhard von Gerkan
Unverified · Wikidata
Awards
• Großer BDA Preis (2005) • Cross of Recognition, Second Class (2021)
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.Großer BDA-Preis für von Gerkan und Marg. BauNetz. 28 January 2005.
- 2.Hamburg, Hamburger Abendblatt –. Gerkan gründet eine Architektur-Akademie. abendblatt.de.
- 3.Meinhard von Gerkan, Founding Partner of gmp Architects, Passes Away at the Age of 87. ArchDaily.
- 4.AD Interviews: Meinhard von Gerkan, gmp architekten. ArchDaily.
- 5.Gerkan, Armin von Dictionary of Art Historians. arthistorians.info.
- 6.Pressemitteilung: Bundespräsident Steinmeier kondoliert zum Tod von Meinhard von Gerkan. Der Bundespräsident.
- 7.Meinhard von Gerkan: Germany's most famous architect dies – DW – 12/01/2022. dw.com.
- 8.GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Hauptbahnhof Berlin: Nicht nach Mehdorns Geschmack. FAZ.NET.
- 9.Chief makers own intellectual property. ft.com.
- 10.Architect wins court case over 'defaced' Berlin station design. the Guardian.
- 11.German traces in Latvia: Meinhard von Gerkan. eng.lsm.lv.
- 12.Rīga-born architect von Gerkan dies in Germany. eng.lsm.lv.
- 13.Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost –. Zur Person: Meinhard von Gerkan. morgenpost.de.
- 14.Kilian, Alexandra. "Ich wurde Architekt aus Leidenschaft – und bin es geblieben". morgenpost.de.
- 15.GmbH, Munzinger-Archiv. Meinhard von Gerkan – Munzinger Biographie. munzinger.de.
- 16.NDR. Architekt Meinhard von Gerkan mit 87 Jahren gestorben. ndr.de.
- 17.The Cross of Recognition. ?.
- 18.German architect von Gerkan, who designed Berlin airport, dies at 87. Reuters.
- 19.Nachruf auf Architekten: Meinhard von Gerkan als Kämpfer gegen banale Zirkusdekoration. Kölnische Rundschau.
- 20.Andreas Zielcke: The bellyache of an architect (30/11/2006) – signandsight. signandsight.com.
- 21.Leyendecker, Hans. Kriegsfront Bahnhof. Süddeutsche.de.
- 22.vestnesis.lv. Par apbalvošanu ar Atzinības krustu – Latvijas Vēstnesis. www.vestnesis.lv.
- 23.Der Architekt der Hauptstadt – WELT. DIE WELT. 23 June 2001.
- 24.Juristische Dauerposse Berlin-Hauptbahnhof – WELT. DIE WELT. 2 December 2006.
- 25."Ich bin eine Indianerbraut" – WELT. DIE WELT. 1 May 2004.
- 26.Architektur: Streit über Berliner Hauptbahnhof beendet – WELT. DIE WELT. 24 January 2008.
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Meinhard von Gerkan worked in architecture and education. He was employed by TU Braunschweig. He belonged to Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and Association of German Architects. He worked at Tegel.
Career and activity
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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