Maximilian Hegele (25 May 1873 – 12 March 1945) was an Austrian architect, regarded as one of the leading exponents of Vienna's Secessionist architecture.
After practicing with established architects in Vienna, in 1899 Hegele debuted with a plan for the renovation of the city's Central Cemetery in which he applied the principles of Vienna Secession. His most famous work, the St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery Church, was developed within this project and is regarded as an example of Art Nouveau church. In the subsequent years he continued to work in Vienna and Lower Austria, sometimes incorporating historicist elements in his style. From the 1910s he concentrated mostly on residential buildings and in his later years he moved towards a simpler style.
A prolific architect, Hegele produced a great number of designs, among them: churches, museums, private houses, bridges and monuments; but many remained on paper.
Life and career
Early life and education
Maximilian Hegele was born in Vienna on 12 March 1873, the son of Karl Hegele, a goldsmith, and Maria Hegele. From 1889 he studied at the State Trade School of Civil Engineering, where he attended the Building of Constructions course, graduating in 1893. He subsequently enrolled in Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts (Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) where, between 1893 and 1896, he specialised in architecture under Victor Luntz and Karl von Hasenauer. After having successfully completed his studies there, as a gifted student he earned the prestigious "Prix de Rome", a scholarship that allowed him to study for a year in Italy.
Back in Vienna, the following year he practiced with several architectural firms, among them Franz von Neumann, a prominent historicist, and the brothers Anton and Josef Drexler, who at the time were moving from historicism towards Secessionstil. In 1899 he became member of the architects association "Wiener Bauhütte" and participated at the competition for redesigning Vienna's Central Cemetery. In 1900 he was announced as the winner of the first prize and, after having revised and adapted his plans, he received the opportunity bring his project to life. Among the jury members sat Otto Wagner, one of the pioneers of Viennese Art Nouveau architecture, whose work had played a great influence on the young Hegele.
Vienna's Central Cemetery (1903‒1911)
The cemetery halls
The commission for the Central Cemetery's redevelopment was a turning point in Hegele's life and career. The plan consisted of a monumental entrance, two funerary halls and the central church, all designed in the Secession style. Work lasted from 1903 to 1911 and proceeded in stages. The first buildings to be finished were the two funerary pavilions (Aufbahrungshallen) on both sides of the Cemetery path, which were completed in 1905. The pavilion 1 today is still used for ceremonies, while the pavilion 2 now hosts the Funerary Museum (Bestattungsmuseum) The two halls show similarities as both are shallow buildings, with a central tower covered by a pyramidal copper roof. They are white on the exterior with geometric decorations. Each entrance is surmounted by anornamental arch with a clock placed at its center. The main hall of the first pavilion is lavishly decorated, with metallic chandeliers and matching sconces on the walls. A huge mosaic behind the altar stands out from the white interiors.
The cemetery gate
Next came the main entrance or 2nd Gate (2° Tor), built in 1905‒1906. It stands out for its high secessionist obelisks; at the base of each, facing the street, is a couple of statues holding Vienna's coat of arms. Each figure has a funerary symbol in its hand: a skull, meaning death, an hourglass, for time passing, a laurel wreath, symbolising immortality, and a palm branch, representing resurrection. On both sides of the gate is placed a relief: the one on the left (Christ receives the Dead) was realised by Georg Leisek, the other one on the right (People at the Gate for a Place of no Return) is the work of Carl Anselm Zinsler. At the back of the obelisks are two inscriptions reading "Erected during the reign of Franz Josef" and "Built under mayor Karl Lueger". The already existing administrative buildings on each side of the gate were also remodeled to harmonize with its style.