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Wilhelm von Hanno (1826–1882)
In the 19th century, Wilhelm von Hanno was one of Norway’s most important and prolific architects. It is difficult to walk far in Oslo without encountering his architecture. Originally from Germany, von Hanno emigrated to Norway as a newly qualified architect.
Von Hanno worked as a stone mason, draughtsman and architect. He had studied under the architectural painter Martin Gensler, and in Christiania (now Oslo) he ran his own drawing school, which made an important contribution to artistic and architectural education in the city. He was also responsible for the design of Norway’s posthorn postage stamps. Designed in 1871, these stamps are still in use today.
From 1853 to 1864, Hanno was in partnership with Heinrich Ernst Schirmer, another German immigrant who became one of the 19th century’s most important architects. Von Hanno’s name is mentioned most frequently in connection with this partnership, but the current exhibition focuses on three of his projects that fall outside of this: the Trinity Church (1849–58), Grønland Church and the surrounding buildings, i.e. Grønland School and Grønland Fire and Police Station (1864–69); and the building for the Geographic Survey of Norway (now the Norwegian Mapping Authority) (1876–79) on a site next to Slottsparken.
Through several donations and purchases in recent years, the National Museum has built up a collection of von Hanno’s architectural drawings and sketchbooks.
This map gives you an overview of von Hanno's projects in Christiania (now Oslo).
The Trinity Church
Following a lengthy and arduous process, Trinity Church was completed in 1858. Until then Our Saviour’s Church (now Oslo Cathedral) had been the city’s only church, but it had become too small for the growing congregation. In 1849, the city invited five architects to submit designs for a new church. This was probably the first architectural competition held in Norway. The city awarded the commission to the celebrated German architect Alexis de Chateauneuf (1799–1853), based in Hamburg, whose wife was Norwegian.
Chateauneuf proposed an octagonal central-plan church crowned by a monumental dome. The central space beneath the dome interior was surrounded by a vaulted colonnade supporting the gallery, which also created a symbolic transition from the dark entrance to the light-filled nave.
Von Hanno designed both the interior and all the fixtures and fittings: the lamps, door handles, pulpit, organ, altar, church silver and the lions’ heads on the main door. Many of the various leaf patterns used for the column capitals were not only designed by von Hanno, but also carved by him. He had a stone masons’ workshop just behind the building site.
Trinity Church was consecrated in 1858, following a procession from Our Saviour’s Church. By that time the design had been so influenced by von Hanno that it is correct to assign the architectural credit jointly to him and Chateauneuf.
The Christiania Fire of 1858
At home with von Hanno
The watercolour depicts von Hanno's own studio, a small, chapel-like brick house. Above the door he carved the sage advice, "Allen zu gefallen ist unmöglich" – you can't please everyone.
Exactly when he built the studio is uncertain, but it has to have been between 1853, when he bought a house in St. Olavs gate 28–30, and 1861, which is the date on this watercolour.
In the photography below, you can see the studio to the right of the main house. Von Hanno stood on the veranda, surrounded by the lush greenery, when he drew this picture.
The interior photographs from von Hanno’s house was made in the 1890s, after the death of von Hanno and just before the building was torn down. Note the abundance of architecture on the walls.
The small studio was relocated to the courtyard of St. Olav’s gate 7, where it still stands.
Grønland
Grønland was incorporated into Christiania in 1859, generating a need for public buildings in the city’s newest district. The city authorities decided to build a combined fire-and-police station, a school and a church. A competition for all three buildings was announced in 1864. Von Hanno and Schirmer submitted separate proposals, thus marking the end of their long-standing partnership.
Several contributors to the ensuing press debate argued that longitudinal churches had been developed for a Roman Catholic style of worship, involving ritual processions and a very clear divide between the congregation and the priest. In a central church (such as the Trinity Church), the congregation is gathered around the preacher, and many argued that this arrangement was more appropriate for a Protestant church. Nonetheless, von Hanno was declared the winner in 1865.
In Trinity Church in the Snow, von Hanno had depicted the buildings around the church as forming a harmonious frame around the building, in terms of scale, style and materials. At Grønland he had the opportunity to create just such a completely realised urban environment: an idyllic group of buildings completely dominated by a tall church steeple, such as one might find in a country village.
Building work on the church commenced in 1866, once the fire station and school had been completed. The design of the church draws on various different styles and is a good example of von Hanno’s experimental and relaxed attitude to the use of historical styles of architecture.
The Geographic Survey of Norway
As early as the 1850s there were proposals to erect a dedicated building to house both the National Archives and the Geographic Survey of Norway (now the Norwegian Mapping Authority) at Tullinløkka, close to the Royal Palace. Three architects, including von Hanno, were invited to submit proposals.
