Rudolf Schwarz (1897-1961) was one of the most important German architects of the 20th century. He gained international recognition and fame as a church builder with the construction of the ascetic Corpus Christi church in Aachen (1929/30) and numerous remarkable churches in the post-war period. His work, however, went far beyond that: Thus, his diverse oeuvre includes not only outstanding urban planning projects, such as the reconstruction of the city of Cologne after World War II (1946-51), but also profane building projects, including today's Museum of Applied Art in Cologne (1951-57), and last but not least, profound architectural theoretical writings on church construction and urban planning (Wegweisung der Technik, 1928; Vom Bau der Kirche, 1938; Von der Bebauung der Erde, 1949; Kirchenbau - Welt vor der Schwelle, 1960).

The seminar will provide an overview of the architect's complete written and built oeuvre. Accompanying the analysis of his best-known sacred and profane buildings, we will approach the thinking of Rudolf Schwarz, who saw himself as a master builder, through the joint reading of his theoretical writings. The basis is the extensive monograph "Rudolf Schwarz. Architekt einer anderen Moderne" by the architectural historian Wolfgang Pehnt.