Gunter Behnisch German architect, professor of architecture Date of Birth: 12.06.1922 Country: Germany

Gunter Behnisch: German Architect and Professor of Architecture

Gunter Behnisch was a renowned German architect and professor of architecture, best known for his work on the construction of the Olympic Park in Munich (1967-1972). He grew up in Dresden and in 1934, his family relocated to Hemnitz. At the age of 18, Gunter was drafted into the German army in 1939. During World War II, he commanded a submarine and was captured by the British. Gunter returned from England in 1947 and enrolled at the University of Stuttgart, where he studied architecture from 1947 to 1951. After completing his studies, he worked at Rolf Gutbrod's architectural firm in Stuttgart from 1951 to 1952. In 1952, Gunter opened his own architectural office in Stuttgart, together with Bruno Lambart. In 1966, the architectural group Behnisch & Partner was founded. In 1989, Gunter's son Stefan opened a branch in Stuttgart, which later became an independent firm called Behnisch Architekten in 1991. From 1967 to 1987, Gunter Behnisch taught at the Technical University of Darmstadt and also headed the local standards institute. He was admitted to the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1982 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Stuttgart in 1984. In 1996, Gunter became a co-founder of the Saxon Academy of Arts, where he taught architecture until 2000. Gunter Behnisch passed away at the age of 88 in Stuttgart after a prolonged illness. He is considered one of the most prominent representatives of modernist architecture in Germany and is known as a "champion of democratic construction without any status or power symbols," earning him the nickname "architect of democracy." His creations, which embody "freedom in glass and air forms," have shaped the image of the Federal Republic of Germany worldwide. Notably, his designs for the Olympic Park in Munich, built for the 1972 Summer Olympics, and the plenary hall of the German Bundestag in Bonn played a significant role in achieving this recognition.