Wilhelm Böckmann

Wilhelm Böckmann (29 January 1832 – 22 October 1902) was a German architect who worked briefly as a foreign advisor to the government of Meiji period Japan.He initially entered the Gymnasium to follow in his father’s footsteps, but dropped out after two years to complete an apprenticeship as a carpenter.Böckmann was invited to Japan by the Meiji government in 1887 to develop a plan to rebuild Tokyo into a modern national capital.His plan was a magnificent Baroque city comparable to Paris or Berlin, but he left Japan with the Japanese authorities gasping at the tremendous budget which would be required.However, the project was soon derailed by Inoue Kaoru for budgetary reasons, as well as a growing cultural backlash in Japan against mimicking Western architecture.
The Ministry of Justice Building in Tokyo
ElberfeldGermanyBerlinBauakademieGermanforeign advisorMeiji periodWuppertalGymnasiumapprenticeshipmodern architectureHermann EndeDeutsche BauzeitungTiergartenPotsdam NeubabelsbergBerlin ZooWorld War IIMeiji governmentMinistry of Justice buildingBaroqueDiet buildingInoue KaoruHalle, Saxony-AnhaltBerlin Zoological GardenSilesiaDanzigBerlin Alexanderplatz stationVoßstraße 33MagdeburgGreat Synagogue in Danzig