Harald Bauer

Architect and interior designer Harald Bauer was born in Adamov as the second son of architect Leopold Bauer and his wife Laura Bauer, née Ficker. He had an older brother Otto (1901–⁠1990), and a younger sister Gerda (born in 1903). From an early age, their father nourished his children’s artistic talents. In 1921, Harald graduated from a technical school in Vienna and spent the next six years gaining experience with various construction companies in Klagenfurt and Vienna. Between 1926 and 1928, he studied at the Vienna Academy for three semesters under the expressionist architect Clemens Holzmeister. At the same time, he worked in his father’s Vienna studio, a commitment that likely prevented him from completing his studies and may have prompted his move to Opava. There, he initially worked as a construction supervisor starting in 1929 and became an independent architect in 1931.
In his early projects, Bauer combined principles of decorativism, expressionism, and Heimatstil with the emerging trends of Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity). He collaborated with his father on several projects, including the Breda & Weinstein department store, the extension of the sanatorium in Jeseník (then Gräfenberg), and the renovation of Štemplovec Castle. His independent projects in Opava include the residential building for Erich and Fritz Käufler at Dolní schody Street 1912/8 and the “TEBA” department store for Frieda Teitelbaum, built between 1935 and 1936 in the block of buildings behind the town hall called Hláska on Horní náměstí (Upper Square) 379/61, one of the finest examples of New Objectivity in Bauer’s portfolio. In Krnov, he designed a detached house at Pivovarská Street 292/16 for Dr. Arthur Goldberger.
Bauer also worked as an interior architect and designer, creating interiors for clients such as banker Hans Gessler, merchant David Weinstein, and the couple Leo and Hella Breda. He was active in commercial and industrial architecture as well. After the death of his father in 1938, he returned to Vienna, where he briefly worked as an independent architect from 1938 to 1939. During the Second World War, he served as a civilian employee for the Luftwaffe, designing military facilities, such as airfields, camps, and military hospitals at various locations across Europe, including Crete, Romania, Spain, and Moravia.
After 1945, Bauer worked in Vienna as lead designer at Karl Kupsky’s studio, before returning to independent practice. In 1946, he became a member of the Austrian Association of Engineers and Architects (Österreichischer Ingenieur-Architektenverein). In 1952, he joined the Vienna Artists’ Society (Künstlerhaus), and in 1965, he registered with the Union of Socialist Academics, Intellectuals, and Artists (Bund sozialistische Akademiker, Intellektueller und Künstler).
After the war, he focused on infrastructure and industrial projects, including hydroelectric power plants and boiler houses for new housing estates. One notable project was the Adventist prayer
house in Vienna (realized in collaboration with Karl Kupsky, 1948–⁠1950, Nussdorfer Strasse 5). Other significant works from this period include the administrative building of the Kaprun hydroelectric plant, the Wallsee-Mitterkirchen hydroelectric plant, and boiler houses for three housing estates in Vienna.
His post-war designs were praised for their refined technical solutions. Later in his career, Bauer adopted the contemporary principles and forms of modern architecture, embracing the ideals of the late International Style.

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