Pöppelmann, Matthäus Daniel

Born May 3 (?), 1662, in Herford, Westphalia; died Jan. 17, 1736, in Dresden. German architect.

Pöppelmann visited Rome and Naples in 1710 and Paris in 1715. His principal work was the Zwinger ensemble in Dresden (1711–22), whose design was inspired by the ancient Roman open forum and circus. The Zwinger consists of a rectangular arena for fetes, arched galleries, and pavilions. The neoclassical clarity of its general plan is combined with the elegance and baroque dynamism of its dimensions and sculptural decoration (sculptor, B. Permoser). Pöppelmann introduced rococo elements into the decoration, thus becoming one of the founders of the rococo style in Germany.