Peter Parler was a German-Bohemian architect and sculptor from the Parler family of master builders. Along with his father, Heinrich Parler, he is one of the most prominent and influential craftsmen of the Middle Ages. Born and apprenticed in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, Peter worked at several important late Medieval building sites, including Strasbourg, Cologne, and Nuremberg. After 1356 he lived in Prague, capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and seat of the Holy Roman Empire, where he created his most famous works: St. Vitus Cathedral and the Charles Bridge.
Self-portrait in stone at St. Vitus Cathedral, c. 1370
The choir of Holy Cross Minster, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Frauenkirche, Nuremberg, Germany, where the first sculpture by Peter Parler can be directly identified (1352–1356)
Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral, clearly showing the Parler-style balustrade
Heinrich Parler the Elder, was a German architect and sculptor. His masterpiece is Holy Cross Minster, an influential milestone of late Gothic architecture in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Parler also founded the Parler family of master builders and his descendants worked in various parts of central Europe, especially Bohemia. His son, Peter Parler, became one of the major architects of the Middle Ages. The family name is derived from the word Parlier, meaning "foreman".
Holy Cross Minster, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Masterpiece of Heinrich Parler.
Nave of Holy Cross Minster
Choir of Holy Cross Minster, showing "Parler style" sculptural details depicting the Old Testament
