author
Endres Tucher
1423–1507
A fifteenth-century Nuremberg city official left behind one of the most vivid records of urban building work from his time. His Baumeisterbuch opens a rare window onto how a late medieval city was managed, repaired, and imagined.
1 Audiobook
Endres Tuchers Baumeisterbuch der Stadt Nürnberg
by Endres Tucher
About the author
Born in Nuremberg on April 5, 1423, Endres Tucher belonged to the city’s patrician Tucher family and served on the city council. In 1461 he was appointed Baumeister, a senior municipal building official, and held the post until 1476.
He is remembered above all for the Baumeisterbuch, written mainly between 1464 and 1470 with later additions through about 1475. The book records building projects, civic administration, and practical details of city life in Nuremberg, making it an unusually rich source for the cultural and urban history of the fifteenth century.
Although he is sometimes presented simply as a builder, his lasting importance is as an observant recorder of how a major imperial city worked day to day. He died in Nuremberg on April 14, 1507.