Hans von Nussdorf

Hans Nussdorf was a late gothic architect known for having completed the Martins tower of the Basler Minster in 1500. He was also involved in the construction of the Bernese Munster and the St.Leonhards church in Basel.

Early life and Where Nussdorf was born is not known, but it is assumed he hailed from Nussdorf at the Lake Constance. A Hannsen von Constentz or Hans von Constanz was mentioned in 1455 to have constructed the Monkey's Fountain. A certain "Hannsenn of Constantz, the new foreman" received some money It is assumed that Nussdorf (then called Johannes de Constancia) began to work at the Minster in 1467 in a leading position. Since 1472 he was mentioned as Hans Nussdorf. Onwards he was called master and in the 1480s, Nussdorf had his own mason workshop. The towers construction was initiated in the 12th century, but had to undergo renovation after the 1356 earthquake in Basel. It was the year that a mason from Strassburg arrived in Basel to assess the towers fundaments for an eventual further rise of the tower. The construction of the tower begun in 1489, the year is marked in stone.

Works On the Martinstower there is a bust of about 40 cm, Beside's the bust, on the same working block of sandstone from Wiesental there is a masons sign to be seen. Master masons were only hired or promoted for larger projects such as the Martins tower. The master mason also had his personal workbench in the masonry of the Minster. After some remarkable accomplishments, he would be awarded some presents such as a considerable amount of wine or cereals. He defended himself by arguing he had an overload of work as also in 1481, he had been hired to be the master mason of the . In 1496 Nussdorf returned to the Leonhard church under a detailed contract in which he was assured not to be held responsible for the eventual mistakes of his predecessors. But the scholarship doesn't view Nussdorf as the main architect of the Leonhards church, as a considerable amount of its construction was done after Nussdorfs death in 1503.

Nussdorf was closely related with the masons guild of Strassburg, which in 1497 held their reunion in Basel explicitly "due to its famous master".

Personal life Nussdorf had to sons, Hans and Friedrich, who both also became stonemasons. After his death in 1503, his estate was divided into one third to his wife and two thirds for his children. Between 1475 and 1480 he was provided with a place to live in the Augustines Alley, in a house owned by the Minsterworkshop. In 1480 he bought the House Sonnenberg in the White Alley. He also bought a wineyard near the Aeschen Square in 1490, but it didn't appear in the inventory of the testament. In the tax registers between 1475 and 1481 Nussdorf appears as a man without any wealth to tax which is suggested to be because the special treatment the masons working at the Minster received.