Simon Louis du Ry was the son of theHuguenotarchitect Charles du Ry and grandson ofPaul du Ry of Kassel. He was from a French refugee family, who after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes byLouis XIV had to leave France and went to Hessen under Landgrave Charles. After beginning studies in Stockholm, Sweden, from 1746 to 1748 he was disappointed in his teacherCarl Hårleman and left forParis to attend the architectural school ofJacques-François Blondel (École des Art) in 1748–52. After further educational trips inFrance and toItaly he returned toKassel,Germany and became chief architect on the court after the death of this father. In 1766 he was installed as professor architectura civilis at theCollegium Carolinum in Kassel.[2]
UnderFrederic of Hessen he was responsible for the transformation of the old and partly destroyed town of Kassel into a modern capital.[3] The Königsplatz (Kings square) and the Friedrichsplatz (Frederics square) remain the main squares in Kassel.[citation needed]
^Freek H. Schmidt, "Expose Ignorance and Revive the "Bon Goût": Foreign Architects at Jacques-FrançoisBlondel's École des Arts" in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 61, No. 1 (Mar., 2002), pp.4-29
^James J. Sheehan: Geschichte der deutschen Kunstmuseen, 2002, S. 64
