Sondergotik
Sondergotik, German for 'Special Gothic' is an term used to describe the forms of late gothic architecture in Bavaria, Southern Germany and Bohemia. It is characterised by intricate brick tracery and stonework, high pitched roofs, lancet windows and flying buttresses.
The term was coined by Kurt Gerstenberg to emphasize that German High Gothic style was able to match the developments of French High Gothic.[1]. As the term 'Sondergotik' is generally used in referring to German High Gothic architecture, in considering European architecture as a whole it may be a tautology.[2]
The Sondergotik style was initiated by German master builder Heinrich Parler in Schwäbisch Gmünd, and the Parler family diffused this style throughout Bohemia and Southern Germany. It is particularly exemplified in the completion of St. Vitus Cathedral by Peter Parler and his sons, continuing the work of Matthias of Arras.