by Seth Oliver
“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared
for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much
greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat”- Mother Teresa. A
bit antiquated, but fits the situation of Berlin, Germany adequately. Nazi
Germany produced a style of architecture that was a blend of modern and neoclassical.
This style embodied the great power of the nation at the time. The colossal structures
that make the people feel so minute, presents the face of Germany as one that
has power and control.
The structures like the Zeppelin
Field, Grossenplatz, the Gross Halle, and the Neue Reich Chancellery give a
structured order to the city that had been unprecedented thus far. The style
was basically coined by Hitlers single and favorite architect, Albert Speer. Bringing
the blend to the city changed it in the time the Nazis ruled and was never the
same. The second war prevented the more grandiose projects, but it was still
enough time to shape history forever. The terrible, bloody acts of
ill-compassionate soldiers with the swastika had a lasting impression on the
city but also the world.
Once the war was over and the Nazis
no longer had any control, the people of the age drew back from anything that
was associated with the crimson stain on Germany’s history. The buildings
forgotten and the style shunned. The ruins left were partially destroyed to
create something new and better suited than order and uniform. The sides of
East and West Berlin had very different opinions. The eastern side of Berlin was
controlled by England, France and the USA. This part had tried to rebuild everything
in the 1960’s and 1970’s in the style of the age. It worked for a while but was
soon looked upon as old and dilapidated. The Western side of Berlin was under the
influence of the Soviet Union. The buildings were all in a block style and took
on the very modern notion of the clean and straight edges. The parks are very
wide and the avenues are well kept. The Western side actually defines somewhat
of a new style that references what used to be in Nazi Germany. It is the fabric
of the city that stands out as uniquely Berlin. That is something every city should
strive to achieve.
I understand the negative stigma
that comes with the style of the Nazi Germany. But the style was actually
something to consider as a feat. They style was uniform but also makes a
statement the people under the government. It did what Hitler intended in a way
that has a stylized feature to it as well as a practical functionality. The
monuments and pieces commanded attention from all viewers. Nothing in the city
had been able to do that. Even though the general emotion ended with fear, the
emotion was stronger than any other building in the city. In no way would I
ever attempt to justify the teachings or the following of the Nazi life, but I
will advocate the notion of control. Albert Speer had mastered the control of
the people of Berlin if only he had been giving the time to fully extend his
plan to the whole city.
This style of thinking is heinous to
the modern world. The brain is a powerful tool to use. But the architecture of
the age can be just as powerful to control others as well. The style of the
modern and neoclassical by Albert Speer has been let go and forgotten for a
reason. Not because of the style, but because of the negative memories that
come with the style.
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