Architecture's Connection to Time and Place

by Billy del Monte

Architecture is always associated with the time and place in which it was made, and in the case of Nazi and Soviet architecture dismissed or not considered in the same light as other works of architecture that would have been produced in nation with a more agreeable ideology. In this way many important developments and unique ways of considering problems are disregarded for reasons witch are mostly unrelated to the ideas of these works. This really applies to all buildings, instead of understanding the specific considerations that apply to each project, often a more general motive and idea is assigned based on what is known of the time and era of its creation, especially when looking further into the past. This is a problem because many of the architectural ideas that are dismissed are from the largest and most controlling government systems, and while this usually did grant architects the same amount of freedom of design that could be had in other nations which are now seen in a more positive light, there where unique in the amount of investment that was put into large national projects, and the depth in which they were able to delve in to specific architectural ideas that formed the national identity of these powerful nations.

Soviet architecture is a good example of this. At the time of the communist revolution in Russia the party in power saw the need to develop a new, uniquely communist identify and began creating unique architectural theory that began move away from the ideas of the west at the time. The west also had little interest in the architectural ideas created by the Soviet Union, and as a result Soviet and Western Architecture remained largely dissimilar for most of the modern era. Seeing themselves as almost in competition with the western world, large investments were made in the field of Architecture and put towards the development of new and valuable ideas, ideas that in the eyes of the western world where spoiled by their connection with an ideology that was seen as dangerous. The most valuable architectural developments in the Soviet Union where related to urban planning, because new construction and development was being done at such a large scale they could consider plans at a large and more connected scale, as a result some of the most unique and forward thinking city plans of the time came from Russia. This is most evident in Berlin, which is a unique example of a city that developed while in the same era but with two separate architectural systems, In many ways East Berlin has a more appealing plan due to the order and organization that was able to be implemented on that side of the City, while West Berlin is made up of more individual projects without as much of a unifying system. 

A Style Forgotten

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. 

Berlin's Struggle Toward Cultural Identity

By Tyler Silvers

 
During the reign of Nazism in Germany, dating back to the 1930's, the leaders of the political party set out to radically change the culture of the European continent and, if possible, the world. Under Hitler’s direction, Albert Speer became the chief architect of the new style of Nazi Architecture. Buildings designed with the new style quickly sprang up across the Nazi regime, and in effect grew to provide a new cultural identity for the people of the time period. Nazi Architecture seems to have been based largely on the party’s idea of creating an Aryan race – an ideal that essentially seeks to create a population of perfect people, all of whom possess an identical culture. This idea was expressed in architecture through the monumental scale of the buildings constructed at the time. If we take the opportunity to zoom out and look at the structures from afar while thousands of people are gathered in and around the building, everyone, in effect, becomes the same - we don't see individuals, we just see people, thousands and thousands of seemingly identical people; almost like looking at an anthill. The speed in which the Nazi leaders were able to establish the new cultural identity of the population is simply astonishing. In less than 10 years, they were able to undo the previous way of life and reestablish a new life (albeit one of oppression) supported thoroughly with the architectural works of the time.

 

The collapse of the Nazi regime, and its architectural style, came with the end of World War 2 and left the masses void of any significant cultural or architectural identity, a void most notable in the capital of Nazi Germany – the city of Berlin. As a result of being heavily bombed at the end of WWII and the sequential Allied takeover, the city was purged of any and all remnants of the so-called Nazi Architecture, giving the city a clean slate on which to redesign its cultural identity. Without an absolute direction (like that offered by the Nazi party, which allowed an identity to be forged quickly), the city would enter a period of cultural uncertainty. The monumental task at hand was to undo the culture based on an all-powerful political party and to reestablish a culture that focused on the value of the individual as present in the modern world. The movement toward the modern world, while largely avoided in Soviet controlled East Berlin, was encouraged in the western half of the city. Architects from around the world, such as Hans Scharoun and Mies van der Rohe, flooded West Berlin in efforts to redefine the culture of the city through works of design. The culmination of design led to the development of the Kulturforum, a new cultural center based on the arts (and, thus, the individual rather than the party). Each building was designed to be free standing, however, and no clear relationship existed between the structures. Despite the cultural complex bringing a touch of modern architecture into the city, representing their willingness to move on from the once prevalent Nazi Architecture, Berlin had yet to address the one group whom it had shoved furthest into the corner – those of the Jewish faith. It wasn’t until Berlin united as a city that the cultural transformation would culminate in a new identity for everyone in the city. Architects such as Daniel Libeskind and Peter Eisenman were commissioned to implement Jewish memorials to lament the occurrences of the past. At this point, the city could declare its new cultural identity complete – one which focused on every individual without discrimination based on race or religion.

 I find it interesting that over 50 years go by before the city fully regains an culrural identity through the use of architecture equal to that established by the Nazi regime in only a few years. The city's new identity, however, offers more centrally focused ideals that incorporate rather than oppress the masses. After over half a century of turmoil, the city finally finds peace cultural peace with the assistance of architectural design.