|
Weimar and
Dresden
Weimar in Thüringen and Dresden in
Sachsen were both planned for large Nazi building projects, including Gauforums
and military headquarters complexes. Some of these projects were realized and
remain today. (Click here to go directly to the Dresden
section.)
Weimar, which is perhaps best known
today as the location of the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald,
had a long history in the Third Reich. The first Nazi Party
Rally Day following the 1925 refounding of the Party was held in Weimar on 4
July 1926, and the Party met there again in 1936. Weimar was also the
scene
of large Nazi rallies during the election campaign of 1932.
 |
 |
 |
| When
Hitler was in Weimar he stayed in the Haus Elephant hotel on the Marktplatz,
and he often greeted crowds and reviewed marching columns from the front
of the hotel. In the view at top, Hitler salutes from his car in front
of the hotel, with Rudolf Hess seen in the background; on the right, Hermann Göring strikes a martial pose, with Hitler at the left
and Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel in front. These photos were probably taken
during the 1932 campaign (the view just above was later, probably 1933 or
1934). The façade of the hotel was changed during a remodeling
in 1936-37 (as seen below). (MapQuest
Map Link) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Architect
Hermann Giesler remodeled the Haus Elephant in 1936-37, adding a
Führer Balcony over the main entrance and another in the back courtyard, which has changed hardly at all
today. (Werner Lindner and Erich Böckler, "Die Stadt:
Ihre Pflege und Gestaltung," Munich, 1939) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A Nazi
rally in the Weimar Marktplatz in 1932 and a comparison view today. |
 |
 |
| A 1937
Nazi parade in a square before one of Weimar's palaces (today's Platz
der Demokratie). (MapQuest
Map Link) |
 |
 |
| The most
ambitious Third Reich building project in Weimar was the Gauforum, north
of the city center. During the Third Reich this was known as "Adolf
Hitler Platz," under the East Germans as "Karl Marx
Platz," and now as "Platz des Friedens" (Peace). Similar complexes were planned in many German
cities, but few were started and fewer still were completed to the level
of the Weimar Gauforum (which was, indeed, never completed to plan). On
the left above, Hitler examines a model of the Gauforum, along with
Fritz Sauckel, Albert Speer, Julius Schaub (chief of staff), and Wilhelm
Brückner (personal adjutant). On the right is an artist's conception of
the completed Gauforum. The large community hall at the left was never
built. (left - Heinrich Hoffmann, "Hitler abseits vom
Alltag"; right - Albert Speer, "Neue Deutsche
Baukunst," Berlin, 1943) (MapQuest
Map Link) |
 |
 |
| The
Reichsstatthalterei at the Gauforum served as the headquarters for
Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel. The bell tower was originally planned to be
considerably higher, but it was never finished. |
 |
 |
| Across
from the Reichsstatthalterei was the Haus der Gliederungen, an office
building for SS, SA, HJ, BDM, RAD, NSKK, NSV, and other Nazi
organizations. The view
on the right shows the wings at the rear of this building, seen at the left
center of the architectural model. (Gerdy Troost, "Das
Bauen im neuen Reich," Vol. 1, Bayreuth, 1938) |
 |
 |
| On the
right is a front view of the Haus der Gliederungen. (Albert
Speer, "Neue Deutsche Baukunst," Berlin, 1943) |
 |
 |
| The
building in the foreground of the architectural model seen just above
was the Deutsche Arbeits Front (DAF) office building. These views show
the front (facing the Adolf Hitler Platz) and a rear corner. |
Dresden
 |
 |
| The
headquarters of Luftgaukommando IV (Air Region Command) were built on
August-Bebel-Straße in 1935-38. The complex is still in military use today
and is remarkably well preserved (some sections have been rebuilt after
wartime damage). ("Kunst im Deutschen Reich") (MapQuest Map
Link) |
 |
 |
| The
decorative obelisks still retain their original art-deco style lamps. |
 |
 |
| On the
left, one of the flanking entry buildings to the main headquarters area,
with a closer view of the original iron gateway on the right. |
-
 |
 |
| The
Dresden Luftkriegsschule (Aerial Warfare School) was built adjacent to
the airport, off Königsbrücker Landstraße in 1935. The complex
included school buildings, barracks, gymnasium, officers' club, and
several other buildings, such as this arched entryway. (MapQuest
Map Link - note - this is actually the other street just to the
south that is marked Zur Wetterwarte) |
 |
 |
| The main
school building featured the Arno Breker sculpture "Der
Flieger," which is no longer present. (Werner
Rittich, "Architektur und Bauplastik der Gegenwart," Berlin,
1938) |
 |
 |
| The
period decorations have also been removed from this school building, but
you can still see where the helmeted head and metal swastika once
resided. |
 |
 |
| This
building was the officer's mess or club. It stands abandoned today. |
 |
 |
| This
section of the school complex is now a home for
the elderly. |
 |
 |
| The Kommandant's
house remains virtually unchanged. (Werner Rittich, "Architektur und Bauplastik
der Gegenwart," Berlin, 1938) |
-
 |
 |
| An
administration building for the Reichsnährstand (Bureau for Food and
Nutrition) was built on Ammonstraße in 1936-38. The
Reichsnährstand was a central administration for agriculture and food
production, associated with the "Blut und Boden" (Blood and
Soil) movement. (MapQuest
Map Link) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The
original decoration over the entryway was the insignia of the
Reichsnährstand - an eagle and swastika national symbol with a bar
reading "Blut und Boden." When this building was taken over after the war
by the East German Railway, this was replaced by a winged train wheel,
reminiscent of the Nazi period Reichsbahn
symbol. |
Back to the Third Reich in Ruins homepage
|
