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7
Summary
Perspectives on the Reconstruction of lost
Buildings and Spaces
The research project analyses the current
discussion on the reconstruction of
buildings and spaces lost mainly during
World War II and in the post-war period
that is currently being held in many cities
throughout Germany, among architects
and preservationists as well as in the editorials
and feature pages. A feature common
to the different projects discussed
and built is the much longer gap lying between
the destruction and the (proposed)
reconstruction in comparison with preceding
similar projects. The phenomenon
is therefore regarded as a separate “wave”
in building culture and as a part of postmodernism.
Analysis into the urban development of
war-damaged German cities shows that
the period of post-war reconstruction ended
by and large in the 1960s, even though –
especially in the German Democratic Republic
(GDR) – construction had not taken
place on every empty site at that time.
Then, post-war modernism prevailed and
restrained reconstruction projects. Those
were later proposed, partly in order to revise
or question the built results of the
modern era that dominated especially the
centres of some of the most severely damaged
cities. In places like Frankfurt (Main)
and Hildesheim such efforts have been
made since the beginning of the 1980s.
In contrast to most of the reconstruction
projects of the post-war period those often
aimed to be as exact a replica of the lost
building as possible – an approach that after
1945 was chosen only for the most important
sites, such as Dresden`s city centre
or the boulevard “Unter den Linden” in
eastern Berlin. After the German reunification
replica-kind reconstructions and
similar projects cumulated. As most – but
not all – of them were located in the former
GDR, some can be regarded as a late completion
of the post-war reconstruction.
Partly, these were long-term projects that
were silently supported by parts of the citizens,
interest groups and societies, but until
recently could not develop any greater
dynamic and had not been publicly or politically
discussed in detail. As reconstruction
projects have increased in numbers
and are spread over almost the whole of
Germany, it is possible to call the current
phenomenon a “wave of reconstruction”.
Though they represent only a small part
of building completions and proposed developments,
they often are key buildings
within the urban structure and therefore
a major focus of local debates on urban
identity.
These projects evolve in a broken continuity
with post-war reconstruction during
which modernism in architecture and
urban design was largely implemented.
Therefore, the current wave of reconstruction
can be understood as a “post-modern”
one. It is based on the resolution () of
modern thinking in architecture and planning,
which for different reasons started
in the 1970s. In a pragmatic approach 1975,
the European Year of architectural Heritage,
has been chosen as the division between
post-war reconstruction (that had
then played only a minor role for some
years) and the on-going wave, which started
quite slowly in the 1980s and became
more powerful during the 1990s. Other elements
that indicate the post-modern nature
of contemporary reconstructions are
described in the research project. In architectural
terms, historic stylistic elements
are used without necessarily being functional
and even if they are mere “quotations”.
Especially those decorated and ornamented
façades gain importance, which
generate an intensive link to the specific
place.
The research project aims at examining
context and character of the post-modern
wave of reconstruction. It tries to explain
how the desire for reconstruction could
evolve, under which circumstances this
desire translated into concrete projects
and why so many of them could be built.
The description of a wave needs to analyse
its appearance as well as its composition,
character and inner dynamic. This further
implies research into the 35 years of
debate about these “belated” reconstructions.
The diversity and variation of arguments
and position shall be described, organised
and placed into a relationship
with other professional discourses as well
as public debates. While most of the professional
and public interest concentrates
on the question of an overarching pattern
of explanation for the current wave of reconstruction,
this will show the origins of