Festival arenas and parade streets, which provided architecturally choreographed settings for massive political rallies, advanced to becoming the two most essential components of every city’s urban redesign, serving solely to celebrate... more
Festival arenas and parade streets, which provided architecturally choreographed settings for massive political rallies, advanced to becoming the two most essential components of every city’s urban redesign, serving solely to celebrate highlights of a newly, autocratically imposed political calendar. These celebrations were to provide a commonality of experience, promote unified national identity and quickly and permanently establish tradition and ritual.
These political Nazi celebrations were meticulously organized, aesthetically calculated and hence, psychologically manipulative – whether they were designed in the form of mass rallies or smaller public events. Like the title suggests, their structures and meaning were determined by two criteria, the organisation of space and the employment of iconographically significant material.
The opening chapter, “A New Order of Time and Space”, deals with the phenomenon of festival culture, whose socio-political and psychological significance had already been articulated by the National Socialist Party as early as in the 1920s and were soon strictly regulated by specific propaganda departments of the government. After the Nazi’s seizure of power in 1933, public life therefore underwent a huge transition. After all, in order to psychologically mobilize an entire nation, strategies had to be developed that weren’t located on the level of logical observation and rational reflection but that triggered subconscious feelings by creating “sensuous”, communal experiences.
Besides establishing a cyclical political calendar, specific cultic rituals were created and permanently installed. For these specific purposes alone, cultic sites, political symbols and other highly effective aesthetical elements were designed. These political “ambiences” served in removing the masses – both geographically and psychologically – from everyday life in order to ensnare them in the totalitarian system of “leader” and “followers”.
The second chapter, “Urban Cult Sites”, focuses on sites within cityscapes, such as in Berlin and Munich. Mono-functional areas on the other hand, like the rally grounds on the outskirts of Nuremberg, pose an exception but follow the same principles structurally and architecturally, in order to represent autocratic intentions. Until the outbreak of war, festival sites and streets were aggrandized with immeasurable dimensions following those very characteristics, in a way that has, in general, only become of such significance in totalitarian regimes. Adjoining parade streets were of equal relevance, being part of the cult site’s infrastructure. Thus, cultic space was constituted not only by reconstructing and analyzing the permanent architecture, but by use of the specific utilized ephemeral materials.
It was therefore of further major relevance to determine how ephemeral materials, in opposition to solid and durable materials, constituted disparate semantic levels. Especially because in most of the secondary literature the materials of ephemeral stagings are merely treated as “cultic props”.
Political rallies however, were not confined to architectural settings in urban areas, but were also executed in the countryside, amplifying and utilizing hereby the “natural” ambiance. This is subject in the third chapter, “Political Cult Sites in Nature”, in which prominent aesthetical features illustrate which calculating propagandistic connotations were sought, by instrumentalizing these natural habitats and their regional materials. In addition, the Nazis also selectively enhanced and propagandized certain topographies, such as visible historical structures, silhouettes and skylines, which were either negated or an ennobling vicinity was sought to justify political ideologies.
The fourth and final main chapter on lighting effects begins with a chapter on fire, “Lumen Naturale – Fire Spectacles”. This chapter which covers different techniques of utilizing natural fire as a political medium and covers many different locations as its use was of almost pyromaniac nature and whose contrasting mythical and religious features were utilized for ideological purposes. Electric light, as the ephemeral design tool par excellence, took on a primary role in the designing and reorganization of space at political rallies, which constitutes a major part of the forth chapter, “Lumen supranaturalis – Lighting Effects”. Albert Speer’s “Lichtdom” was the cultic highlight of the entire, meticulously organized Reich’s party rallies in Nuremberg.
The final chapter is a summary of superordinate phenomena that epitomize specific characteristics of Nazi cult sites and its materials, the instrumentalization of specific environments, thus elevating them to political landscapes.
These political Nazi celebrations were meticulously organized, aesthetically calculated and hence, psychologically manipulative – whether they were designed in the form of mass rallies or smaller public events. Like the title suggests, their structures and meaning were determined by two criteria, the organisation of space and the employment of iconographically significant material.
The opening chapter, “A New Order of Time and Space”, deals with the phenomenon of festival culture, whose socio-political and psychological significance had already been articulated by the National Socialist Party as early as in the 1920s and were soon strictly regulated by specific propaganda departments of the government. After the Nazi’s seizure of power in 1933, public life therefore underwent a huge transition. After all, in order to psychologically mobilize an entire nation, strategies had to be developed that weren’t located on the level of logical observation and rational reflection but that triggered subconscious feelings by creating “sensuous”, communal experiences.
Besides establishing a cyclical political calendar, specific cultic rituals were created and permanently installed. For these specific purposes alone, cultic sites, political symbols and other highly effective aesthetical elements were designed. These political “ambiences” served in removing the masses – both geographically and psychologically – from everyday life in order to ensnare them in the totalitarian system of “leader” and “followers”.
The second chapter, “Urban Cult Sites”, focuses on sites within cityscapes, such as in Berlin and Munich. Mono-functional areas on the other hand, like the rally grounds on the outskirts of Nuremberg, pose an exception but follow the same principles structurally and architecturally, in order to represent autocratic intentions. Until the outbreak of war, festival sites and streets were aggrandized with immeasurable dimensions following those very characteristics, in a way that has, in general, only become of such significance in totalitarian regimes. Adjoining parade streets were of equal relevance, being part of the cult site’s infrastructure. Thus, cultic space was constituted not only by reconstructing and analyzing the permanent architecture, but by use of the specific utilized ephemeral materials.
It was therefore of further major relevance to determine how ephemeral materials, in opposition to solid and durable materials, constituted disparate semantic levels. Especially because in most of the secondary literature the materials of ephemeral stagings are merely treated as “cultic props”.
Political rallies however, were not confined to architectural settings in urban areas, but were also executed in the countryside, amplifying and utilizing hereby the “natural” ambiance. This is subject in the third chapter, “Political Cult Sites in Nature”, in which prominent aesthetical features illustrate which calculating propagandistic connotations were sought, by instrumentalizing these natural habitats and their regional materials. In addition, the Nazis also selectively enhanced and propagandized certain topographies, such as visible historical structures, silhouettes and skylines, which were either negated or an ennobling vicinity was sought to justify political ideologies.
The fourth and final main chapter on lighting effects begins with a chapter on fire, “Lumen Naturale – Fire Spectacles”. This chapter which covers different techniques of utilizing natural fire as a political medium and covers many different locations as its use was of almost pyromaniac nature and whose contrasting mythical and religious features were utilized for ideological purposes. Electric light, as the ephemeral design tool par excellence, took on a primary role in the designing and reorganization of space at political rallies, which constitutes a major part of the forth chapter, “Lumen supranaturalis – Lighting Effects”. Albert Speer’s “Lichtdom” was the cultic highlight of the entire, meticulously organized Reich’s party rallies in Nuremberg.
The final chapter is a summary of superordinate phenomena that epitomize specific characteristics of Nazi cult sites and its materials, the instrumentalization of specific environments, thus elevating them to political landscapes.
2013, In Situ
In 2008, the Conservation Régionale des Monuments Historiques d’Alsace (Regional Centre for Heritage Conservation in Alsace) launched a thematic survey on the architectural heritage of reconstruction in Alsace, undertaken by the Germans... more
In 2008, the Conservation Régionale des Monuments Historiques d’Alsace (Regional Centre for Heritage Conservation in Alsace) launched a thematic survey on the architectural heritage of reconstruction in Alsace, undertaken by the Germans between 1940 and 1944. It started with the study and interpretation of the Cité Paysanne ("peasant settlement") district. This series of fourteen “ideal farms” is remarkable in several ways: its exemplarity and its publicity at the time, the extent of the documentation concerning it, as well as its urban and architectural preservation. This ensemble bears witness to the political will bring about a radical transformation of rural society and the agricultural economy by introducing modernity and renewing the social hierarchy. Furthermore, in considering the nature of this ensemble and the historical context of its construction, this survey led us to think anew about the notion of cultural heritage as well as the procedures which exist for its conservation as historical monuments.
2013, E-Review. Rivista degli Istituti Storici dell'Emilia-Romagna in Rete
Il Novecento ha lasciato tracce difficili nelle città d'Europa. I regimi che si sono succeduti hanno trasformato urbanisticamente e architettonicamente l'intero territorio e oggi è complesso relazionarsi con questi segni. Il progetto... more
Il Novecento ha lasciato tracce difficili nelle città d'Europa. I regimi che si sono succeduti hanno trasformato urbanisticamente e architettonicamente l'intero territorio e oggi è complesso relazionarsi con questi segni. Il progetto europeo Atrium - Architecture of Totalitarian Regimes in Urban Managements si propone di valorizzare, con attenta cura e senza intenti mistificatori, proprio il “patrimonio scomodo” di 11 paesi dell'Europa del sud.
The XX Century left difficult traces inside the european cities. The different totalitarian regimes transformed the entire urban form and architectural style: now, the relationship with these marks is very complex. The european project Atrium - Architecture of Totalitarian Regimes in Urban Managements wants to give careful attention to this “inconvenient heritage” of 11 countries of the South-east Europe, without any falsification.
The XX Century left difficult traces inside the european cities. The different totalitarian regimes transformed the entire urban form and architectural style: now, the relationship with these marks is very complex. The european project Atrium - Architecture of Totalitarian Regimes in Urban Managements wants to give careful attention to this “inconvenient heritage” of 11 countries of the South-east Europe, without any falsification.
by David Alegre
La cultura como espacio de diálogo, consenso e integración en el espacio contrarrevolucionario europeo forjado por el fascismo (1922)(1923)(1924)(1925)(1926)(1927)(1928)(1929)(1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935)(1936)(1937)(1938) Hoy en... more
La cultura como espacio de diálogo, consenso e integración en el espacio contrarrevolucionario europeo forjado por el fascismo (1922)(1923)(1924)(1925)(1926)(1927)(1928)(1929)(1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935)(1936)(1937)(1938) Hoy en día, muchos de nosotros seguimos dándonos de bruces contra un muro cuando nos preguntamos por el modo en que las ideas, las proyecciones del intelecto o la cultura permean y performan a las sociedades. Tanto es así que, en ocasiones, fantásticos análisis enmarcados en la historia de las ideas, los intelectuales o la cultura se ven dolorosamente desgajados de ese marco social que los dota de sentido, tanto en su concepción como en su fin inmediato. 2 Seguramente, si en muchos casos fallamos no es tanto por falta de capacidad o buena voluntad como por el hecho de que estamos ante el quid de la cuestión, el eje gravitacional esencial y la aspiración que debería caracterizar e inspirar cualquier trabajo de historia cultural que se precie. Sin duda alguna, se trata de una cuestión ineludible en tanto que las proyecciones del intelecto contribuyen en mayor o menor medida a generar nuevos espacios de encuentro a nivel político, social, cultural e, incluso, económico, pero no menos se nutren de los espacios preexistentes y, por tanto, son deudores de éstos, tal y como voy a intentar mostrar en esta comunicación. Una de las claves está en determinar cuándo las ideas que circulan en un determinado espacio cultural plantean una ruptura con éste, su cambio gradual o, por qué no, su reforzamiento y continuidad. Por lo general, todas ellas deben adaptarse necesariamente a los cambiantes ritmos y coyunturas socio-culturales y políticas, pero no menos contribuyen a alumbrar otras nuevas, dando lugar a transformaciones y puntos 1 El autor es becario FPU de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Participa en el Proyecto de I+D del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Las alternativas a la quiebra liberal en Europa: socialismo, democracia, fascismo y populismo (1914Europa: socialismo, democracia, fascismo y populismo ( -1991 , dirigido por Francisco Morente Valero. 2 Un estado de la cuestión y perspectiva metodológica interesantes en MORENTE, Francisco: "Más allá del páramo. La historia de los intelectuales durante el franquismo", en FRÍAS, Carmen; LEDESMA, José Luis; y RODRIGO, Javier (eds.): Reevaluaciones. Historias locales y miradas globales, Zaragoza, IFC, 2011, pp. 41-76.