After the Second World War, many German cities lay in ruins. Noud de Vreeze analyzes urban planning in our eastern neighbors in a new, interesting book.
Almost everyone in the Netherlands knows that the center of Rotterdam was largely destroyed during the Second World War. It is also known that Dresden, Berlin and Cologne were also badly hit. But the fact that many more German cities lay in ruins is less attention. In recent years, our eastern neighbors have been paying more and more attention to this so-called Stunde Null ("the zero hour", because it had to be started again). The emphasis was also placed on the reconstruction of cities such as Magdeburg, Pforzheim and Lubeck.
Trummer Frauen
With 'The soul of German cities', Noud de Vreeze tells the relatively unknown story of the development of German cities after the Second World War in the Netherlands. De Vreeze sheds light on the reconstruction from an urban planning perspective. And that's a fascinating approach. How do you rebuild a city that has been completely destroyed? That destruction meant that German culture had to redefine itself, as De Vreeze rightly points out. He studied at Delft University of Technology, then worked as an urban planning consultant and lectured at the Academy of Architecture in several cities. From 2008 to 2012 he was city architect of Amersfoort.
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The author tells the story chronologically. He starts with the urban plans of the 1920s and 1930s and the disastrous bombings during the Second World War. The most interesting part of the book is about the period after:clearing rubble and rebuilding.
First of all, the so-called Trümmerfrauen an important role. Those are the women who cleaned up debris. They became famous as a symbol of post-war Germany. But De Vreeze rightly points out that these women did not do this work entirely voluntarily. They received much-needed food stamps for it.
New construction
The author also writes about the dire housing shortage. A family with two children was entitled to a maximum of 22 m2. Did you live in a larger house or apartment? Then another family could move in with you. There were also so-called Nissen huts in many cities. These temporary homes came from the US military and had a corrugated iron roof. More than 40,000 people lived here in Hamburg alone.
It gives an idea of the enormous task faced by architects, contractors and urban planners. De Vreeze rightly pays a lot of attention to the latter group. He shows that there were roughly three different views on the reconstruction. The first group consisted of traditionalists who wanted to rebuild everything as it was before. The second group argued for modernization and new architecture. The third wanted to find the best solution per location without established doctrines.
In the end, the most important structures, such as churches, were restored in almost all cities. Furthermore, there were quite a lot of differences per city. In Dresden, much was restored to its former glory in the center. A radically different approach was chosen in the southern German city of Pforzheim. During the bombing of February 1945, the center was largely destroyed. It used to be full of old buildings, with small alleys in between. That was also the reason why during a bombardment a Feuersturm was so destructive in the city. The flames spread from one building to another. After the war, the city changed drastically. Wide streets with plenty of space for traffic and modern buildings that were further apart than before were chosen. The heart of Pforzheim was suddenly modern. Buildings with turrets, columns and dormer windows gave way to flats, asphalt and parks.
Plum
It is these kinds of contrasts that make this book so interesting. De Vreeze clearly shows in word and image what has changed in German urban planning as a result of the war. The lyrics are well written and the visuals are also commendable. Beautiful (historical) photos are interspersed with clear plans and maps.
The only blemish on this book is the title. 'The soul' sounds rather pompous and assumes that the author has spoken extensively with residents. After all, together with the buildings, they form the identity and soul, if there is one at all, of a city. But the book is mainly about urban planning. That in itself is not a problem, but that makes the title seem strange. This critical note does not alter the fact that De Vreeze has written an important book. He gives reconstruction in our eastern neighbors the attention it deserves.