Wilhelmstraße 49 - Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Transcription
Wilhelmstraße 49 - Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Wilhelmstraße 49 A building in Berlin with a history Wilhelmstraße 49 A building in Berlin with a history The headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs opens its doors. 2 The past meets the present at Wilhelmstraße 49 in Berlin. In 2008, this historical building will be linked by a new building complex with the buildings in Mohrenstraße and the Kleisthaus. For months, a distance meter was affixed which was to examine whether this new link has a future. Righwand picture: Distance meter in the entrance hall of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, 2007. 3 4 5 Table of Contents 6 Foreword by Dr. Ursula von der Leyen Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs 8 From Bonn to Berlin 1990 to 2008 20 The German Democratic Republic 1945 to 1990 28 The Era of National Socialism 1933 to 1945 36 The Weimar Republic 1918 to 1933 42 The German Empire 1871 to 1918 52 The Prussian Era 1700 to 187 1 60 The Kleisthaus A banking house becomes part of a ministry 64 Art in the Ministry 70 Appendix 6 Foreword “Buildings can tell stories, yet sometimes they do even more. Then, the many minor stories tell of the one “major” story, transforming architecture into a place of historic value.” Dr. Ursula von der Leyen Foreword Dear Readers and Guests, welcome to Berlin’s Wilhelmstraße 49, and a warm individual undertakings may be, we always deal with welcome to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social the quite real concerns, aspirations and expectations Affairs. of the people. Buildings can tell stories, yet sometimes they do even This also applies in a very tangible sense to the many more. Then, the many minor stories tell of the one art and cultural events taking place in the Kleisthaus, “major” story, transforming architecture into a place that is the Ministry’s visitor centre and the workplace of historic value. of the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Disabled Persons. “Walk right in!” is our Our building on Wilhelmstraße is one such place. Like motto and our agenda. Everyone is invited, regardless few other buildings, it reflects German history with of age, with and without disabilities. all of its fissures, faults and new beginnings: Prussian traditions and National Socialism, the destruction of Come by and visit us – we are happy to open our doors war and division, reconstruction, the beginnings of to you! democracy and unification in freedom. This is where the past meets the present. This general principle characterises the newly-created building complex, and not only with regard to its modern architectural forms; this building epitomises interaction and accessibility. In political terms, this applies to the topics and tasks of this Ministry, which are of existential importance for Dr. Ursula von der Leyen nearly all of our country’s citizens. As diverse as our Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs 7 8 1990 to 2008 1990 to 2008 From Bonn to Berlin 1990 to 2008 The German Federal Parliament decided on 20 June Socialist Propaganda Ministry at Wilhelmstraße 1991 that Berlin was to become the seat of Parlia- 49. The architect Prof. Josef Paul Kleihues, based ment and of the Government. The conversion and in Berlin and Dülmen-Rorup, was responsible for use of official buildings in Berlin was decided upon the general planning of the refurbishment of the in the ensuing period. The first offical residence of building. The construction work started in August the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs was 1997; Federal Minister Walter Riester took over the located in the office building of the former National completed building in May 2001. Large picture: View of the glass-roofed entrance hall, 2008. Small picture: After reunification, the German Federal Parliament decided on 20 June 1991 that the Parliament and the Government were to move from Bonn to Berlin. 9 10 1990 to 2008 Plans: Location plan of the buildings of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, first phase of construction; basis of the monument preservation report, 1997. Bottom picture: The old Hofbeamtenhaus with the three open as well as three other walled-up arches which were added to the front of the facade before 1949, 1998. 11 A historically valuable structure The monument preservation report on Wilhelmstraße and Mauerstraße All in all, the buildings at Wilhelmstraße 49, Mauerstraße 45–52 and Mauerstraße 53 (Kleisthaus), which were planned to house the ministry, were not in an up-to-date state of construction, but their core consisted of a good building structure that was worth preserving. The Architecture Office for Urban Conservation and Artistic Monument Preservation in Berlin made a clear recommendation: the buildings were historically valuable and worth preserving, even if repairs were necessary. The report therefore said, amongst other things: “The building of the ‘Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda’ was the headquarters of one of the largest, most effective state agencies in the world aimed at influencing the public. As the logistical and representative centre of National Socialist dominance over minds, which was to lead to genocide and war, the building has considerable historical significance – even if the propaganda minister himself had his official premises in the destroyed Prince Leopold Palace. The building will always demand that we face our history.” It was also said to be of historical significance for the GDR era, given that both the first President of the GDR, Wilhelm Pieck, and the National Council of the National Front, had resided on the second second floor on Mauerstraße. 12 1990 to 2008 The modernisation of the historical buildings Architect Prof. Kleihues reinvents the site and creates modern offices The Wilhelmstraße wing and the Schinkel Palace, buildings. The character of the historically burdened containing the Minister’s office of the former Propa- building complex has been changed for its present use ganda Ministry, were destroyed in the war. The Media in a “great architectural achievement”. The conversion Ministry of the Modrow and de Maizière governments of the Kleisthaus into an information and visitor centre operated in the remaining building in 1990. In the supports the new identity. ensuing five years, it served as premises for parts of the Prof. Kleihues wrote in 2001 in his key notes on the Federal Environmental Agency. Refurbishment for the project: “Dealing with the historically burdened Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs started in and atmospherically somewhat oppressive building 1997; the first offices were moved into in June 1999. substance is a political challenge, and also a challenge We have the architect Prof. Josef Paul Kleihues to thank in terms of architecture, history and aesthetics, which for the harmonious combination of old and new. The can only be faced by creating a new architectural and new entrance hall, the well-conceived and consistent atmospheric identity without letting us forget history. architectural design and the renewal of the interior of Dealing with this in critical terms remains a very fine the building lend a new character to these old listed line to walk.” Thema The new entrance hall Top picture: The new entrance hall, bringing together the entrance area of the three-arch facade, the office buildings and the Kleisthaus. An 8 x 8 m chessboard made of coloured glass squares, by the Parisian artist Daniel Buren, forms the visual centrepiece on the rear wall. Middle picture: Prof. Josef Paul Kleihues linked the Kleisthaus, the three-arch entrance and the other office buildings by means of a large, bright, modern entrance hall (marked in yellow on the plan). The open lobby gives the building complex an element of new identity. Bottom picture: Topping-out ceremony on 2 July 1999 in the courtyard of the new Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. 13 14 1990 to 2008 2001 The move to Berlin Jobs for the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs On 18 May 2001, the new office building was handed over by the architect Prof. Josef Paul Kleihues and the former President of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, Florian Mausbach, to former Federal Minister of Labour Walter Riester. The management of the ministry and more than onethird of the staff moved from Bonn to Berlin between 1999 and 2001. The remaining staff remained in Bonn. The building was used by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security from 2002 to 2005. After the change of government which took place at the end of 2005 and the renewed change in its remit, the building is now being used as the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. 15 Top left-hand picture: Entrance into the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Wilhelmstraße 49, Berlin. This Hofbeamtenhaus with the three-arch facade is the oldest part of the building complex; it dates back to 1883. Top right-hand picture: The Kleisthaus, Information and Visitor Centre of the ministry and headquarters of the Federal Government Commissioner for the Interests of the Disabled, in Mauerstraße. Left-hand pictures: Corridor in GDR times (left). Corridor after conversion (right). 16 1990 to 2008 17 The tasks of the ministry as they have changed over time The tasks assigned to the ministry have changed over From 2002 to 2005, the areas of employment promo- time. Established in 1949 as the Federal Ministry of tion and labour law/industrial safety were removed Labour, its remit was expanded in 1957 as it became and transferred to the newly created Federal Ministry the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. of Economics and Labour. The other fields of activity Apart from minor alterations, this remained the case were taken over by the Federal Ministry of Health and until it renounced health insurance in 1991, and long- Social Security, also newly created. This organisation term care insurance in 1998, to the Federal Ministry was reversed in the autumn of 2005. There is now once for Health. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social more a Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Affairs in return was given responsibility for social a Federal Ministry of Health and a Federal Ministry of assistance in 1998. Economics and Technology. Left-hand side: An office in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Berlin, 2008. Top left-hand picture: Information plaque for the first Federal Ministries in Bonn, 1949. Top right-hand picture: The building of the conference rooms in the ministry in Bonn, Rochusstraße 1. Before parts of the ministry were moved to Berlin, the building was used as a visitor centre. 18 1990 to 2008 The extensions The past meets the present After the elections to the 16th German Federal Parlia- tion of the Land Thuringia. The buildings did not have ment in September 2005, the Grand Coalition of sufficient office space to house all the staff. The Federal the CDU/CSU and the SPD redefined the tasks of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is to take over Ministry. Former Vice Chancellor Franz Müntefering these new premises. The extension was completed took over the ministry, now concentrating on labour in June 2008. The Federal Office for Building and and social affairs. Regional Planning has given the keys for the new The official headquarters of the Federal Ministry of building to former Federal Minister Olaf Scholz. All the Labour and Social Affairs in Berlin were located at staff of the ministry are once more centrally accom- Mohrenstraße 62 at that time. The staff however were modated in one building complex. split between several buildings. In the course of 2006, As part of the building project, the former building of headquarters were completely returned to Wilhelm- the Kur- und Neumärkische Haupt- and Ritterschafts- straße 49, where they had already been located from bank (Mohrenstraße 66) has been renovated and 1999 to 2002. The Federal Ministry of Health, which modernised. The Kleihues + Kleihues architects’ office until then had been housed in Wilhelmstraße, was has thus met the demands for a modern office building moved to Friedrichstraße. without erasing the traces of the past in doing so. Thus, During its use by the Federal Ministry of Health, the facade has been preserved almost in its original extension work began between the main building state. The main entrance to the ministry remains on in Wilhelmstraße and the Ritterschaftsbank and Wilhelmstraße. Visitor groups are received into the between the Ritterschaftsbank and the Representa- neighbouring Kleisthaus on Mauerstraße. Top sketch: Front view of the building complex in Mohrenstraße (from left to right): the former Ritterschaftsbank, new building, Representation of the Free State of Thuringia to the Federation. Right-hand side: The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on Wilhelmstraße, corner of Mohrenstraße, 2008. 19 20 1945 to 1990 The German Democratic Republic 1945 to 1990 Berlin was divided into four sectors in 1945, Wilhelmplatz and Wilhelmstraße being situated in the Soviet sector of the city. Many buildings of the former Government Quarter had been destroyed, including the buildings on Wilhelmplatz. Some office buildings of the former National Socialist Propaganda Ministry were restored and used until 1989 by the Office for Information of the GDR and by the National Council of the National Front. The people of the GDR put an end to the SED Regime in a peaceful revolution which took place in 1989. Germany was reunified in 1990. Small picture: The building of the German People’s Council on 7 October 1949, the day of the foundation of the GDR. The preserved former Hofbeamtenhaus with its three-arch facade, as well as other office buildings. Large picture: The conference room of the former President of the GDR, Wilhelm Pieck, with its impressive lighting, 2008. 21 22 1945 to 1990 Germany divided The former Government Quarter in Wilhelmstraße was seriously damaged by air raids and in the battle for Berlin. The Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace was completely gutted. Parts of the former Propaganda Ministry, the Kleisthaus in Mauerstraße and also the building of the Ritterschaftsbank were preserved – albeit suffering heavy damage. The East-West conflict led to the division of Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany was established in the British, American and French occupation zones; the Germans in the West elected the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) in a general, direct, free, equal and secret ballot on 14 August 1949. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was founded on 7 October 1949 in the Soviet occupation zone without democratic elections. Political and social developments in the GDR continued to be determined by the Soviet occupying power. Step by step, the GDR removed the rubble of the former government buildings on Wilhelmplatz. Left-hand picture: A state is formed: the German People’s Council pronounces itself the “Provisional People’s Chamber”, and declares the German Democratic Republic. Session of the German People’s Chamber in the building of the Economic Commission, today’s Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin, Leipziger Straße, 7 October 1949. Middle picture: The remains of the ruin of the former Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace, blown up in 1947 by order of the Soviets. In the background, the preserved office buildings, which today form part of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Right-hand picture: Remaining rubble on Wilhelmplatz. On the left, the building of the Ritterschaft, today part of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. To the right, the ruin of the Hotel Kaiserhof, 1946. 1945 to 1990 The collapse of society “We earned good money by flogging off part of the scrap which I found along with a whole crew of workers by cannibalising ruins which were to be torn down; some of the rooms which we reached on high ladders were completely undamaged, and we found bathrooms and kitchens in which each oven, each boiler, each screw were still like new, each enamelled wall hook, hooks on which there were often still towels hanging, glass shelves on which lipstick and shavers were still next to one another, baths still filled with bathwater, in which the soap foam had sunk in limy flakes, clear water with rubber toys still floating on it, with which children had played who had been asphyxiated in the cellars... I pulled the plug from the bath; the water fell down four floors, and the rubber toys sank slowly onto the limy bottom of the bath.” A literary description of everyday life in the immediate post-war period can be found in a novel by Heinrich Böll, Brot der frühen Jahre (The Bread of Those Early Years). From: Heinrich Böll, Romane und Erzählungen Vol. 2, 1953–1959, 1977 (1987), Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, p. 655 et seq. 23 24 1945 to 1990 Berlin, the four-sector city Clearing up and building up The Allies divided Berlin into four sectors. Wilhelmplatz and Wilhelmstraße were located in the Soviet Eastern sector of the city. Buildings which had not been completely destroyed were rebuilt – in some cases by order of the Soviets. Since there was a shortage of suitable premises for public use in East Berlin, the historic administrative buildings were restored for the later GDR administration. The Soviet Military Administration exerted a sustained influence and regulated matters by orders, such as that in October 1947 to blow up the ruin of the Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace. Reconstruction planning commenced as far back as 1945 – even before the division of Berlin. The brewing East-West conflict however put a stop to any joint plans. The decisions on construction activity in Wilhelmstraße and on Thälmannplatz (previously Wilhelmplatz) were taken by the political bodies of the GDR and of the Soviet Union. Left-hand side: Report from the newspaper “Neues Deutschland” on 29 November 1949 on the renaming of Wilhelmplatz to Thälmannplatz on 30 November 1949. Top left-hand picture: The former Ritterschaftsbank, now the guesthouse of the GDR. In front of Thälmannplatz. The Russian inscription reads: “Long live the Komsomol, the avant-garde of the democratic youth of the world”. 31 May 1950. Top right-hand picture: The cleared Thälmannplatz. The area of the blown-up former Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace is included in the square. Spring of 1950. From right to left: buildings which now belong to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: Ritterschaftsbank, former US embassy, Hofbeamtenhaus (today the entrance to the ministry), office building wing (housed the Propaganda Ministry in the National Socialist era). Figure: The division of Berlin into the four sectors of the occupying powers. 25 26 Course of the Berlin Wall, 1986. 1945 to 1990 On the edge of Berlin Wilhelmstraße and Wilhelmplatz Architects in the Bauhaus tradition put forward prin- The end of all the planning in Wilhelmstraße was ciples for replanning the city of Berlin in 1949. The brought about by the workers’ revolt on 17 June 1953, focus was on residential building and on improving when protesters gathered in front of the ministry the city as a place to live. Representative buildings buildings on the corner of Wilhelmstraße/Leipziger did not take on any particular importance. However, Straße. This area, close to the sector border, no longer no major progress was made; the GDR did not have appeared to be secure enough for the GDR leader- the economic capacity for comprehensive rebuilding ship. Major GDR Ministries moved into the centre of projects. The GDR leadership pushed the creation of East Berlin. The former Propaganda Ministry was the a massive parade ground as a new centre. The burnt- headquarters of the Office for Information and of the out Berlin Castle was also blown up in 1950 and the National Council of the National Front until 1989. complex became a part of a new central square. Left-hand side: Map showing the course of the Berlin Wall, 1986. The circle shows the current location of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Top left-hand picture: The East-West conflict led to the division of Germany in 1949. A free state based on the rule of law, the Federal Republic of Germany, was established in the Western zones, while the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created in the Soviet occupation zone under the leadership of the SED (German Socialist Unity Party). The GDR built the Wall in Berlin in 1961 in order to stop Germans escaping from the East to the West. The construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 put a stop to the flow of refugees from the GDR to the West. Top right-hand picture: The Monday demonstrations of the GDR population and the opening of the Wall finally led to the collapse of the SED regime. The GDR acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. Germany was unified once more. After the end of the parade of honour for the 40th anniversary of the GDR on 6 October 1989, a soldier of the National People’s Army hugs his girlfriend. She is already carrying the insignia of the new era in the form of a branded bag over her shoulder. 27 28 1933 to 1945 The Era of National Socialism 1933 to 1945 The Reich Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda took over the Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace at Wilhelmplatz 8/9 in 1933. A first new office building was built in 1934 in a north-south direction. When the ministry asked for more office space, work started in 1937/38 on the new building on Mauerstraße and on the northern Wing. The outbreak of war in 1939 delayed completion, and the final section of the building was not ready for occupation until 1942. The palace and the buildings on Wilhelmstraße were largely destroyed in the battle for Berlin in 1945. It was not until 1947 that the restoration of the remaining buildings began. Small picture: After the assumption of power, National Socialist Germany prepared for the Second World War. The attack on Poland started in 1939. The war ended in 1945 with Germany’s defeat and 55 million people dead worldwide. View from the New Reich Chancellery onto the destroyed building of the Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda along Wilhelmstraße/Wilhelmplatz, 1 March 1945. Large picture: The interior courtyard of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, 2008. 29 30 1933 to 1945 Headquarters of the Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels moved into the Prince Friedrich Wilhelmplatz was made into a National Socialist Leopold Palace (Ordenspalais) on 13 March 1933 marching ground in the mid-1930s. The greenery was as the Reich Minister for Popular Enlightenment removed, as were the railings enclosing the monu- and Propaganda. The riding hall in the garden ments. Large-scale flagstones with a mosaic stone was pulled down in 1934, and new office space was pavement covered the space in the square. The New built on this spot in a north-south direction. Linking Reich Chancellery was built on Voßstraße in 1938/39, sections created a connection to Mauerstraße and to and was linked to this building. Wilhelmplatz, with its the former Hofbeamtenhaus. The Hofbeamtenhaus location close to the Reich Chancellery, was one of the received an entrance hall with three arcades, which central “political squares” in Berlin. today forms the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The architect of the conversion was Karl Reichle. Bottom picture: Wilhelmplatz as a marching ground for the National Socialists. On the left, Wilhelmstraße with the Borsig Palace, corner of Voßstraße; following the settlement building of the Reich Chancellery with the added “Führer’s balcony”, Wilhelmstraße 78, then the old Reich Chancellery, Wilhelmstraße 77. In the background, the cupola of the Reichstag. In the middle of the picture, the Propaganda Ministry, Wilhelmplatz 8/9. To the right in the corner, the former Hofbeamtenhaus with the three-arch entrance. All the way on the right, the Ritterschaft building, Wilhelmplatz 6. Photo taken around 1936. 1933 to 1945 31 32 1933 to 1945 Propaganda for the “Third Reich” The expansion of the ministry in 1938 Joseph Goebbels reported in the summer of 1936 that project. This plot reaches from Wilhelmstraße (no. 62) he needed extra space for his growing ministry. In to Mauerstraße (no. 45). This made it possible to plan the planning, the architect Reichle moved the build- a wing with office space along the boundary of the ing line on Mauerstraße opposite the Kleisthaus five plot in an east-west direction which has largely also metres back, in accordance with the monumen- been retained until the present day, and is used by the tal design which Hitler preferred, both inside and Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. A long outside, in order to highlight the headquarters of a two-storey facade was created on Wilhelmstraße in supreme Reich authority. The topping-out ceremony Schinkel’s architectural style. The core of the interior was celebrated on 27 January 1938; the first section of rooms on the Wilhelmstraße side was formed by the the building was accupied from July 1938. new theatre and film projection room. The plot of land at Wilhelmstraße 62, the old Colonial Ministry, was also included in the construction Making culture and the media toe the party line The interior design of the new office buildings was The completion of the further building sections led to highly functional. Goebbels used a recording studio problems. Germany’s attack on Poland on 1 September integrated into the building for his speeches and proc- 1939 triggered the Second World War. 200,000 lamations. He himself did not live in the building, and tonnes of iron contingent were withdrawn, bringing thus broke with the unity of place of office and resi- construction to a virtual halt. The construction project dence. The Minister’s office remained in the old Prince was not categorised as a “building important for the Friedrich Leopold Palace (Ordenspalais). war effort”, but Goebbels did manage to have the All in all, the Propaganda Ministry asked for 100 building completed in several construction phases offices, rooms for archives and meetings as well as so that all the departments of the ministry could be a canteen. Since the old palace could not be made housed in the same place. taller for monument preservation reasons, links were created between the palace and the new office space. Map: The administrative mile on Wilhelmstraße. The new buildings of the Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda were inserted in the map. The densely hatched section portrays the old building with its previous extensions. The lines of the new building sections are emboldened. 33 34 1933 to 1945 Destruction at the end of the war Whilst the palace at Wilhelmplatz 8/9 could not be that a level, unimpeded connection was created at this changed to conform to National Socialist architec- height through the entire building complex. ture, such consideration was deemed unnecessary for The Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace, Wilhelmplatz Mauerstraße. The existing building was torn down. 8/9, and the extensions on Wilhelmstraße were badly A cool and functional new three-storey building was damaged in the final battle for Berlin, as was the created over a full cellar. Its external design sought to western part of the northern wing (towards Wilhelm- underpin the regime’s claim to power. The building straße) with four window bays. The palace burnt down line was set back by five metres in order to make more completely. The undestroyed parts of the building street space available. Two mighty pylons, crowned were looted by the population in the immediate post- with eagles, formed the boundaries for the new war days. Once Berlin had been divided into four occu- building. The floor of the main storey took on the same pation zones, the property formed part of the Soviet height as the floor of the upper storey of the palace, so sector of Berlin. 1933 to 1945 1934 1945 Left-hand side: The new ministry building on Mauerstraße. Framed to the right and left by two pylons, each of which displayed an eagle with a swastika in its claws, around 1936. Top picture: Wilhelmplatz redesigned as a parade ground. To the right, the building with the threearch facade, built in 1934, today’s entrance of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Middle picture: The ruin of the Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda on the corner of Wilhelmstraße/Wilhelmplatz. The palace and the building segments on Wilhelmstraße have been destroyed. What has remained are the building sections in the courtyard as far as Mauerstraße. Bottom picture: Architect’s plan of the entire building of the Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda. The part coloured in yellow was destroyed in the battle for Berlin in 1945. 35 36 1918 to 1933 The Weimar Republic 1918 to 1933 Even after the revolution, Wilhelmstraße remained a central location for Reich authorities in the new Republic. In November 1919, the Reich President moved into Schwerin Palace which was bought by the German Reich on Wilhelmstraße 73. Efforts to rent or buy the Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace, Wilhelmplatz 9, as the seat of the Reich President were rejected by Social Democratic Reich President Ebert. The Press Office of the Reich Government moved into the palace. Small picture: After the collapse of the empire, Friedrich Ebert took over the business of government on 9 November 1918. Friedrich Ebert was elected Reich President in 1919, an office which he held until his death in 1925. Friedrich Ebert at his desk in the castle in Weimar, 6 February 1919. Large picture: View of the main stairway as converted by the Kleihues + Kleihues architects’ office, 2008. 37 Thema 1919 38 The centre of the republic Wilhelmstraße After the revolution and the collapse of the monarchy, Reich Chancellor Max von Baden handed over power to the Social Democrats on 9 November 1919, who were the strongest group in the Reichstag. Friedrich Ebert became Reich Chancellor. Philipp Scheidemann declared the “German Republic” on 10 November 1918 from the balcony of the Reichstag. The “Rat der Volksbeauftragten” (Council of People’s Mandataries) and the “Reichskongress der Arbeiter- und Soldatenräte” (Reich Congress of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Councils) resolved to elect a German National Assembly in January 1919. Women were also allowed to vote for the first time. The National Assembly was convened in Weimar because of the revolutionary situation in Berlin. It elected Friedrich Ebert as the first Reich President of the new republic. Wilhelmstraße also remained the seat of the central Reich authorities in the Weimar Republic. This is where the Reich President was to take up his headquarters. The palace at Wilhelmplatz 9, which had been the residence of Prince Friedrich Leopold from 1885 to 1918, initially housed the ministry guards. In August 1919, there were thoughts of renting or purchasing the palace as the official seat of Reich President Ebert. Ebert rejected this idea, amongst other things because of the high purchase price, as well as for security reasons – the Reich Army considered it to be virtually impossible to defend the building. Instead, the building at Wilhelmstraße 73 was used as the Reich President’s palace. 1918 to 1933 Bottom left-hand picture: The republic is declared by SPD Reichstag member Philipp Scheidemann from the balcony of the Reichstag on 9 November 1918. Bottom right-hand picture: After the end of the monarchy, revolutionaries want to take over power. There are heavy clashes with the police and military. On the way to the burial of victims of the revolutions of 6 and 21 December 1918 in Berlin. 39 40 1918 to 1933 The following was established in 1931 regarding the palace at Wilhelmplatz 8/9, used by Reich authorities (which belonged to the State of Prussia): “The Prince Leopold Palace is assigned to the Reich for an annual fixed rent of 42,000 RM for the duration of 20 years with the obligation to maintain the facade and the interior artistic and historical premises according to the principles of state monument preservation. Special negotiations are reserved with regard to any building activities in the courtyard or gardens. Prussia shall afford the Reich the opportunity to assert any wishes it may have prior to any sale of land or buildings adjacent to Mauerstraße on the plot on which the palace is situated.” 41 Headquarters of the Press Office of the Reich Government In April 1919, the Reich Chancellery called for the Wilhelmstraße for Ministries, including for the Reich Press Department and the Propaganda Department Ministry of Labour, failed in 1926. of the Demobilisation Office to be housed in one The last government which still had a majority in parlia- building, Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace, Wilhelm- ment collapsed on 27 March 1930 because of the world platz 8/9, under the management of the head of the economic crisis. From then on, Paul von Hindenburg, press department. On 22 September 1919, the Cabinet who had been elected in 1925 to succeed Friedrich Ebert decided to rent the palace. The Palace was now owned as Reich President, governed by means of emergency by the Prussian State. The Press Office of the Reich decrees. The Reichstag majority was ultimately held by Government moved in as a tenant. Efforts on the part antidemocratic parties. Hindenburg nominated Adolf of the Finance Minister to buy further buildings on Hitler as Reich Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Left-hand side: Wilhelmplatz at the beginning of 1933. Prince Friedrich Leopold Palace, Wilhelmplatz 8/9. On the right next to it, in the background, the extension of 1827. At right angles to this we see a part of the Hofbeamtenhaus, built in the 1880s. Top left-hand picture: The building of the US embassy, Wilhelmplatz 7. The embassy had its headquarters here until 1931, and after that in the Blücher Palace on Pariser Platz. Taken around 1920. The building is situated on the land between the Ritterschaftsbank (today the southern wing of the ministry) and the three-arch Hofbeamtenhaus (today’s entrance to the ministry). Top right-hand picture: Paul von Hindenburg, Reich President (1925–1934). He helped the National Socialists came to power in 1933. 42 1871 to 1918 The German Empire 1871 to 1918 The empire (Kaiserreich) covered the period from the formal coronation of Wilhelm I as emperor in 1871 until the terrible end with ten million dead and the German defeat in the First World War. The Wilhelmine Cathedral and the Reichstag were built in Berlin after the foundation of the Reich in 1871. Bismarck tried to suppress the workers’ movement. When this was unsuccessful, he attempted to reconcile the workers with the State by setting up social insurance. The Prince Karl Palace at Wilhelmplatz 9 was given an extension, the Hofbeamtenhaus (Wilhelmplatz 8). The Ritterschaftliches Creditinstitut and the Kleisthaus were built. After the defeat in the First World War, the emperor had to abdicate, and the monarchy came to an end. The palace fell to the State of Prussia. Large picture: Entrance to the Steinsaal (Stone Hall), 2008. Small picture: After victory in the war against France, the German princes coronated the Prussian king as German Emperor Wilhelm I in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles on 18 January 1871. The proclamation of the empire. Painting by Anton von Werner, 1885. 43 44 1871 to 1918 Top picture: The Prince Karl Palace after the lengthening of the front in Wilhelmstraße, around 1883. Middle picture: The extensions added to the Prince Karl Palace (former Ordenspalais) in 1883. The three-arch facade on today’s main entrance to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs was not designed until 1934. Bottom picture: Wilhelmplatz. On the left, the Ministries in Wilhelmstraße; in the middle in the background, the Prince Karl Palace; on the right, the Ritterschaftsgebäude (today the southern wing of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), taken in 1901. 1871 to 1918 Concentration of power in Wilhelmstraße The extension of the Hofbeamtenhaus With the establishment of the Reich in 1871, Berlin became the capital of the German Reich, the seat of the Reichstag, of the Federal Council and of other central authorities. Wilhelmstraße was the centre of power of the new Reich. One after the other, several Reich offices and the Reich Chancellery were created. A Cabinet order was issued on 18 May 1878 ordering the “construction of the Central Bureau” which was to be called the “Reich Chancellery”. The Reich Office of the Interior was built in 1879, to which social affairs were also assigned. These included both industrial safety and the newly created social insurance laws. The Prince Karl Palace on Wilhelmplatz was lengthened in 1883/84 towards the north on Wilhelmstraße by three window bays and was given a two-storey extension, somewhat set back, to the east. At right angles to it, a three-storey residential building was constructed, the Hofbeamtenhaus. A riding hall was built at the boundary of the inner part of the plot of land. The face of Wilhelmplatz was characterised by greenery and palace facades, in particular that of the Prince Karl Palace. With its proximity to the Reich Chancellery and the Reich offices, Wilhelmplatz became a focus of power and the jewel in the crown of the government quarter in terms of urban planning. 45 46 1871 to 1918 A credit institute for major noble landowners Berlin’s banking quarter is created The Kur- und Neumärkische Ritterschaftliche Creditinstitut was established in 1777 by order of Frederick the Great. It was to counter the indebtedness of major noble landowners by giving cheap loans. The Creditinstitut financed itself via interest-bearing debenture bonds with interest coupons submitted for interest payout. Debenture bonds with coupon sheets – developed in Brandenburg – began their triumphant advancement onto the capital markets of the world. During the period from 1890 to 1892, the (present) building of the Kur- und Neumärkische Haupt-Ritterschafts-Direction was built on Wilhelmplatz/corner of Zietenplatz to replace a smaller two-storey predecessor. The new banking house formed part of the banking quarter which was created around Behrenstraße and Jägerstraße from 1870 onwards. Wilhelmplatz lost its quiet character with the construction of the underground station (1909). The Ritterschaftliches Creditinstitut was now on a city thoroughfare. The style of the building is reminiscent of models of Florentine palazzos. The street facades showed an impressive presence, not exhibiting superiority, but moderation, influenced by the style of Schlüter or Schinkel. Drawing: The mighty corner building of the Ritterschaftsbank, which in contemporary literature was counted “among the most excellent of contemporary public buildings in Berlin … because of its striking overall design and because of the noble, powerful implementation of the individual parts”, 1908. Right-hand side: The Kaiserhof underground station, today’s Mohrenstraße. To the left, the Ritterschaftsbank (today the southern wing of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), to the right, the Hotel Kaiserhof (destroyed in the war). In the background, the tower of the German Cathedral on Gendarmenmarkt. Taken in 1909. 1871 to 1918 47 48 Von 1871 to 1918 Commemorative plaque on the front of the Kleisthaus: “The poet Heinrich von Kleist resided at this site from the autumn of 1809 until his death on 21 November 1811. In his memory. The city of Berlin, 1890.” 1871 to 1918 The Kleisthaus Another banking house in the government quarter The Kleisthaus is situated on the western side of established in 1895. The facade of the Kleisthaus was Mauerstraße. The buildings have between one and designed using austere forms which differ from the three storeys. Heinrich von Kleist lived in a furnished neo-baroque Wilhelmine style and from the light- room at no. 53 from 1810 until his death in 1811. Here he ness of the art nouveau of the early years of the 20th wrote the “Prince of Homburg” and the final version of century. The building is a classic example of neoclassi- “Michael Kohlhaas”. cism from around 1910. The building is set back several The building was torn down in 1912. In 1913, Carl von metres to allow for the possible widening of the street der Heydt built a multi-storey banking house on this at a later time. (Further information on the Kleisthaus site for his bank von der Heydt & Co, which had been is provided from page 60 onwards.) Top picture: The von der Heydt banking house, company headquarters from 1913 to 1919. In 1919, the bank merged with Bank Delbrück, Schickler & Co, by which it was absorbed in 1923 after the economic crisis and inflation. Bottom picture: Commemorative plaque from the Kleisthaus. There is no evidence of Kleist’s arrival in Berlin in 1809; it is only documented that he was in the city from January 1810. 49 50 1871 to 1918 A Reich Office for socio-political affairs The birth of the Ministry of Labour The interior administrative authorities were in charge increased, in the Reich Office of the Interior during of social affairs in the states of the German Federation World War I, economic and socio-political affairs were (1815–1866), i.e. primarily industrial safety. This did not assigned in 1917 to the newly established Reich Office change even after the foundation of the Reich (1871). for Economics. However, the call for an independent The Reich Chancellery, in charge of interior admin- Reich Office for Social Affairs continued. On 4 October istration, dealt with social affairs. The Reich Chancel- 1918, one month before the collapse of the empire, in lery was established in 1878 as the central office of the the course of constitutional reform and the formation Reich Chancellor. The Reich Chancellery was renamed of a government legitimised by parliament, the Reich Reich Office of the interior in 1879. The Department for Labour Office was established under State Secretary Trade and Commerce, which, amongst other things, Gustav Bauer, member of the SPD Reichstag faction, was in charge of social security legislation and indus- this being the birth of the Ministry of Labour. The Reich trial safety, was formed in 1880. Office of Labour initially only comprised three depart- Efforts made by social reformers, Social Democrats and ments: Dept. I Labour affairs and commercial business the Centre Party at establishing a central authority for affairs; Dept. II Insurance for workers and employees; socio-political issues were initially unsuccessful. As the Dept. III housing and settlement affairs. workload in respect to economic issues continually Top left-hand picture: Prince Max von Baden, the last Reich Chancellor of the German Empire (3 October – 9 November 1918). The Government of Max von Baden was the first government of the empire which was legitimised by parliament. Its power base consisted of the majority in the Reichtag from the Progress Party, Centre and the SPD, and initiated fundamental reforms. Top right-hand picture: From the beginning of October 1918 as State Secretary in the Cabinet of Max von Baden, SPD Reichstag member Gustav Bauer took on the leadership of the newly founded Reich Labour Office. Right-hand side: The foundation certificate of the Reich Labour Office. 51 52 1700 to 1871 The Prussian Era 1700 to 1871 The coronation of the Brandenburg Prince Elector Frederick III in 1701 as King Frederick I of Prussia sparked off Berlin’s Prussian era. It ended with the foundation of the German Reich in 1871. This was the era of Frederick the Great, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and the German Revolution of 1848. However, it was also the era of the Industrial Revolution, and thus of the “social issue” of the workers and the workers’ movement. It was one of the great eras of the city in terms of architectural history. Karl Ludwig Truchseß Graf zu Waldenburg began with the construction of the palace at Wilhelmplatz 9 in 1737. When the owner of the building died, the Order of St John of Jerusalem took over the palace and completed it. Small picture: King Frederick William I set up a powerful army, but waged no wars. “I want to be the Field Marshal and Minister of Finance for the King of Prussia, that will do the King of Prussia good,” he said about himself. Painting by Antoine Pesne, around 1733. Large picture: View of the staircase of the former Ritterschaftsbank (today the southern extension of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), 2008. 53 54 1700 to 1871 Right-hand picture: A metropolis of significant buildings is taking shape: the French Cathedral (1705), the Arsenal (1706), the Opera House (1743), the German Cathedral (1750), Prince Heinrich Palace (1766), later the University, the Theatre (1774), the Royal Library (1780), the Brandenburg Gate (1791), the New Guard Room (1817), the Castle Bridge (1819), the Old Museum (1823) on the Museum Island. The coloured copperplate engraving shows Unter den Linden with the Arsenal and Prince Heinrich Palace (on the right), Crown Prince Palace. Right-hand map: Street map of Friedrichstadt. Royal seat of the Prussian kings Rise to a metropolis King Frederick I unified Berlin, Cölln, Friedrichs- Friedrichstadt did not proceed swiftly, the King put werder, Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichstadt in 1709 pressure on the nobility to settle in the northern part to form the new royal seat of Berlin. City planners of Wilhelmstraße, which was considered an exclusive and master builders such as Andreas Schlüter, Carl residential area with large plots of land. He offered Gotthard Langhans, Johann Gottfried Schadow and “various freedoms in grace and favour” and spent in particular Karl Friedrich Schinkel set the tone for a money on building materials. Karl Ludwig Truchseß centre that was as impressive as it was representative. Graf zu Waldenburg from southern Germany began King Frederick William I (1713–40) built squares that building the Palace at Wilhelmplatz 9 in 1737. When shaped the cityscape. The building of Friedrichstadt the owner of the building died, the Order of St John of began as early as 1688 south of Unter den Linden. Jerusalem had to take over and complete the palace One of the newly created streets was Wilhelmstraße in 1737, hence the name “Ordenspalais” (Palace of the with the Wilhelmsmarkt. When the settlement of Order of St John). Von 1700 to 1871 N 55 56 From the Order of St John to the Prince Karl Palace Schinkel gives the building a new face The Order of St John did not take over Waldenburg The splendour and peak of city development fell in Palace voluntarily. King Frederick William I placed the era of Frederick William II (1786–97) and Frederick an obligation on the order, of which he himself was a Wilhelm III. (1797–1840). The great master builders, member, to complete the unfinished palace as a repre- Schinkel in particular, gave the Prussian capital its sentative seat of the Order in Berlin. On 11 May 1738 own, unmistakable character. the Order of the king was issued to Margrave Carl von The Ordenspalais passed to the new Grand Master, Schwedt, the Grand Master of the Order: “Your High- Prince Ferdinand of Prussia in 1762, who resided in it ness, kind dear cousin. Since you and the Order of St until 1810. The Order was dissolved in 1810, the Palace John have no palace in Berlin, I have found it good that reverted to King Frederick William III. In 1826, the third the house of the deceased General Major Gr. Truchses son, Prince Karl, took over the palace and acquired the in Friedrichstadt shall be taken for this purpose and property on the eastern side of the square. fully converted.” Left-hand picture: Together with the architect von Knobelsdorff, after his accession to the throne in 1740 Frederick the Great planned the development of the eastern end of Unter den Linden with the Opera, St Hedwig’s Cathedral, the Prince Heinrich Palace and the Royal Library, as well as the new royal palace, which was however not built. Painting by Anton Graff, 1781. Middle picture: The Prince Karl Palace was comprehensively converted by Schinkel in 1826/27. He arranged for the removal of the high roof with the attic superstructure and redesigned the facade in strictly neoclassical form. The interior of the building was also converted according to Schinkel´s drawings. View before the conversion. Right-hand picture: Development of the city of Berlin until the early 19th century. 1700 to 1871 1738 57 58 1700 to 1871 Evolution into a government quarter The Prussian palaces are turned into ministries The development of the area around Wilhelmstraße several buildings on Wilhelmstraße, for example the into a government quarter began in the early 19th Prussian Ministry of Justice. Wilhelmstraße became century. In 1799, the Prussian state acquired the palace the central, representative place of Prussian admin- at no. 74 as the official residence of the incumbent istration and authorities. Even the foreign repre- Great Chancellor. The palace at no. 76 followed in 1819 sentatives at the Prussian court sought proximity to as the official seat of the Foreign Ministry. When the Wilhelmstraße and became established here or in the premises were no longer sufficient, part of the ministry surrounding area (Tiergarten, Pariser Platz). moved into the Ordenspalais at Wilhelmplatz 9 from 1820 to 1826. The palace at no. 76 was the residence of several Foreign Ministers in rapid succession. In 1862, Otto von Bismarck moved into the palace as Prussian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Prussian kings continued the policy initiated around 1800 to convert or renovate palaces in Wilhelmstraße and its vicinity and to put them to use for the government. Friedrich August Stüler became the busiest architect in Berlin in the first half of the 19th century. His tutor Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed Bottom picture: The office building of the Foreign Ministry, Wilhelmstraße 76, picture taken in the 1860s. Otto von Bismarck resided here from 1862 to 1878 as Prussian Prime Minister and later as Reich Chancellor. 1700 to 1871 The freedom that I mean A ministry for workers Industrialisation brought about a variety of social us from them. We, your most obedient servants, there- injustices. This included the decline of traditional fore venture to address Your Majesty with the proposal economic systems, falling wages due to a surplus on to create a ministry, a ministry for workers which, the labour market, working hours of more than twelve however, can only be comprised of employers and hours per day, working at night and on Sundays. There employees and whose members may only be elected was no old-age pension provision, accident insurance from the midst of both.” or protection against arbitrary actions by superiors. In the preliminary parliament to the national assembly Wage-earners’ working and living conditions were in St Paul’s Church in Frankfurt in 1848, the radical deplorable. Democratic MP Gustav Struve called for the following During the March Revolution in 1848, workers declared in his 15-point programme: “Elimination of the plight at an assembly in the Tiergarten in Berlin in a peti- of the working classes and of the middle classes, tion on 13 March: “The state prospers and thrives only compensation for the disparity between work and where the people can satisfy its necessities of life capital by way of a special Ministry of Labour to protect through work and assert its claims as feeling individ- labour and safeguard a share in the profit from work.” uals. We are being suppressed by capitalists and profiteers; the legislation existing now is not able to protect Left-hand picture: Prussian King Frederick William IV (1840–61) refused to accept the Imperial Crown offered by the national assembly “because it bears the rank smell of the revolution”. Right-hand picture: As a consequence of the revolutionary disturbances in France in February 1848, the call for freedom and unity was uttered ever louder also in the German states. A rebellion took place in March 1848 – in Berlin and many other German cities, as well as in Vienna. The revolution failed. But the call for freedom and unity did not die away. The barricade at Kronenstraße and Friedrichstraße in Berlin on 18 March 1848. F.G. Nordmann, 1848. 59 60 The Kleisthaus The Kleisthaus A banking house becomes part of a ministry The castle builder and restorer Bodo Ebhardt was one of the most successful German architects around the turn of the century. The Kleisthaus was built according to his plans between 1912 and 1913. It symbolises the revival of neoclassicism around 1910. The facade features reliefs by Georg Kolbe. The commercial building faced with lacustrine limestone was first the seat of the former von der Heydt banking house on the edge of the Berlin financial district. Architect Prof. Kleihues, the curators of historic buildings and monuments and the constructors treated the building as a single monument, highly rating its significance in terms of architectural history. The condition in which it was found after the GDR era made fundamental refurbishment necessary. Large picture: The glass-roofed lobby of the Kleisthaus, 2008. Small picture: The stairwell to the Kleisthaus, 2008. 61 62 The Kleisthaus A fresh start behind a historic facade The Kleisthaus was completely refurbished and partially redesigned in the period from 1997 to 2001. Today, the Kleisthaus is part of the building complex of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Architect Prof. Kleihues created a modern visitors centre behind the historic facade of the building. The Kleisthaus has furthermore been the official residence of the Federal Government Commissioner for the Interests of the Disabled since 2001. The place for art and culture “FOR ALL COMERS” The motto “FOR ALL COMERS” is meant seriously and is taken seriously. Art projects, lectures, concerts and film showings at the Kleisthaus show that it is a venue for people of all ages with and without disabilities. Barrier-free access is consistently implemented: the programme of events also allows people with visuel or hearing impairments or physical disabilities to access the art and culture by means of modern communication technologies. A variety of events and exhibitions focusing on themes such as variety and exclusion contribute to a perception by which individuals with disabilities are accepted as a natural part of our society. Large picture: Historic lift in the Kleisthaus, 2008. Small picture: Concert, 2008. 63 64 Art in the Ministry Art in the Ministry By contributing government funds for art in public buildings was expanded and put into more concrete representative buildings, the state highlights its terms by virtue of a decree. This arrangement was cultural responsibility. In this way, it acts as a sponsor maintained in the Federal Republic of Germany. for art and culture. Art in the context of buildings However, it was not until artists’ social insurance was enhances the national cultural added value, and can introduced in 1983 that all independent artists and hence be seen as a national calling card. publicists were afforded protection by the pension, Art in buildings is furthermore significant in terms health and nursing care insurance schemes. of cultural history. Based on an initiative by the Reich Artists´Association, the first German democracy committed itself to involving artists and intellectuals in new public building projects back in 1928. In 1934, the involvement of artists and craftsmen in public Picture: Revolving exhibition on the ground floor in Wilhelmstraße, 2008. 65 66 Art in the Ministry This page: The painting “Rest eines Traums” (“Remainder of a dream”) and “K. im Glassaal” (“K. in a glass hall”) by the painter Peter Chevalier, who was born in Karlsruhe in 1953, is one of numerous works of art in the ministry. Right-hand side: Felix Droese´s series of paintings entitled “Stiere” (“Bulls”). The bulls were painted directly on the walls using various colours and application techniques. In broader terms, this is to symbolise the united Europe. Art in the Ministry Art is a permanent fixture in the ministry within the overall complex at Wilhelmstraße 49. The glass-roofed courtyard of the four-storey solid structure, faced with lacustrine limestone, houses the steel-and-glass sculpture designed by Daniel Buren in 2001, “La Grande Fenêtre”. The French artist, who participated in the Documenta in Kassel in 1972, has created an inviting eye-catcher in the entrance to the ministry. The 8 x 8 metre chessboard with its yellow and blue squares aims to encourage the viewer to free inspirations with its fresh colours (see page 13). In the historic Steinsaal (Stone Hall), one can see today the work of art entitled “Sternenruhe” (“Star silence”) by Peter Chevalier. Chevalier’s works are characterised in particular by their surreal style. Felix Droese´s series of paintings entitled “Stiere” (“Bulls”) deals with the work of the Ministry. The topics of labour and social affairs are highlighted in a humorous way by the portrayal of expressive animals. The bulls were painted directly onto the walls using various colours and application techniques. Indeed, following the tradition of his tutor Joseph Beuys, one of them was sculpted out of cow dung, clay and tar paint; in a broader sense, this work aims to symbolise the united Europe. Droese´s work of art explores the concepts of power and energy with the use of strong symbols: artistic power aims to bring positive elements into the former building of the Ministry of Propaganda. 67 68 Kunst am Bau “Today ś world is immersed in an ocean of messages, the deciphering of which always poses challenges in terms of logic and combination.” Carsten Nicolai Art in the Ministry The lobby to the library shows a multi-element work by an exciting composition which invites the viewer to Carsten Nicolai. The artist, who was born in Chemnitz continually reflect on the world. in 1965 and studied landscape architecture, explored In the courtyard of the new building stands a life- the topic of books and reading for this purpose, and sized bronze figure by the sculptor Waldemar Otto eventually created three murals based on the aliena- from 2000, which forms part of the cycle entitled tion of bar codes. This work is inspired by the impor- “Mensch und Maß” (“Man and measure”). The artist, tance of deciphering work as a major element of the who was born in Poland, lives in Worpswede and is a tasks of linguists, archaeologists, astronomers or mili- Professor (emeritus) at Bremen Design University, has tary experts. attained international fame through many awards The works of Thom Barth, which were created as a and exhibitions. Otto is considered to be one of the direct allusion to the concepts of labour and social most significant figure sculptors of the post-war era. affairs, mainly visualise Germany’s more recent history. The relationship between man and the environment With his 186 small and large drawings, Barth created is an essential element of his works of art. Left-hand picture: Work by Carsten Nicolai Right-hand picture: Drawing by Thom Barth 69 70 Annex Appendix Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte (akg): p. 27 right, p. 34, p. 36, p. 39 right, p. 43 Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz (bpk): p. 35 middle, p. 39 left, p. 41 left, p. 44 top, p. 47, p. 52, p. 54, p. 56 left, p. 58, p. 59 left, p. 59 right Bundesbildstelle: p. 9, p. 17 top left BUTTER. Agentur für Werbung GmbH: p. 1 Prof. Dr. Laurenz Demps, Berlin: p. 20 Federal Archive: p. 23 left: Photo 183-M1204-317, Photographer: Herbert Donath; p. 25 left: Photo 183-S97933, Photographer: Kümpf; pp. 30–31: Photo 183-S18094, Photographer: n/a; p. 40: Photo 183-1984-0614-504, Photographer: n/a; p. 51 Federal Archive Foundation of the Parties and Mass Membership Organisations of the GDR: p. 25 right Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: p. 6, p. 15 top right, p. 17 top right Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning: p. 46 hiepler, brunier architekturfotografie: p. 8, p. 13 top, p. 15 bottom left, p. 15 bottom right Enno Hurlin, Berlin: p. 63 André Kirchner: p. 67 Kleihues + Kleihues architects’ office, Berlin: p. 10 top left, p. 10 top right, p. 13 middle, p. 18 Eckehardt Kuntzsch, Berlin: p. 10 bottom Landes- und Zentralbibliothek Berlin: p. 48 Landesarchiv Berlin: p. 25, p. 55 Landesbildstelle Berlin: p. 23 right, p. 44 bottom Thomas Ludewig, Berlin. Geschichte einer deutschen Metropole, C. Bertelsmann, Munich 1986: p. 57 Andreas Mühe, Berlin: p. 16, p. 19, p. 21, p. 28, p. 37, p. 42, p. 48, p. 53, p. 60, p. 61, p. 62, p. 64 Stefan Müller: p. 15 top left, p. 68 Neues Deutschland: p. 24 ullstein bild: p. 13 bottom, p. 22, p. 27 left, p. 29, p. 41 right, p. 50 left, p. 50 right VEB Tourist-Verlag, Berlin/Leipzig (1986): p. 26 VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn (2002): p. 66, p. 69 Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung (9/1935): p. 33, p. 35 top, p. 35 bottom, p. 44 middle, p. 56 right Before going to press the publisher attempted to find all owners of pictorial rights. 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