Relics of the Reich: The Buildings the Nazis Left Behind

by Colin Philpott

Overview

The author of Secret Wartime Britain examines the architecture left behind after the Nazis were defeated in World War II.

Hitler’s Reich may have been defeated in 1945, but many buildings, military installations, and other sites remained. At the end of the war, some were obliterated by the victorious Allies, but others survived.

For almost fifty years, these were left crumbling and ignored with post-war and divided Germany unsure what to do with them, often fearful that they might become shrines for neo-Nazis. Since the early 1990s, Germans have come to terms with these iconic sites and their uncomfortable part. Some sites are even listed buildings.

Relics of the Reich visits many of the buildings and structures built or adapted by the Nazis and looks at what has happened since 1945 to uncover what it tells us about Germany’s attitude to Nazism now. It also acts as a commemoration of mankind’s deliverance from a dark decade and serves as renewal of our commitment to ensure history does not repeat itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473844254
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Colin Philpott has a long-standing interest in Second World War history, architecture and abandoned buildings and venues.

Relics of the Reich (Pen & Sword Military, 2015) examined and described the Nazis' architectural legacy. He is also the author of A Place in History (2012) and his drama The Last Match was first performed in 2014.

He is the former Director of the National Media Museum and was a BBC programme-maker and journalist for twenty-five years. Alongside his writing, he now works as a non-executive director, a producer on creative and media projects and as a radio and event presenter. He is in demand as a lecturer and presenter.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Collective Guilt? (Kollectivschuld?) ix

Chapter 1 Establishing the Faith (Gründung Der Glaube) 1

Nuremberg Rally Grounds 3

Bürgerbräukeller and Hofbräuhaus, Munich 10

Wewelsburg Castle, Paderborn 13

Neue Wache, Berlin and Tannenberg Memorial, Poland 16

Brown House and Ehrentempel Munich 22

Chapter 2 Strength Through Joy (Kraft Durch Freude) 30

Prora-Rügen Holiday Camp, Rügen Island 31

German Autobahn Network, Chiemsee Rasthaus and 'Strecke 46' 35

Haus der Kunst, Munich 41

Thingstätten 44

Carinhall, Schorfheide Forest 48

Berchtesgaden and the Obersalzberg 49

Chapter 3 Enforcement (Durchsetzung) 58

Dachau Concentration Camp, Dachau 59

Goring's Air Ministry, Berlin 66

NS-Ordensburg Vogelsang, Sonthofen and Krössinsee 68

Gestapo Headquarters, Berlin 72

Reichstag and the Kroll Opera House 75

Chapter 4 Showing to the World (Vorführung Auf Der Weltbühne) 81

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter Olympics Sites 82

Berlin Olympic Stadium 88

German Pavilion at the World's Fair, Paris, 1937 97

Berlin Tempelhof and Munich-Riem Airports 98

Führerbau Building, Munich 105

Chapter 5 Future Fantasies (Zukunftsphantasien) 110

Welthauptstadt Germania, Berlin 111

Führerstadt Linz, Austria 114

Pabst Plan, Warsaw and Nordstern, Trondheim, Norway 116

Deutsches Stadion, Achte 120

Nuremberg Congress Hall 123

Chapter 6 War and Implosion (Krieg Und Götterdämmerung) 126

VW Factory, Wolfsburg 127

Valentin Bunker, Bremen 132

Flaktowers Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna 137

Reirnahg Factory, Walpersberg 139

Engelberg Tunnel, Leonberg 141

Project Riese Complex, Poland 143

Wolf's Lair, Ketrzyn, Poland 145

Bendlerblock, Berlin 148

Chapter 7 Holocaust (Holocaust) 152

Wannsee House, Berlin 153

Auschwitz Extermination Camp, Oswiecim, Poland 156

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Oranienburg 159

Schindler Factories, Bruenec, Czech Republic and Krakow, Poland 161

Chapter 8 Downfall (Untergang) 166

Peenemünde Rocket Site, Usedom 167

Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker, Berlin 170

Dresden City Centre 176

Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Bergen 179

Conclusion - Coming to Terms With the Past (Vergangenheitsbewältigung) 184

Bibliography 192

Acknowledgements 195

Index 196