The new Wiesbaden
Under the title “ The new Wiesbaden: Urban development is not a state, but a process! “In 1963 the architect Ernst May published an urban planning for the Hessian state capital Wiesbaden .
The book describes the construction of the settlements Klarenthal , Parkfeld (Biebrich) , Schelmengraben (Dotzheim) and the plans for the new development of the Bergkirchenviertel . It also includes May's overall planning, R. Schaaf's overall traffic plan ( ETH Zurich ) and an extract from the economic report by W. Bosch ( Mainz University ).
The aim of the project was to eliminate the acute housing shortage by building high-quality settlements; however, it initially envisaged the demolition of many historicist villas on the Bierstadt slope . This point was later heavily criticized and is seen by some as a deterrent example in dealing with old buildings, which in this case are now listed .
Prehistory and background
Ernst May was best known in the 1920s for his work in Frankfurt , where he designed the housing developments for the Neues Frankfurt project, which became the model for housing developments around the world, including the Römerstadt (1927 to 1929) and the Bruchfeldstrasse housing estate (1926 to 1927) ). All apartments and houses had a Frankfurt kitchen and were characterized by an unusually high level of comfort at the time. The model was the garden city movement.
In the 1950s May was appointed advisor for numerous settlement projects across Germany. In 1956 there was a shortage of apartments in the whole of Hesse of 20.3% of living space, the majority of which fell in the Rhine-Main area.
The historicism , especially in its late form, was at that time among intellectuals as corny or as sentimental. In addition, the representative villa development occupied large areas. In Wiesbaden, the city and the state had sold real estate to investors at high prices; an investment would only be economical if there was excessive redevelopment or overbuilding. This fact was concealed behind the thesis that old buildings could not be renovated.
In 1959, Ernst May emerged victorious from an urban planning competition with 45 submissions. As a result, the city of Wiesbaden appointed May, now 75, as the city's planning officer in May 1961.
The planning
May published his plans for downtown Wiesbaden in book form in 1963. In it he developed a concept that envisaged the entire demolition of the old buildings on the Bierstadt slope between Parkstraße, Beethovenstraße, Paulinenstraße and Gustav-Stresemann-Ring. Large business and apartment blocks in the Klarenthal style were to be built in their place . The aim was to transform the area into a business town, City East . Main traffic axes should be the Mainzer, Frankfurter, Bierstadter and Parkstraße. A subway network should also reduce the traffic load in the city center and increase the quality of life (Wiesbaden is now the second largest German city that has neither a tram nor an underground train).
Ernst May planned the construction of satellite cities in the vicinity of the city. He had extensive investigations carried out to determine the right locations, the air pollution was measured, but the view from the housing estates should also play a role, for example of the slopes of the Taunus. As in Frankfurt as in Wiesbaden, May ensured a very generous greening. He had the Biebrich Castle Park expanded by acquiring the site of a former nursery.
May also took into account the desire for a varied architectural landscape through different heights and assignments. The settlements of Biebrich-Parkfeld, Klarenthal and Schelmengraben were realized . In 1966 the first apartments in Klarenthal were ready for occupancy.
The demolition plans and reactions
In total, up to 150 villas built between 1840 and 1910 are said to have been demolished in the course of the construction work, according to Kiesow. The resistance to the demolition of the historicist villas began only very hesitantly. Although the city never officially approved the plans, most local politicians supported the plans. A public discussion on the plans of the city administration began, which showed no resistance to the plans. The demolition of the villas at Rheinstrasse 6 and Viktoriastrasse 25 also had little response.
In the shadow of the planning, other old buildings were demolished by private individuals and replaced by new buildings of average quality, such as Felix Genzmer's old fire station for a new Karstadt department store . These construction measures were never the subject of May's plans. Due to speculation, resistance began to spread, which was also used by people to profile themselves as rescuers.
Gottfried Kiesow , later chairman of the German Foundation for Monument Protection , described the situation at that time as follows:
“When I took over my position as state curator in 1966 and made my inaugural visit to the mayor at the time, Georg Buch , he handed me the book by May - a friendly gesture in itself, but a curious selection from the books otherwise available about Wiesbaden that you can usually given as favors. "
Kiesow is also the author of the book Architekturführer Wiesbaden: die Stadt des Historismus . This is less about May's reformist views than about the fact that May favored the demolition of the villas.
The demolition of the two villas, as well as other buildings, could have been prevented by the monument protection. Today the villa area on the Bierstadt slope is a protected area.
Situation today
“Wiesbaden is the whole city of the 19th century” can be read on the city's website, while the book by Gottfried Kiesow is being advertised there. With the term city of historicism, the city is aiming for an application to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
The architectural walk 50 years May-Plan for Wiesbaden of the architectural summer Rhine-Main 2011 was commented on the website of the city with The "New Wiesbaden" and its consequences .
Unlike in Frankfurt or Darmstadt, for example, no street or square reminds of the town planner Ernst May.
swell
- ↑ a b "Großsiedlungen" on wiesbaden.de
- ↑ Michael von Poser: Urban development in Wiesbaden then and now , in: Neue Stadtbaukultur Yearbook 2011 - Stadtbild Deutschland eV p. 54, 2011
- ↑ a b c Gottfried Kiesow: The misunderstood century - The historicism am example Wiesbaden , Bonn 2005, p. 96 ff., P. 98 f., P. 99
- ^ "Historicism in Wiesbaden" on wiesbaden.de
- ↑ Calendar of events from September 2nd, 2011 on wiesbaden.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
