Gauforum Weimar
The Gauforum Weimar was the only one of several in the era of National Socialism planned in Germany Gauforen in Thuringia Weimar built and has been maintained essentially. The plant covers an area of around 40,000 square meters. Of the five planned complexes, three could be completed between 1937 and the end of World War II . Today these are mostly used by the Thuringian State Administration Office and the Thuringian State Office for Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation .
A fourth building, the hall construction that was only completed after the war, has housed a shopping center, the Weimar Atrium , as well as a bus parking lot and a 3D cinema since the end of 2005 .
19th century
In 1869, the New Museum Weimar, now used as a museum for contemporary art , was opened as the Grand Ducal Museum . The neo-renaissance building was built north of the Asbachgrund sloping towards the east. This park represented an important part of the green belt through the city of Weimar. In the course of the planning of the large Gauforum, which provided a level parade area for the park area, the Asbach green belt had to give way.
time of the nationalsocialism
In June 1936, Adolf Hitler decided the competition in favor of the architect Hermann Giesler and incorporated personal ideas. He assigned a bell tower and an axially emphasized middle risalit to the "building of the Reichsstatthalters and Gauleiter" . The following buildings now comprised the area: in the east the “Hall of the People's Community” with standing room, in the south the “building of the Reichsstatthalters and the Gauleitung” with a bell tower, in the west the “building of the German Labor Front ”, in the north the “building of the Organizations of the NSDAP ”with connection to the museum. This was followed by the filling of the Asbachgrund and the demolition of buildings in the Jakobsvorstadt: 139 houses with 462 apartments for around 1650 people.
In May 1937 Rudolf Heß laid the foundation stone for the “Hall of the People's Community” in the presence of Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel and renamed the square to “Platz Adolf Hitler”. Around 40,000 people from all over Germany took part in the staged mass event.
The law on the redesign of German cities of October 4, 1937 formed a basis for redesign plans. More than 40 cities were affected by Hitler's wishes.
The foundation stone for the bell tower was laid in October 1939. Although construction work was gradually discontinued as a result of the war in the early 1940s, large parts of the complex could be completed.
Post-war and GDR times
After the unconditional surrender , the "Adolf Hitler's Square" was named Karl-Marx-Platz (today Jorge-Semprún-Platz ) in May 1945 under Mayor Fritz Behr in consultation with the American city commandant Major Williams M. Brown .
In March 1946, the Soviet Military Administration in Thuringia (SMATh) and its staff moved into the north house, later also the south and tower house. Major completion and renovation work inside as well as ideas for redesigning the square were discussed: A parking lot for 300 cars was to be created and a fountain system was to be built in connection with a green area.
During the GDR era, various educational institutions were housed in the Gauforum. These included:
- the technical school for political sciences " Edwin Hoernle ", for the training of administrative staff (mayors and other executives)
- the technical school for agriculture " Walter Ulbricht "
- the university library and Section IV (computing technology and data processing) of the University of Architecture and Building
- a dormitory of the technical school for political science
- a student residence at the University of Architecture and Construction.
After the turn
The administrative building and the square have been owned by the Free State of Thuringia since 1990. In the same year, the Thuringian State Administration Office moved into the offices in houses 1, 2 and 3. In 1991, renovation work began in the houses, from the electrical system to the supply and disposal systems, telephone connections and painting to the renewal of the entire heating system and the roof.
In the City of Culture year 1999, some floors of the hall as well as individual rooms of the tower house were used for exhibition purposes. The history of the entire ensemble was presented.
In 2005, a large shopping center called Weimar Atrium was built from the unfinished former hall of the Volksgemeinschaft . There is now an underground car park on the space between the four buildings. The square is green and clearly separated from the public space by several openings in the ceiling leading to the underground car park.
From 2003 to 2007, the buildings used by the Thuringian state administration and a. the 1200 or so windows were exchanged according to energy and monument protection aspects. In 2008 and 2009, further renovations followed in the offices in House 2. All three houses were also equipped with handicapped-accessible lifts. From 2010 to 2011 the facades were renovated and the buildings were given a different color scheme, which is intended to break up the forum character and thus the monument's dark past.
South building from the east (2003), today entrance area to the atrium
East side with shopping center (2006)
North side and museum (2014)
Tower on the south side (2018)
West side (2014)
Rear of the south building (2014)
Middle courtyard in the west building (2012)
Remains of the viaduct (2012)
literature
- Reiner Bensch (ed.): Perspectives of a Janus-headed city. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 1996, ISBN 3-86068-059-5 ( Objectified memory. 1).
- Karina Loos: The staging of the city. Planning and building under National Socialism in Weimar . Bauhaus University, Diss., Weimar 1999 online .
- Gerd Zimmermann , Christiane Wolf (ed.): About relics of the Nazi dictatorship. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-86068-102-8 . ( Objectified memory. 2).
- Norbert Korrek, Justus H. Ulbricht, Christiane Wolf: The Gauforum in Weimar. A legacy of the 3rd Reich. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2001, ISBN 3-86068-146-X ( Objectified memory. 3).
- Holm Kirsten: "Weimar under the spell of the Führer". The visits of Adolf Hitler 1925–1940. Böhlau Verlag, Cologne et al. 2001, ISBN 3-412-03101-1 .
- Justus H. Ulbricht (Ed.): Classic City and National Socialism. Culture and politics in Weimar 1933 to 1945. Glaux Verlag, Jena 2002, ISBN 3-931743-55-1 ( Weimarer Schriften 26).
Web links
- Page about the Gauforum on the website "Weimar under National Socialism"
- Karina Loos: The staging of the city. Planning and building under nationalism in Weimar . Dissertation, Weimar 1999 (PDF file; 28.3 MB)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 59 ′ 7 ″ N , 11 ° 19 ′ 39 ″ E