Krochhochhaus
OMNIA VINCIT LABOR ( Lat.verb vincere , German: work wins over everything )
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The Krochhochhaus in Leipzig was built in 1927/1928 for the private bank Kroch jr. KGaA and was the city's first high-rise . The 43 m high reinforced concrete structure, designed as a clock tower , is located on the west side of Augustusplatz ( Goethestrasse 2).
construction
Opened on August 1, 1928 Krochhaus, instead of the dilapidated wing building of the property of the University of Leipzig located Theaterpassage built by 1,872th In the 1926 by bank Kroch together with the Council of the City of Leipzig ausgelobten competition could Architect German Bestelmeyer occupy one of the two second places. Among the 69 suggestions received, it was impossible to agree on a first place, so that finally the decision was made in favor of Bestelmeyer's design " Orion ", a twelve-storey high-rise office building designed based on the clock tower ( Torre dell'Orologio ) in Venice and clad with limestone .
The height of the new "tower house", the ridge height of which was based on the gable of the Paulinerkirche , was very controversial at the time. Therefore, only a preliminary building permit was issued for 10 floors up to 35.50 m. However, since a height was provided by 43 m, the Bestelmeyer had as a compromise to 39.50 m reduced, the top four were allowed projectiles initially only as dummies are placed in order to check its urban action before finalizing the Kroch skyscraper. This construction mask not only confirmed Bestelmeyer in his view that 12 storeys with 43.20 m were the ideal height, but also the Leipzig Council, so that on December 16, 1927 the final approval was finally granted.
A comprehensive renovation of the building was carried out by 2009 for 4.9 million euros.
Tower clock and striking mechanism
The outstanding feature of the high-rise and thus the landmark of Augustusplatz is the striking mechanism on the roof , consisting of three bells cast by the Schilling & Söhne bell foundry in Apolda (restored from 2001). The bells are struck by two 3.30 m tall bell men - which at that time were considered the largest tower striking mechanism in the world. The bell-bat sculptures were made by Joseph Wackerle .
Below the bells is the Latin inscription OMNIA VINCIT LABOR (Everything conquers [the] work). Below is the display of the moon phases , flanked by two lion reliefs , which occupy the entire front section of the 12th floor, so there are only windows on the 12th floor on the back of the building. The 11th floor has only two windows instead of the 3 windows used on the other floors, between which there is a tower clock with a dial of 4.30 m in diameter.
The big bell ( strike tone es 0 ) is struck by the bellman on the right on the hour, its dedication inscription reads: “Founded by [Martin Samuel Kroch] in 1877. Grown and strengthened with the blossoming young empire, the company [Kroch jr. KG] in the fiftieth year of its existence 1927–1928, this bank built a tower as a symbol of unbroken German strength ” . After the expropriation of the Kroch bank, the parts in brackets were chiseled out of the bell casing (probably 1938/1939).
The middle bell (strike tone as 0 ), which is struck by the bellman on the left to strike the quarter-hour, bears the inscription: “Kroch jr. Limited partnership based on shares: Leipzig 1928 - Owner: Hans Kroch. Supervisory board: Dr. Curt Kroch, Dr. Ing. Berthold Monach, Fritz Kroch ” .
The small bell (strike tone c 1 ) announces the quarter-hour strike, is struck from the inside and bears the inscription: “Martin Samuel Kroch. Founder of the company Kroch jr. Leipzig. Born November 20, 1853 - Died October 25, 1926 ” .
The original inscriptions on the two smaller bells are still preserved, as they are covered by the larger one and therefore inaccessible.
As part of the building renovation in 2008, the clock system had to be temporarily decommissioned in order to equip the old pendulum shaft as an installation shaft. After the weight barrel of the clock had been re-installed in the shaft, the solemn first chime took place on October 1st, 2008 at 11:45 a.m.
use
In September 2009 the Egyptological Institute, the Ancient Near Eastern Institute with a library and the Language Institute of the University of Leipzig moved in . Since June 2010 the building has also housed the Egyptian Museum of the University of Leipzig .
Others
Hans Kroch , the owner of the Kroch bank at the time and who provided the idea for the skyscraper, was also heavily involved in the construction of the so-called Krochsiedlung in the north of Leipzig ( Gohlis district ) from 1930 to 1932 .
literature
- Steffen Held: Leipzig aims high - how the first skyscraper was disputed 90 years ago. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung , print edition of December 29, 2017, page 17
- Rainer Behrends: Bankhaus Kroch. The facade of the first high-rise building on Augustusplatz has been renovated. In: Leipziger Blätter , Heft 40 (2002), pp. 10-13. ( Excerpt on the web )
- Cornelia Junge: The carillon reconciled. The history of the Kroch House. In: Journal Universität Leipzig , issue 4/2002, pp. 39–41. ( PDF version )
- Wolfgang Hocquél : Leipzig. Builders and Buildings. From the Romanesque to the present. Tourist Verlag, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-350-00333-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Schilling Bell Catalog of Works
- ↑ a b University of Leipzig: Press release No. 194 from September 26, 2008
Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′ 23.5 ″ N , 12 ° 22 ′ 48 ″ E