Max H. Berling

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Timothy Church in Widukindland

Max H. Berling (originally Max Henry Berliner ) (* 1905 in Moscow ; † 1999 in Osnabrück ) was a German architect who mainly worked in the Osnabrück area from the 1940s. His buildings, which were realized before 1933, can be assigned to classical modernism . After the Second World War, Berling was mainly occupied with rebuilding and building new churches.

Life

At the age of 17, Max Berliner graduated from high school , then from 1922 he studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin . He lived for some time in the house of the architect Alfred Breslauer (Rheinbabenallee 29–31 in Berlin-Dahlem, today Berlin-Schmargendorf ), who became an important mentor for him. At Breslauer's advice, he succeeded in being accepted into the design seminar of Hans Poelzig , who had only recently been appointed to the Technical University. After eight semesters, he passed the main diploma examination.

After successfully completing his studies at the Technical University, he wanted to continue working at Poelzig. Since Poelzig also taught as a professor at the Berlin Art Academy , Berling enrolled there in order to be able to work as a master student in Poelzig's private studio in Potsdam- Wildpark. Poelzig used his employees mainly for the development of competition designs, or they could acquire practical experience in the execution of projects. In 1927 he entrusted Max Berliner with the completion of a house in the Weißenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart. The greatest task of this time was the participation in the house of broadcasting , where Berlin Poelzig was first deputy. Other young architects were employed in Poelzig's office, including Karl Otto , Kurt Liebknecht , Fritz Rechenberg and Asta Stromberg (1908–2006). Stromberg soon became his wife. Around 1929 Max Berliner changed his last name to Berling .

With the "seizure of power" by the National Socialists , Asta and Max Berling moved away from Berlin. In 1934 their son Peter was born, who later became a graphic artist, director, actor and writer. Little by little, three more daughters and a son were born, but the marriage fell apart. Asta Berling moved to Switzerland in the Emmental with the children who were born later . There she opened her own architecture office.

Max Berling, on the other hand, chose Osnabrück as the new place of residence for himself and his son Peter in 1938 and later also founded his own architectural office here. Depending on the order situation, he employed a few draftsmen, construction managers or architecture students. He was considered work-obsessed, strict and meticulous. He had set up his office on the upper floor of his house on Friedrichstrasse.

In the time of National Socialism , his modern designs were not in demand. Berling was also considered a half-Jew under the Nuremberg Laws and was therefore unable to work as an independent architect. How and with what he survived the years up to the end of World War II is not known.

From 1947 to 1955 he worked together with Karl Otto , whom he had already met in Poelzig's studio.

style

Berling's architectural designs were initially created under the influence of his mentor Alfred Breslauer. While working in Hans Poelzig's studio, he turned unconditionally to modern architecture. Later echoes of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe , Walter Gropius or Le Corbusier can also be identified. Due to his appealing designs and specialization, Max Berling was often the "artistic master builder" on the construction sites.

In Osnabrück, Max Berling turned to the Gothic and carried himself with suitable designs, especially for church buildings. Immediately after the end of the war, he received a major contract to rebuild the destroyed St. Mary's Church in Osnabrück, which was completed in 1950.

Buildings and activities (selection)

As an employee of Hans Poelzig

  • 1927: House in the Weißenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart ( Werkbund exhibition "The Apartment")
As part of this activity, Berling is said to have also worked with Le Corbusier.

As a freelance architect

  • around 1950: Haus Neuer Kamp children's home in Osnabrück (three individual buildings with connecting corridors; apparently demolished from 1971)
  • 1952: Evangelical Lutheran Paul Gerhardt Church in Haste (Osnabrück)
  • 1952: Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. James in Uelsen , Grafschaft Bentheim (with elements from Silesian stave churches and Russian Orthodox churches)
  • 1952: Evangelical-Lutheran Nazareth Church in Rühler-Twist
  • 1952–1954: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace in Emlichheim , Grafschaft Bentheim ( wooden church ; with a 14 meter high altar window made according to the design of his son Peter Berling)
  • until 1959: Evangelical Lutheran Timotheus Church in the Widukindland district of Osnabrück (with a slender bell tower and octagonal central area; see introductory picture)
  • 1960–1962: Evangelical-Lutheran Michaeliskirche in Klausheide , Grafschaft Bentheim ( hall church made of brick)
  • 1986/1987: Participation in the reconstruction of the atrium in the Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Breslauer, A. In: Berliner Adreßbuch , 1924, part 1, p. 337.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Interview with Max Berling on the occasion of the faithfully reconstructed atrium in the Haus des Rundfunks; March 1988; Page 47 ff. (PDF; 2.0 MB)
  3. ↑ a b c d e Peter Berling: Hazard and Lieblos. Kaleidoscope of a life. Hoffmann and Kampe, 2011. ( Excerpt from Google Books , accessed on March 1, 2013)
  4. ↑ Berling, Max, architect . In: Berliner Adreßbuch , 1930, Part 1, p. 205. “Wilmersdorf, Hindenburgstrasse 87 a” (not yet recorded in the 1929 address book).
  5. ^ Vita of Peter Berling on peterberling.com
  6. ^ Peter Niebaum: Hans Calmeyer. A “different German” in the 20th century. Frank & Timme Verlag für Wissenschaftliche Literatur, 2011, ISBN 978-3-86596-376-5 , p. 44. ( Text excerpt from Google Books, accessed on March 1, 2013)
  7. ↑ Renovation and reconstruction measures at the Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin. on baufachinformationen.de , accessed on March 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ H. Karge: Building research and restoration at the Marienkirche in Osnabrück. In: Deutsche Kunst und Denkmalpflege , born in 1990, accessed on March 5, 2013
  9. ↑ Hans-Stefan Bolz: Hans Poelzig and the "modern factory building". Industrial buildings 1906–1934. (PDF; 3.38 MB) Dissertation, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn , Bonn 2008, Volume 1, p. 236 ff.
  10. ↑ Plans for the Cammin parish hall in the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Berlin
  11. ^ Blog of former home residents
  12. ^ Paul Gerhardt parish ; Page 81 f. (PDF; 851 kB) on Wenner.net, accessed on March 2, 2013
  13. ↑ Description of the churches worth seeing in Uelsen on uelsen.de , accessed on March 5, 2013
  14. ^ Nazareth Church on Nazareth Parish Twist, accessed on July 21, 2015
  15. ↑ Friedenskirche in Emlichheim (PDF; 3.4 MB), page 35ff.
  16. ↑ The Osnabrück Widukindland - district of the unusual street names . In: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung ; Retrieved March 2, 2013
  17. ↑ Michaeliskirche on lutherisch-in-nordhorn.de, accessed on July 21, 2015
personal data
SURNAME Berling, Max H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Berliner, Max
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German architect
DATE OF BIRTH 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Moscow
DATE OF DEATH 1999
Place of death Osnabrück