Wilhelmshaven town hall
| Wilhelmshaven town hall | |
|---|---|
 Wilhelmshaven town hall, north side |
|
| Data | |
| place | Wilhelmshaven |
| architect | Fritz Höger |
| Client | City of Rüstringen |
| Architectural style | Brick expressionism |
| Construction year | 1928-1929 |
| height | 48.20 m |
| Coordinates | 53 ° 31 '36.3 " N , 8 ° 6' 35.1" E |
| particularities | |
| Arose as the town hall for the then independent town of Rüstringen | |
The Wilhelmshaven Town Hall is the seat of a large part of the Wilhelmshaven city administration and the Lord Mayor . The town hall was built in 1928-29 for the then independent town of Rüstringen , which was opened in 1937 in Wilhelmshaven. The Hamburg architect and master builder Fritz Höger designed the building in the style of brick expressionism . Because of its mighty appearance, caused by a "nested blockiness", the town hall is commonly referred to as the castle by the sea .
history
Even before the First World War , planning began for a new town hall in Rüstringen including town hall square on the site south of Bismarckstraße. For this purpose, two competitions were announced, for which Fritz Höger was also supposed to deliver designs. However, Höger preferred to concentrate on the Klöpperhaus in Hamburg and declined to participate. In 1918 there was finally a third competition, including the participation of Hans Poelzig . The competition was won by the Berlin architect Fritz Bräuning , whose design the city council later rejected. In a fourth competition in 1926, Fritz Höger finally emerged as the winner. The foundation stone was laid on May 4, 1928, and after only 77 working weeks, the new town hall was inaugurated on October 11, 1929. At the time, 73 companies took part in the construction.
Fritz Höger turned to the NSDAP early on. In 1931 he asked Adolf Hitler in vain for an interview and later tried - likewise unsuccessfully - to become Hitler's state architect. In line with the zeitgeist of the time, the architect expressed himself in a pathetic way about the building in Rüstringen:
“City Hall, you are the beginning of the face of this city. Make sure that this face is completed! "
In addition, "this town hall should be the anchor ground for the hope of the entire population of the city, the hope for the rebuilding of the broken fatherland and the admonition to unite a whole people". In later reviews of Höger's work, however, it is said that the Rüstringen town hall had “too much of the spirit of the 'twenties'” for Höger to be allowed to build state buildings.
On October 15, 1944, the town hall was badly damaged by bombs : the building burned down and the east wing was almost completely destroyed. After several temporary alterations and makeshift repairs, it was restored to its old form in 1952-53.
The town hall, which is now a listed building, has had to be renovated again since the beginning of the 2010s. The substance of the water tower in particular is in a very bad state of preservation. The damage can be traced back to the time it was created: Back then, there was little experience in handling concrete skeleton structures. The inner structure of the Rüstringen town hall was clad with particularly hard-fired clinker bricks, and there are no expansion joints . This resulted in massive damage to the load-bearing system and the outer walls decades later, which made extensive renovation inevitable. The building will at least not be able to achieve the "thousand-year durability" expected by Höger in its original substance.
Building description
The geometrically strictly ordered structure follows the rectangle of the square on which it was erected. Two axes of symmetry with a central tower determine the building. In addition to space for files, a water container is housed in this tower. The town hall replaced a stand-alone water tower . Compared to this, the implemented solution offers the advantage that the empty space below the water tank can be used for other purposes. By combining the two construction tasks, Fritz Höger also succeeded in setting a strong urban focus. Contrary to what he later claimed, Höger was not the first architect to create a combination of water tower and administrative or residential building. Evidence for this is the Neuenhagen town hall near Berlin , designed similarly by Wilhelm Wagner , completed in 1926, and the Wulsdorf residential water tower by Heinrich Mangel , built in 1927. There is also a visual similarity to the German House in Flensburg , which was built almost simultaneously between 1927 and 1930.
Administrative building
The town hall is designed as a reinforced concrete skeleton , the exterior of which was clad with Bockhorn clinker bricks . The administration building consists of a wide, five-storey structure that ends with a flat roof. In the middle, the imposing water tower protrudes from the building line, the lower part of which merges into the entrance with the staircase in front. Disc-like porches have been added to the structure at the front and rear. These porches have four storeys, at the lateral ends they are set back from the main structure by two window axes. The staggering achieved in this way reduces the monolithic severity of the cube. The sides of the building relate to a stepped gable with their mass tower . The concept of flanking a main building with secondary buildings that are reduced in height and width can also be found in the Kesselhaus in Rendsburg or in the Hamburger Kontorhaus Leder-Schüler . Höger borrowed certain shapes from his design for the lyceum in Hamburg-Eppendorf . Half pillars, similar to organ pipes, characterize the main facades. This is a motif that the architect used in a similar form in his proposals for a church in Berlin and the Wichernkirche in Hamburg. Rhythmically changing pilaster strips and cones between the window axes give the facade its plasticity. The facade is given a further relief that emphasizes the horizontal, as every third layer of stone is drawn out into strips. The town hall has many windows, typical of Höger's monumental buildings, such as the Chilehaus in Hamburg or the Anzeiger high-rise in Hanover. Höger confronted the large block elements of the town hall in such a way that they did not appear monotonous, although there were many repetitions.
The foundation consists of 1,000 piles. 41,000 m 3 of space were converted ; in the opening year 1929 there was space for 129 offices. The offices had a total area of around 3,200 m 2 ; the size of the work rooms could be subsequently adjusted by adding or removing partitions made of pumice stone . In the upper, two-meter-set staggered floor, space was even provided for open-plan offices that could be freely divided. The five meeting rooms at the time brought it together to 268 m 2 , the one meeting room extends over two floors, including ancillary rooms and toilets, measured 466 m 2 in its original design.
Ernst Boyken from Höger's office was responsible for the interior design. He designed the airy, elegant staircase, the walls of which are adorned with large-format turquoise tiles. Otherwise hardly any decorative elements were used inside.
A facade that appears three-dimensional in the play of light and shadow
Detail of a pilaster strip , also showing the clinker reliefs that emphasize the horizontal
South side: The conference room is located on the upper two floors of the building wing connected at right angles.
Perspective side view, the height and width of the porch can be seen
tower
With its block-like appearance, the mighty tower resembles cubic forms from Egyptian and Babylonian times. Its proportions are chosen so that it has something defensive about it. On the front of the tower are closely spaced bridges with seven light strips that look like an abstract stepped gable. On the sides in the upper quarter there are small opening slits that underline the defensive character of the tower. This architectural detail refers to keep or medieval defense towers , as they were often built on the coast. A similar design language was also used in numerous water towers of the 1920s, which were based on the Wilhelmine tradition of monument towers. Examples from Höger's work are the Hohenkirchen water tower (1934) and the Bad Zwischenahn water tower (1938).
The town hall tower is 48.20 m high, the integrated water tank holds 920 m 3 . The reservoir is supported by five reinforced concrete beams, its dimensions are 2.30 m × 0.70 m. Because of the poor condition of the beams, the tower can no longer be used as a water reservoir since 2013.
The central main entrance is at the lower end of the tower. It is emphasized by the staircase in front of it and the lion sculptures . A gate made of thick walls surrounds the entrance doors, similar to the radio station Nauen by Hermann Muthesius or Heinz Stoffregens exhibition hall for the Association of German Motor Vehicle Manufacturers in Berlin.
Opening slots in the upper part of the sides emphasize the defensive character of the tower in detail
Entrance doors surrounded by thick walls
Lion sculptures
Only after the house was completed, Höger designed the two brick-built sculptures in the form of two lions. The city's heraldic animals flank the stairs of the main entrance on both sides. Höger paid the lions out of his private assets because the city ( Rüstringen ) no longer wanted to pay for it in its efforts to save construction costs. The two lions form the end of a group of works comprising a total of four architectural sculptures that Höger created within a short space of time. Previously, the Berlin Zoo received a sitting bear, and Höger designed an elephant for the nitrogen syndicate of IG-Farbenindustrie AG Berlin. He attached great importance to this type of jewelry, which can be seen in detailed sketches and models. The shape of the sculptures results from the offset of the stones, through their jumping back and forth, similar to the methods of building ornamentation. With the help of individual gold-glazed stones, Höger set “reflective color accents”.
Main entrance with flanking lion sculptures
Detailed view of the right lion
Color accents through gold-colored clinker
Outdoor facilities and surroundings
Fritz Höger planned to design the north-facing Rathausplatz with a water basin, the dimensions of which were to be 150 m × 40 m. It was also planned to flank the square with schools. The Miss Marien School should have been built on the site of today's tax office , opposite the Reform Realgymnasium. A town hall garden on the south side was not created, because for reasons of cost the city did without gardens, a courtyard and pergolas. When planning the outdoor facilities, Höger had already considered that the building could later have side wings, but that did not happen. A good twenty years after the architect's death, from 1970 to 1972, the city allowed the construction of a “city house” at the north end of the square. The building thus interrupted the axial view from Bismarckstrasse to the town hall, much to the displeasure of the population. Höger also vehemently defended this line of sight during his lifetime .
Reception and later handling of the building
In the literature, the Wilhelmshaven Town Hall is described as a “formally radically simplified large-scale building” that is located in an isolated location without any urban context. The large building seems out of place in its environment of smaller settlement houses. The entrance turns to the wrong side: away from the center of Wilhelmshaven, towards the edge of the garden city. The town hall is like the remnant of a big city that lacks the appropriate environment.
The building stands out from the works of Fritz Höger: the architect did without gothic accessories and used a “new monumentality” that other, more progressive architects had developed at that time. In terms of style, Höger came close to the moderate modernists , although he saw himself as an opponent of the International Style and the Bauhaus .
In the time of National Socialism
After the cities of Rüstringen and Wilhelmshaven were merged on April 1, 1937, the National Socialist Lord Mayor Wilhelm Müller dismissed the two incumbent town planning officers Carl Haefner (Rüstringen) and Hermann Zopff (Wilhelmshaven). With the help of his new NSDAP city planning officer Walter Hunzinger, Müller tried to establish Wilhelmshaven with Albert Speer as a prime example of a newly designed city. The town hall square was to be lined with further monumental buildings, including the offices for work and finance, also designed by Fritz Höger. The ensemble should form an "administrative forum". Höger was thrown out by the city administration on November 1, 1937, but its expansion plans from 1927 were used quite unabashedly in order to impress Adolf Hitler . However, the drafts were changed in a disfiguring way: The buildings were to have sloping roofs - following the taste of the National Socialists. The area in front of the town hall served from now on as a parade area for the SA , as a place for light domes and May celebrations . Hitler visited Wilhelmshaven on April 1, 1939, but refused to speak to the population in front of the town hall. Instead, a cardboard backdrop had to be erected across the street on Bismarckstrasse, and the town hall disappeared behind large swastika banners . Inside, too, the town hall did not meet the requirements of the National Socialists: because of its many windows, the meeting room did not allow the symbol of sovereignty to be placed in front of its head, so the balcony parapet had to be used for this.
Even if Höger found no support from the National Socialists, his work was popular with the population in Rüstringen and Wilhelmshaven. The small-scale architecture, characterized by homeland references, was appealing, while the functional style of New Building in the north-west German province probably would not have stood a chance. The new building could only prevail in metropolises and areas governed by social democrats. The clinker and unplastered raw bricks, which Höger loved so much, are still considered a north German tradition today.
After 1945
After the Second World War, the same people who had dealt with it carried on town planning. There was no reorientation, no turning point. The ideas competition of 1948 was intended to initiate a discussion on how the unfinished form of administration around the town hall could be completed. In addition to Fritz Höger, Ernst Zinsser and Otto Fiederling were invited to expand the town hall . This was an insult to Höger, because normally the architect of the building to be expanded is commissioned freehand without having to assert himself in a competition. Höger's suggestion to add to the town hall and add side wings did not find any supporters. Ultimately, Gerhard Graubner was awarded the contract, but his renovation plans were never implemented. However, Graubner rose to become Wilhelmshaven's urban planning consultant, a position he held from 1948 to 1955. Deeply hit, Höger turned his back on the city of Wilhelmshaven, especially since Graubner wanted to build on the north side of the Rathausplatz. Höger died shortly afterwards in 1949.
In 1964 there was a debate about the architectural quality of the town hall: Kurt Siedenburg, the curator of the Oldenburg administrative district, wanted to put the town hall, square and tax office under monument protection. The city refused because they could not say whether Höger's house "already deserved the qualification".
A plaque was later attached to the outer wall to the right of the main entrance, reminding of the builder. It reads: "Fritz Höger 1877–1949 / architect of this town hall / built 1927–29". In addition to the text, a relief of Höger's profile is incorporated, as well as two fish that refer to the wall decorations of the Neu- Siebethsburg housing estate .
literature
- Ingo Sommer: Rüstringen's town hall attracted attention. In: Wilhelmshavener Zeitung of October 10, 2009, p. 46 f.
- Friedhelm Müller-Düring: The ravages of time are gnawing at the Wilhelmshaven town hall. In: Kulturland Oldenburg. Journal of the Oldenburg landscape. Edition 1/2016, No. 167, p. 2 ff. ( Digital library , accessed on April 5, 2016).
- Martin Stolzenau: creative architectural artist with aftermath . In: Heimat am Meer , supplement to Wilhelmshavener Zeitung, No. 13/2019, from June 22, 2019, p. 51.
- Stefan Hellmich (text), Anja Zervoss (photos): A castle made of bricks . In: Ostfriesland Magazin 10/2019, SKN Druck und Verlag, Norden, p. 66 ff.
- Hans Begerow: The city saves its landmark. In: Jeversches Wochenblatt of October 5, 2019, p. 14.
Web links
References and comments
- ↑ City administration , subpage of the website of the city of Wilhelmshaven, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Lord Mayor , subpage of the website of the city of Wilhelmshaven, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g City Hall , subpage of the city of Wilhelmshaven's website, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ^ A b c Alfred Kamphausen: The master builder Fritz Höger . Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1972.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Piergiacomo Bucciralli: Fritz Höger. Hanseatic builder 1877–1949 . Vice Versa Verlag, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-9803212-0-7 .
- ↑ a b Fritz Höger: Master builder with bricks , article on the website of Norddeutscher Rundfunk , accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b Rainer Beckershaus: Wilhelmshaven: The town hall is 80th essay from 2009, from the city archive of the city of Wilhelmshaven. Can be viewed on the Backstein.com website: Landmark, built by Fritz Höger . Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Press archive December 2012 , subpage of the website of the city of Wilhelmshaven, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ City Hall - renovation of the lions under the entrance stairs , subpage of the website of the city of Wilhelmshaven without date (year missing), accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b City Hall Tower: Renovation will be expensive , article on the website of the Wilhelmshavener Zeitung from June 22, 2013, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f Ulrich Höhns: Fritz Höger . From the series Hamburg Heads , published by the ZEIT Foundation. Ellert & Richter Verlag, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-8319-0487-7 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Matthias Schmidt: The cathedral of the stars. Fritz Höger and the Anzeiger high-rise in Hanover - architecture of the twenties between cosmology and Low German expressionism . Göttingen Contributions to Art History, Volume 2, edited by Karl Arndt. Lit Verlag, Münster 1995, ISBN 3-89473-457-4 .
- ↑ Lauenburger clay is mentioned elsewhere : Reconstruction in the same "clinker dress" , article on the website of the Wilhelmshavener Zeitung of July 13, 2013, accessed on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Website Backstein.com: Fritz-Höger-Rathaus celebrates birthday / landmark, built by Fritz Höger . Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ingo Sommer: Fritz Höger in Wilhelmshaven . In: Fritz Höger: 1877-1949; outside - the brick builder . Accompanying publication to the special exhibition in the Historical Museum Hannover from October 12th - December 19th, 1999 and in the museums of the city of Delmenhorst from January 16th to 19th. - 5.3.2000. Published by the Delmenhorst City Museum in cooperation with the Deutscher Werkbund eV and Peter Struck. Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg 1999, ISBN 3-89598-640-2 .