Siegfried Wagner (architect)

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Siegfried Wagner (born September 14, 1931 in Elbing ) is a German architect. He worked on major East Berlin building projects such as the Müggelturm , the Palace of the Republic , the teacher's house , and the congress hall on Alexanderplatz . From 1964 to 1969, Wagner was the city ​​architect in Hoyerswerda .

Life

After graduating from school, Siegfried Wagner learned the trade of a carpenter . But then he studied at the Art Academy Berlin-Weissensee , the Department of Architecture , among others, Hermann Henselmann and Selman Selmanagic , who was not particularly pleased with Wagner's study zeal. A letter published in 2018 to the then student Siegfried Wagner testifies to this:

“Dear Mr. Wagner!

Studying architecture requires a lot of diligence, precise scientific thinking and, associated with this, a good discipline.

If a student does not make an effort to meet these requirements, it is very difficult for the lecturer to help him achieve the goal set. It is regrettable for me when I have to realize that my hints in all human variations - in amiable manner, in soft as well as in heightened tones - have not awakened a love for architecture studies and thus for work and discipline in you. I hope you will understand me and save me from having to write you a second letter. "

Wagner himself handed this letter over to the KH archive.

Müggelturm for the New Year 1961

In the last year of his studies, in 1958, Wagner and his fellow students Jörg Streitparth and Klaus Weißhaupt took part in an ideas competition for the new construction of the Müggelturm, which burned down in 1958. Your design was selected as the best by both a jury of experts and the Berliners. 36 architects took part in the competition, one even from West Berlin . The draft of the three budding architects had to be changed in the preparatory phase because the intended oval floor plan was not feasible for alleged structural reasons. So the tower got a rectangular floor plan ("it got its box shape"). The winners were honored with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of sparkling wine and an award trip to Prague.

Winning the Müggelturm project meant that the three of them became one of the most sought-after building planners in the GDR after completing their studies . Wagner then helped to design the teacher's house in Berlin-Mitte, he was also appointed to the design collective for the congress hall on Alexanderplatz.

Between 1964 and 1969, Siegfried Wagner was the city architect in Hoyerswerda, appointed by the GDR's building minister, Wolfgang Junker . Wagner's tasks consisted of improving or changing existing plans. In particular, residential areas had to be planned for the Hoyerswerda-Neustadt district because the number of inhabitants in this city had almost doubled in a very short time. On this project he worked a. a. with Walter Nickerl , Martin Röser and Richard Paulick . In 1957, Paulick began planning eight residential complexes with a relaxed center for the workers and employees of the Schwarze Pumpe lignite combine . For example, Wagner suggested building a cultural center with a strolling mile or he designed an ice cream parlor between the eight- story prefabricated buildings on the main street - both of which were rejected. He was particularly committed to bringing a Robotron subsidiary into the city, because, in his view, the exclusive focus on coal mining could not ensure the survival of a city. Because Wagner had fallen out with various leading bodies , he gave up the office after five years. - In Hoyerswerda, Wagner had close contact with the writer Brigitte Reimann .

Embassy of North Korea at Glinkastraße 5, the associated residential building and its surroundings were designed by Siegfried Wagner, IR Krämer and Hubert Matthes

Afterwards Wagner came back to East Berlin and then worked in the building academy of the GDR. Here he was allowed to participate in the design of the Palace of the Republic , designed the operating wing of the new Charité building and immortalized himself in numerous other buildings. Wagner contributed his ideas on a grand scale to the construction of the large housing estates in Marzahn and Friedrichsfelde .

When Siegfried Wagner reached retirement age of 65 years, he retired. However, he constantly follows developments in Berlin and the changes to "his" buildings.

In January 2019, Wagner learned from the media that the owner and operator of the Müggelturm area, Matthias Große, intends to build a twin building to the existing tower next to it. The viewing platform on the tower is currently only accessible via a staircase with 126 steps. An elevator is to be installed in the twin tower, which is to be connected to the 1961 building with a footbridge at the height of the viewing platform. This would make the tower barrier-free . Wagner initially did not agree with this solution: “The twin towers degrade the entire area. […] The popular excursion destination for Berliners [is] a unique ensemble that must not be destroyed by a second tower. ”Of course, he knows the dilemma of climbing stairs and points out that when planning in 1958 no elevator was required because it was for the construction has not given any government subsidies; it was mainly financed by donations. Therefore, the buildings had to be particularly inexpensive. Wagner subsequently took part in public discussions and carried out a vote with the monument office. Now he agrees that a second tower will be built next to it. According to the construction plans that were not implemented at the time, this should be built with an oval base and contain an elevator. Thomas Wagner, the architect's son, provided a sketch.

Works (selection)

Publications

Literature / web links

  • Wagner, Siegfried: It's about existence! In: Saxon Latest News , 4./5. November 1989, p. 8.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Mirko Kolodziej: The city architect of Hoyerswerda gave up four decades ago on LR , June 8, 2009; accessed on January 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Leonie Baumann (director of the Weissensee School of Art) in a publication about the university professor Selman Selmanagić: Future-oriented teaching in the context of time ; 2018 (pdf), accessed on February 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ Brief biography of Jörg Streitparth , accessed on February 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b c Norbert Koch-Klaucke: "For me this is really kitsch." In: Berliner Zeitung , January 30, 2019, p. 11 (print edition). Online edition
  5. ↑ Data sheet from the artist database , accessed on February 9, 2019.
  6. ^ Georg Piltz: Art guide through the GDR. 4th edition, Urania-Verlag, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin. 1973; Pp. 168/169.
  7. ↑ Ex-Wings is to become a restaurant ; from the press archive of the Sächsische Zeitung (full article is chargeable), accessed on February 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ The following quote from Siegfried Wagner reveals the dilemma at that time : “It is now important to let the cooperation [with the district building director, the chief architect and the comrades of the district leadership (the SED)] become a continuity. We're going to be very impatient, ”which apparently didn't work. Quote from: Tobias Zervosen: Architects in the GDR. Reality and Self-Image of a Profession , transcript Verlag, 2016; ISBN 978-3-8376-3390-0 ; accessed on February 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Drafts for the systems around the Berlin television tower. Here the name of the participating architect is given with Hubert Matthes .
  10. ↑ Norbert Koch-Klaucke: Twins above the Müggelsee - tower owner and architect find compromise for new building , Berliner Zeitung , March 11, 2019.
  11. ^ Joachim Schulz, Werner Graebner: Berlin. Capital of the DDR. Architecture guide GDR. VEB Verlag für Bauwesen, Berlin 1974; P. 79.
  12. ↑ quoted in: Collection of publications on GDR architecture , accessed on February 9, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Wagner, Siegfried
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German architect
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Elblag