Reconstruction of Kassel after the Second World War
The reconstruction of Kassel after the Second World War is part of the history of the city of Kassel .
On April 7, 1945, Willi Seidel was appointed acting Lord Mayor of Kassel by the American military commander, Major Lamson . After the air raid on Kassel on October 22, 1943 and the consequences of the National Socialist war economy, everything was missing: the administration no longer existed at that time, the infrastructure (such as the gas, water and electricity network) was largely destroyed and therefore not ready for operation, as well as industrial plants and residential buildings. A shortage economy with a black market dominated . This situation was exacerbated by the refugees and soldiers returning to the city.
living conditions
In addition to this new political beginning, the living conditions of large sections of the population remained difficult in the post-war years. The coal deliveries were far too low, so that in January 1947 the electricity had to be partially switched off. The food rations were allocated, 100 g of meat and 50 g of fat per week via ration cards . Lack reigned, but hope for better times lived.
In order to accelerate the reconstruction, the citizens of Kassel were obliged to help clear the rubble on large streets and squares for 14 days. By April 1946, 22,800 m² of rubble had been removed. Now the real reconstruction could begin.
Reconstruction planning
Almost all of the monuments in the city of Kassel were damaged, leaving a lot of room for interpretation for new plans.
On April 5, 1946, an exhibition about the planned reconstruction of Kassel was presented to the public. The construction plans exhibited were based unchanged on the drafts of Albert Speer's staff from the National Socialist era and therefore sparked outrage and resistance. The plans of city planning officer Erich Heinicke shaped the cityscape of the post-war period.
The reconstruction was often not based on the degree of preservation of the building, so the badly damaged orangery was completely reconstructed, other buildings that were hardly damaged were demolished in order to make extensive changes and corrections to the cityscape: The late historical State Theater was demolished to suit the historical intention to enable the view from Friedrichsplatz to the landscape again. The nave of the former collegiate church of St. Martin was reconstructed and a new landmark was created by Heinrich Otto Vogel with the striking new towers (erected between 1954 and 1958) .
Political development after the war
Due to the shortage of supplies, the reconstruction of Kassel progressed slowly. In contrast, political life began to stir quickly again. In the run-up to the planned local elections , the occupation authorities issued guidelines in early September that regulated how the formation of political parties and trade unions should take place so that they could be approved. This led to the fact that the political parties were quickly re-established or re-established. The SPD and KPD were able to fall back on old structures, while the CDU and FDP , in which the bourgeois forces gathered, first had to organize. In Kassel- Bettenhausen , the Free German Trade Union Confederation was founded on September 9, 1945 in Spinnfaser AG . The establishment of the Free German Trade Union Federation in Kassel was the first major event after the war.
Cooperative reconstruction
After the war, the spirit of the cooperative members had to be appealed once again . Without the willingness of the residents in the individual groups of houses to actively help, the rebuilding of the cooperative would not have progressed so quickly. The cooperative idea proved its worth both in clearing the rubble and preparing the bricks as well as in bringing in construction timber.
During this difficult time of misery and hardship for all members, they worked together to repair the war damage and to restore the destroyed houses and apartments. In the first years after the war, all comrades did an infinite amount for the reconstruction of the savings and construction association.
On November 8, 1946, the reconstruction of the houses on Heinrich-Heine-Strasse was approved. In the following three years, the apartments in the rebuilt house at Heinrich-Heine-Straße 15 (1950) were completed. At the end of 1954, the two houses at Heinrich-Heine-Strasse 13 and 13a with 16 apartments were ready for occupancy.
Private reconstruction
First a temporary structure was built after the war, which was demolished in 1963. The immediate and speedy reconstruction of the property was delayed because the heirs lived in both the American and Soviet occupation zones . Planning documents and concepts were drawn up by 1960. Difficulties in terms of financing arose because all official departments in the western zones of occupation were forbidden to correspond with the heirs residing in the Soviet zone of occupation (according to the client and current owners). Lengthy negotiations between Otto Maeder and the responsible authorities in the Soviet Zone were the result. It was not until March 19, 1963 that the necessary permits from the Karl-Marx-Stadt ( Chemnitz ) district council were available. The necessary changes to the land register could now be made and the rebuilding of the destroyed house at Frankfurter Strasse 59 to 61 began in the spring of 1963. Due to the turmoil of the war and the division of Germany , the Mäder family was scattered, including to the GDR and America . In 1964 the new residential and commercial building as well as the restaurant of Else Wetzel, née Mäder, and her family were put into operation. The current property with the restaurant is managed by the heirs.
literature
- Heinz Körner, Auefeld district, 2007, ISBN 3-00-018688-3 , ISBN 978-3-00-018688-2 .