Urban development under National Socialism: power, terror and architecture unveiled

Urban development under National Socialism: power, terror and architecture unveiled

Berlin, Deutschland - On June 3, 2025, the work "Urban Development under National Socialism. Attack, Triumph, Terror in the European context 1933–1945" will be published, which arises on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This publication, a result of 25 years of research at the Technical University of Berlin, is under the direction of Prof. Dr. Harald Bodenschatz published and deals with the role of urban planning in the authoritarian regime of the 20th century, including the Nazi regime in Germany, Mussolinis Italy and Stalin's Soviet Union. The research is carried out in cooperation with the architecture museum of the TU Berlin, the Bauhaus University Weimar and the University of Kassel, which underlines the interdisciplinary nature of the project. According to the information from the TU Berlin, the book is now published as a hardcover with 624 pages and 700 illustrations at the Dom Publishers publishing house.

The focus of the publication is on the urban development as an instrument of power, exclusion and war. The topics treated contain representation buildings, housing construction, old town renewal and infrastructure in the context of the National Socialist dictatorship. The analysis compares the Nazi city development with other authoritarian regimes in Europe between 1933 and 1945. The different architectural aspects are highlighted by author from different countries and disciplines, including architecture and planning sociology, urban planning as well as political science. The book will be presented this evening in the Bauhaus Museum Weimar, where the editors present central research results and discuss the social relevance of the topic.

political dimensions of urban development

urban development is discussed as a political and social tool of the dictatorship, whereby the connections between architectural decisions and the National Socialist ideology become obvious. The architecture of this time was characterized by neoclassicalism and modern currents, with significant buildings such as the Detlev-Rohwedder House in Berlin and the Zeppelinhaft grandstand in Nuremberg adorn the shelf of National Socialist architecture. These buildings should not only be representative, but also symbolize the superiority of the Aryan breed. They served the regime's propaganda to manifest power claims.

Hitler enables great importance to architecture and planned oversized construction projects, such as the conversion of Berlin to the "World Capital Germania". However, these gigantic projects could not be implemented because of the war, which underlines the fragility of such ideological buildings. Many of these projects remained unfinished, and the realized structures were often created by forced labor, which was used in the context of war efforts. This throws a shadow on the monumental architecture, which still shapes the cityscape of many European cities today.

insights into the research

The book will be available at a subscription price of 98 euros by August 7, 2025 and can be ordered in both German and in English. With a comprehensive approach, the publication not only illuminates individual buildings, but also the social and political contexts in which they were created. In particular, the old town renewal and the military infrastructure are discussed, which played a crucial role in the Nazi city development.

The completion of research at the TU Berlin and today's book presentation mark an important point in dealing with the history of architecture in National Socialism and its long -term effects on the European cityscape. Authors from Chile, Germany and Italy contribute to understanding the complex interactions between architecture and dictatorship and enable a differentiated view of this decisive historical era.

For further information and to order the book, interested parties can visit the website of the TU Berlin, the offer of modern regional or the detailed presentation on Wikipedia for architecture in National Socialism.