An Examination of the See Resort Prora

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definitionsofNationalSocialistarchitecture,itsuniquecharacteristicsandcontradictions.It embodiestheideologyofNaziGermanyfrom19331945invariousthemes.

Inordertobemorespecific,itisessentialtobrieflyobserveNaziarchitectureinits historicalcontext,followedbyacriticalobservationofthesiteoftheProrasearesort.

AspectsofNaziArchitecture

ProraisaperfectexampleofarchitectureduringthetimeoftheThirdReich.It embodiesmanypropertieswhicharecommonlyconsideredNaziArchitecture.Thesedetails willbeexplainedlater,butbeforehanditisimportanttounderstandArchitectureinthecontext ofNationalSocialism.Althoughsomearchitecturalhistoriansclearlydefinethearchitectureof thethirdReich,itphysicallycannotbeseenasaseparatestyle.

Withtheintentionofdescribingandhencefindingadefinitionforthearchitectureof theThirdReich,itsoriginhastobeputinahistoricalcontext.ThetermoftheThirdReich Architecturecameupintheyearsbetween1933and1945butdrewitscontentfromearlier times.DuringthetimeaftertheFirstWorldWar,thefoundationsforthearchitecturalthinking ofthenationalsocialistswerelaidout.Thenationalsocialistsadoptedtwostyles(actually more,buttwoaresufficientinthecontextofthispaper),fromtheWeimarRepublicand adaptedthem:thestyleoftheneoclassicismandmodernarchitecture. 1

¹ SeePage115andfollowing:Taylor,R.,TheWordinStone,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley,LosAngeles,

London,1974

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Thus,architectureintheThirdReichwasdeterminedbypreviousexistingperiodsand theirdevelopment.Thespecialseparationofthestylisticandstructuralelementscouldbe determinedbythepurposeofthebuilding:politicalfunctionsshapedthestructural,physical anddecorativeappearanceofthefinalproject.ThisisoneofthereasonswhytheeraofNazi architecturedoesnotreflectaunifiedpicture.

“Publicbuildingsmustbelargeandimpressiveandmustimplythatthelifeofthepeopleasawholewassuperior

toindividuallives” ² Forexample,oneoftheNazis’mostdistinctivestylesofpropagandawasneoclassicism. Inthesebuildings,representativepoliticsandarchitecturewerevisuallyconnected.Itwasless theantiquearchitectureoritsrevivalintheclassicism,butmuchmoreanopportunitytousea largerscaleofthisstylemonumentally.Thesebuildingsweresupposedtoimposeamaterial impressionwhichmadethevisitorfeelsmall. ³ Ontheotherhand,somenewhousingorcommunityfacilitieswereplannedtobeless monumentalandmoremodern.Here,theNationalSocialistsimplementedthemodern architectureoftheWeimarRepublic.TheNazisalsoconsideredthiskindofarchitecturetobea (politically)importantinstrumentandthereforeallowedmodernconceptionsofspaceand materialtoshowtheirpredominance.

Asshown,Naziarchitectureisdefinedbyseveralstyles,eachofwhichwasusedwhen needed.ThemixtureofNaziarchitectureismorecomplex,butforthepurposeofexploring

² Page32,Scobie,A.,Hitler’sStateArchitecture,PennsylvaniaStateUniversityPress,UniversityParkandLondon,

1990

³ SeeTeut,A.,ArchitekturimDrittenReich,Ullstein,Berlin,Frankfurt,Wien,1967

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Prora,thepreviousonesaresufficient.

TheScaleIssueof“TheColossus”

“…TheNazisemployedarchitectureofcolossaldimensionstooveraweandintimidate…” 4

UsingtheopportunitytodescribetheKdFSeebadbuilding,thepointofhowProra’s dimensionsareoutofscalecanbemadesimultaneously.Thewordsandnumberswillspeakfor themselvesandshallshowwhyProra’sarchitectureuniquelyrepresentsThirdReich architectureintheaspectofsizeanddimensions.

ThenativeislandersunofficiallynamedKlotz’sbuilding“DerKolossvonRügen”,which meansasmuchasthe“colossus”or“giant”ofRügen.Indeed,thisbuildingisoneofthebiggest complexesinEurope.

Theideaforthedimensionsofthisbuildingwasbasedontherequirementsforthe designcompetition:Roomfor20,000vacationers,2,000employersandtechnicalinstallations hadtobecreated.Klotz’sfirstdesignfrom1935underwentmanymodificationsbeforeits finalizationin1936. ⁵ Thebuildingextendsabout4.5kilometersinacirculararcparalleltothecoastina13 kilometerradius.Sixstoryaccommodationbuildingsformthemainfrontelevationinfourtwo kilometerfragmentsnorthandsouthofthecenterfairground.A40by100meterswimming poolispositionedinthecenterofeachfragment,facingwestward.Eachofthesewingsis ⁴ Page133,Taylor,R.,TheWordinStone,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley,LosAngeles,London,1974

⁵ Page49,Rostock,ZadnicekParadiesruinen–DasKdFSeebadderZwanzigtausend,LinksVerlag,Berlin,1992

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moreoversubdividedintofour500meterdivisions,ofwhicheachhastenadditionsfacing west.Thepartsbetweenthestaircasebuildingsarecalled“segments”,andhenceeachdivision consistsofelevensegmentsandtenstaircasebuildings.

Attachedevery500metersontheothersideofthemainwingsarefourstory communityhouseswhichreachallthewaytothebeach.Theyareapproximately110meters long.

Thisentirelineofbuildingsiscentrallydividedbya400,000squaremeterfairground.It isframedby433meterlongreceptionbuildingsoneitherside.Ontheseasidethegroundis borderedbyawaterfrontwithtwodocksreachingout300and800metersintothesea. Thefestivalhalllocatedinthecenterofthefairground,andhenceinthecenterofthe resort,representstheclimaxoftheentireProracomplex.Ithad20,000seatsandwithits multifunctionalpurposeitcouldbeusedforsports,artsorpropagandaevents. Additionally,thefairgroundconsistsofacinema,alargepoolwithfountainsanda85 Metertowerwithacaféonthetop. 6

NumbersandpicturescanbeveryexpressivebutinorderfullyunderstandProraand graspitsdimensionsithelpsyoutonaturallyexperienceProra.Naziarchitectureintendedto maketheindividualfeelsmallandunimportant,butagainverycrucialinthecontextofthe wholeoroftheThirdReichsociety.Thescaleofthisbuilding,evenitsruinstoday,successfully

⁶ Ignoringwhichpartswereactuallybuilt,Iamexpressingmyselfinpresenttensereferringtothefinal

constructionplans:Page5461,Rostock,ZadnicekParadiesruinen–DasKdFSeebadderZwanzigtausend,Links

Verlag,Berlin,1992