Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
SomethingI have always wanted to know but couldnt find any literary work or photographs on and thats the reconstruction of Europe after WWII. Were the old towns original architecture restored and rebuilt? What was never rebuilt? Specifically in London and the Lower States, Germany and Poland. I see many photos from today and some of the old buildings look very new and clean.
SomethingI have always wanted to know but couldnt find any literary work or photographs on and thats the reconstruction of Europe after WWII. Were the old towns original architecture restored and rebuilt? What was never rebuilt? Specifically in London and the Lower States, Germany and Poland. I see many photos from today and some of the old buildings look very new and clean.
Not my topic, but Coventry was destroyed and has been rebuilt. All new city.
In Germany it depends on the city...there was also the question to what historic era to restore back to.
In some places the reconsstruction was with modernist buildings fitting the old street pattern. (the Zeil in Frankfurt is a good example) In others there are was a slight rationalization of the street pattern as part of the reconstructions (as in Hannover)
In yet others there was reconstruction of historic buildings mixed with new construction in the somewhat same massing of the older buildings (including peaked or hip roofs), but following a somewhat modernist style (as in Nurnburg).
Ok thanks for the responses so far. I was under the impression that nothing survived the War and everything was basically rebuilt
Things did survive to various degrees, sometimes intact, often as ruins and also being totally destroyed. The central parts of some of the mostly heavily bombed cities were pretty much gone with a few isolated ruins. Things built of half-timber rarely survived, stone buildings (typically churches and cathederals) survived (if they survived) as ruins.
What is interesting is that the Germans must have did a good job of documentation prior to the war to be able to rebuild the more historic things the way they did.
Ok thanks for the responses so far. I was under the impression that nothing survived the War and everything was basically rebuilt
No idea about anywhere outside the UK, but I've read that 1/3 of London was destroyed. Many historic buildings were damaged, but I don't think any important historic building was destroyed. (?)
In a lot of Polish cities the old towns were rebuilt (often as late as the 1990s) in their pre-war state. Walking through the centre of Warsaw I remember marvelling at the beautiful Baroque-era architecture until I noticed some of the dates on the outsides of the buildings said something like 1994, which spoiled the fantasy somewhat...in an archway leading into one of the most beautiful parts of the centre of Gdansk too there is a picture of what the same view was like in 1945 (i.e. almost completely destroyed) so you can't help but notice how immaculately it was rebuilt.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
