What
is left of the Berlin of the Roaring Twenties? Anyone who’s seen
the photographs or filmed reports on the Berlin of 1945 has seen the
havoc that Hitler's madness inflicted on the Berliners. All reduced
to debris.
Apparently. Because, in fact, destruction affected mainly the central districts, with the official buildings of the Wilhelmstrasse, the Chancellery of Hitler, the main ministries. But as soon as one moves away, either towards the West or towards the East, one finds the pre-war style of buildings. A district like Prenzlauer Berg, for example, has much the same appearance today as in 1939. Or in 1920. On the west side, although the facades of the Kurfürstendamm have changed considerably since the golden years, Wilmersdorf or Charlottenburg do not appear to have been affected by allied bombing or Soviet artillery.
Apparently. Because, in fact, destruction affected mainly the central districts, with the official buildings of the Wilhelmstrasse, the Chancellery of Hitler, the main ministries. But as soon as one moves away, either towards the West or towards the East, one finds the pre-war style of buildings. A district like Prenzlauer Berg, for example, has much the same appearance today as in 1939. Or in 1920. On the west side, although the facades of the Kurfürstendamm have changed considerably since the golden years, Wilmersdorf or Charlottenburg do not appear to have been affected by allied bombing or Soviet artillery.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment