Germanic Cities: Then and Now

[Wulfram]

This thread will be devoted to past and present images of street scenes now gone forever. The idea was inspired by Thusnelda's thread 'Bavarian Towns - Then and Now'

I will include many locations throughout the Germanic world. This will be open to anybody who wishes to contribute.

The first images are just a few of Berlin (more later)

1. This photograph was taken around 1910 at the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden. Nothing in Paris, London or New York could equal this.



Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden today


2. Leipziger Strasse 1910


Leipziger Strasse 2009


3. Spittelmarkt 1900


Spittelmarkt 2006


(Updated every few days)

[Wulfram]

Over 90% of Nurnberg was pulverized during the war, its old town suffering almost 100% destruction.
Most tourists don’t come here for German culture. They visit because of its affiliation with the farcical trials. The allies knew this would happen and decided to reconstruct the old town to resemble what had been lost, thus diverting many uncomfortable questions about allied bombing techniques.

The tourists send back reports to home saying what a lovely and unique place it is, especially when compared to other large cities in Germany who opted for a more modern look.
This is what I certainly did when I was 16 and visited Germany for the first time, completely ignorant of the horrors that took place in the streets I walked through.

What most visitors to this city don't know is that the reconstructions are mere shells of the Medieval and Renaissance masterpieces that stood in their place before them. So much detail was lost, as you will see in the photographs below.
The new buildings are compromises as bland as cardboard and about the only thing authentic about them are the sloping rooftops that Nurnberg had also been famous for.

The Alstadt - 1900


The Alstadt - 1960's


Durerplatz - Both around 1914




Durerplatz - 2006


The Bergstrasse - 1920's


The Bergstrasse - 2006


Theresienplatz - 1910


Theresienplatz - 2006


Obstmarkt - 1920's


Obstmarkt - 2006


Fleischbruecke - 17th Century


Fleischbruecke - 2006


The Armory - 18th Century


The Armory - 2006
Ironically, one of the few Renaissance buildings to survive the bombings.


16th Century House - 1900


The "same" house today


Pellerhaus - 1889


Pellerhaus - 1960

[frippardthree]

Munich 1650


Munich City Hall Today


View of Rathaus and Frauenkirche from Marienplatz, Munich Today


Marienplatz Munich Today


War Damage

[Hilderinc]

Königsberg Castle Pre-WWI





Today "House of Soviets"




"Kings Gate" Pre-WWII



Today




Königsberg Cathedral

[rainman]

I'm not saying this as a joke or anything but is that really what it looks like in Europe? Where are the piles of trash, crumbling buildings, negros and foreigners standing on the street, the busses that don't run on time, the spray paint on every wall, busted out windows, bars on the doors and windows to keep criminals out etc.??

Living in Cincinnati those pictures are what Cincinnati looked like before 1960 when it was segregated. After the 60s the combination of factories moving over seas, white flight and minorities coming in and now it all looks like a third world country. I didn't realize that Europe hadn't reached that point yet. What parts they did clean up they painted them in bright African colors and painted multicultural murals and African art on everything.

[Wanderer]

Great pictures of pre-war Nuernberg! I was there in 1995, but looking back, it was clear that the city had some newer-looking architecture that didn't quite fit...particularly the building behind the Duerer Denkmal. It was a war crime to bomb such beautiful buildings into smithereens, no offense to those who served honorably in the Allied armies, but the bombing of civilian centers in Germany at the end of WW2 was obscene, truly a hate-crime...it is one thing to kill men on the battlefield as in days of old, but to kill women, children, and elderly in such a way was cowardly and as much a crime, no, a worse crime than most others...not to mention the absolute satanic firebombings of Dresden and Hamburg. In some pictures, we saw what the Allies dropped into place after the war, like the Soviet monstrosities of Berlin and other areas. We can accuse the Americans of building generic buildings, but not necessarily as soulless as the Soviet oddities. My heart has never felt so much disgust as when I walked past the monument to the Soviet soldiers that stands just before the Brandenburg Gate, to the west. Praise the vicious rapists called the Red Army who attacked defenseless women and children and dishonored them! Absolute Wahnsinn!

I just want to say to Germans, both those who live in Germany and those who live without, there are those like me, of German blood, who do not live in Germany, but stand by you against the wind. The propaganda that has been rained down on Germany for 65 years, though seemingly incessant, will die...not a matter of if, but when. Germany was wronged, and most sane people would readily say so.

One last point...does anyone know of websites, internet initiatives, etc. that seek to censure Eli Roth...he is the maker of sick movies like 'Inglorious Basterds.' Unbelievably, I've heard more than one person say that they thought it was a good movie.

[frippardthree]

Heidelberg Castle & Gardens 1650


Heidelberg Castle During The 19th Century


Heidelberg Castle Today


Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg

[Wulfram]

The first photograph is one of my favorite daguerreotypes. It was taken sometime between 1841-1843 and is thought to be the oldest photo of Bremen, Germany. The street depicted is the Obernstrasse. When you compare the before/after images, keep in mind that an additional tower was added to the cathedral later on in the same century.

This is truly a time capsule image. In it we see what appears to be only five people, but there were probably more since daguerreotypes only caught images that stood perfectly still. They can all clearly be seen wearing period fashions.
Notice how clean the street is, so typical of any German city to this day. The latter image was taken in 2006.

(Please click for larger image)

[Wulfram]

Berlin cityscape with the Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden.
(Please click to make images larger)

Around 1900


1946


2009

[Hilderinc]

Königsberg Castle Pre-WWI.


Königsberg Castle as seen from the Eastern side, 1910.


1895.

Today "House of Soviets."

Courtyard and castle church, ca. 1900.


Castle ruins in 1950s, seen from Cathedral Island.


After a fire.


Ruins in 1950.


Demolition of the castle in 1968.


The "House of the Soviets" was never finished, it was built upon the unsound soil laden with subterranean tunnels of the castle, causing it to sink and shift position. Some call this "The revenge of the Prussians." It was repainted and fitted with windows for a visit by Putin in 2005.


The blog user who uploaded this image wrote: Castle Pond with a view of The Castle. This postcard evokes images of a thriving medieval city jostled up against the walls of The Castle.


Again, he writes: Again I located the same viewpoint as taken in the postcard. Castle Pond is now known as Prud Nizhny. Join me in admiring 'The Castle' in the background!


Wikipedia says that a referendum of whether or not to reconstruct the castle was held in March. There is no information about the outcome.

I found that these two websites have lots of information on Königsberg.

"King's Gate" Pre-WWII.



Today.

The King's Gate (German: Königstor) is one of the former six gates that were built during the 19th century around Königsberg.

The gate was designed by Friedrich August Stüler. The west facade has three sandstone statues, made by sculptor Wilhelm Stürmer: nine metres above the ground to the left the Bohemian king Ottokar II is depicted, who was Königsberg's namesake. Frederick I of Prussia, Prussia's first King, follows as the middle statue. To the right Duke Albert, Prussia's first duke and founder of the Albertina university, holds an eye over the city. Above the sculptures the coat of arms of Samland and Natangen are shown.

The gate was damaged during the Second World War. Furthermore, as a first victory celebration, Soviet soldiers decapitated the statues. With the celebration of the city's 750 year existence in June 2005, the gate was renovated. Even a few months before the beginning of the festivities, the gate was still in a desolate condition. Within a few weeks, however, the gate was restored to its condition before the war. Fully restored statues replaced the decapitated ones on the gate with this renovation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Gate_(Kaliningrad)

1849.


Pre-war.


2004, the same state it had been in for 60 years.


Reconstructed in 2005, note the light colored new bricks.


In this image you can better see what the Soviets did to the statues.