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Title: The Streets Echoed with Chants

The Streets Echoed with Chants

The Urban Experience of Post-War West Berlin

by Laura Bowie (Author)
©2022 Monographs XXIV, 302 Pages
History & Political Science
Series: The City as Place: Emotions, Experiences, and Meanings, Volume 1

Summary

«As a trained architectural historian, Bowie is absolutely on top of her game in bringing the post-war architectural debates to life; moreover, through the integration of critical theory, artistic and cultural practice, emotion and urban theories, the book is an interdisciplinary joy for readers. Using Action 507 and the Diagnose exhibition as a structural hinge to delve into a myriad of themes proves an ingenious approach to understanding the challenges and societal shifts around the 1968 student movement through its urban entanglement. […] Bowie’s book is a remarkable achievement, a thorough, unique and most timely intervention and interdisciplinary contribution to urban humanities research. Anyone with an interest in Berlin, architecture, political activism, and cultural and urban studies should consider this book highly recommended!» – Stephan Ehrig, Monatshefte 116:1 (2024)
«The history of the 1968 movement is well-trodden territory, and finding a novel view is an ambitious task. One of the strengths of Bowie’s monograph is its new, albeit niche, perspective on the 1968 movement by using local debates in West Berlin over architecture, construction, and housing to illustrate residents’ concerns about authoritarianism. At the same time, the book does not always connect West Berlin to global discussions. Rather, the book shines when it emphasizes the micropolitical. It illuminates how social problems in areas such as the Märkisches Viertel developed and how Aktion 507 sought to ameliorate these social ills. From this angle, Bowie’s monograph offers a significant contribution to the field that will please scholars interested in the history of West Berlin.» – Alexandria N. Ruble, German Studies Review 46:3 (October 2023)
What would it have been like to live in the island of West Berlin during the 1960s? What impact did the experience of the post-war context have on the global student movement in the city? By reconstructing the cultural atmosphere of the time and considering the site of West Berlin not only as a city, but also as a home, this book seeks to understand how the world was viewed by the protesting students, how the urban space they were living in influenced their political viewpoint, and how the cultural outputs of the generation created a uniquely symbiotic relationship with the world. This book paints a picture of the transfer of ideas between a variety of intellectual and cultural sources by combining theories that influenced the students’ perception of the world with the events centred around the key year of 1968. The intention is to come to an understanding of how the experience of living in West Berlin combined with architecture, and the arts more generally, to form the critique of urban planning and, by extension, society as a whole.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the author
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Contents
  • List of Figures
  • Acknowledgements
  • List of Abbreviations
  • Timeline of Global Events
  • Introduction
  • Section 1 The Present
  • Chapter 1 Urban Planning and the Formulation of Society
  • Chapter 2 Colour in the City
  • Chapter 3 Functionalism under Attack
  • Section 2 The Past
  • Chapter 4 Entangled Politics in Post-War Germany
  • Chapter 5 The Post-War Psyche and Politics Aestheticized
  • Chapter 6 Reclaim the City!
  • Section 3 The Future
  • Chapter 7 A Contested City Vision
  • Chapter 8 Sociology Provides a Solution
  • Chapter 9 From Theory to Praxis
  • Chapter 10 Post-mortem. The Aftermath: Reform or Revolution?
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • Series index

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Figures

Figure 1.Der Spiegel, ‘Mis-Building the Future: Housing in Germany’, 6 (3 February 1969).

Figure 2.Preparatory Meeting of Aktion 507, Room 507, Technische Universität, West Berlin, 1968. (Ingrid Krau, ‘Die Zeit der Diagnose’, Stadtbauwelt, 74 (1983), 343. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 3.Signatories of Aktion 507, Diagnose, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 4.Aktion 507, Diagnose, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 5.Werner Heldt, Berlin Am Meer [Berlin by the Sea], 1949. (Reproduced courtesy of © DACS 2020).

Figure 6.Hansaviertel, West Berlin, 1957. (Reproduced courtesy of Landesarchiv Berlin/Karl-Heinz Schubert).

Figure 7.Location of Post-War Housing Settlements. (Map data © Google 2019).

Figure 8.View from an Apartment at Dannenwalder Weg-26, Märkisches Viertel, 1964. (Reproduced courtesy of Thorsten Klapsch).

Figure 9.Walter Gropius in front of Gropiusstadt model, U-Bahn Station Lipschitzallee, Berlin. (Author, 2016).

Figure 10.Bruno Taut, Hufeisensiedlung, Berlin, 1925–33. (Author, 2016).

Figure 11.Walter Gropius, Gropius-Bau, Gropiusstadt, 1952–75. (Author, 2016).

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Figure 12.Uli Edel (dir.) Christiane F., Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (BRD: Solaris Film, 1981), 26:27 min.

Figure 13.Märkisches Viertel, 1964–74. (‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein Zwischenbericht’, in Bauwelt 46/47 (20 November 1967), 1196. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 14.The Märkisches Viertel and the Berlin Wall, Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 39. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 15.Werner Düttmann explaining Märkisches Viertel model, 1966. (Reproduced courtesy of Landesarchiv Berlin/Hans Seiler).

Figure 16.Chen Kuen Lee’s Building, Märkisches Viertel. (Author, 2015).

Figure 17.Georg Heinrich and Hans Müller, Floor Plan, Märkisches Viertel, West Berlin, 1967. (‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein Zwischenbericht’, Bauwelt 46/47 (20 November 1967), 1198. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 18.Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 36. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 19.Märkisches Viertel, photographs by Alexander Enger. (‘Ein Farben Frohes Wohlgefühl’, Berliner Morgenpost, 10 September 1968).

Figure 20.Utz Kampmann, Bridge intended to span Wilhelmsruher Damm, Märkisches Viertel. (‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein farbiges Gesamtbild?’, Bauwelt 46/47 (20 November 1967), 1213. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

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Figure 21.Karl Fleig’s Building, Märkisches Viertel, West Berlin. (‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein farbiges Gesamtbild?’, Bauwelt 46/47 (20 November 1967), 1214. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 22.René Gagès’ Building, Märkisches Viertel, West Berlin. (‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein farbiges Gesamtbild?’, Bauwelt 46/47 (20 November 1967), 1214. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 23.Märkisches Viertel, photographs by Alexander Enger. (‘Ein farben frohes Wohlgefühl’, Berliner Morgenpost, 10 September 1968).

Figure 24.René Gagès’ Building, Märkisches Viertel, West Berlin. (Reproduced courtesy of Reinhard Korsch).

Figure 25.Diagnose Exhibition Inside TU Berlin-Faculty of Architecture (Figure 26), 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 26.Bernhard Hermkes, TU Berlin-Faculty of Architecture, 1968. Extension by Hans Scharoun, 1969. (Author, 2014).

Figure 27.Diagnose Exhibition Invitation. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 28.Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 41. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 29.Images of the Märkisches Viertel. (‘Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 135).

Figure 30.Phone booths, Märkisches Viertel. (‘Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 228).

Figure 31.A21 Bus Route from the Märkisches Viertel to Wedding and Bahnhof Zoo. (Map data ©2019 Google).

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Figure 32.Herbert Vesely (dir.), Die Stadt (München: filmform oHG, 1959) 13:36 min.

Figure 33.Signage in the Märkisches Viertel. (‘Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 135).

Figure 34.Children in the Märkisches Viertel, Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 38. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 35.Playgrounds in the Märkisches Viertel. (‘Menschen im Experiment’, Der Spiegel, 45 (2 November 1970), 224).

Figure 36.Buildings by Ludwig Leo in foreground and René Gagès in background, Wilhelmsruher Damm, Märkisches Viertel. (‘Menschen im Experiment’, Der Spiegel, 45 (2 November 1970), 219).

Figure 37.Children playing beneath buildings in the Märkisches Viertel. (‘Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 134).

Figure 38.‘Redevelopment for Whom?’, Office for Urban Renewal and Social Work Berlin-Kreuzberg, 1970. (Helga Fassbinder, ‘Gegen-Planung’, Stadtbauwelt, 74 (1983), 352. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 39.Märkisches Viertel, 1967. (Martina Schneider, ‘Berlin, Märkisches Viertel – Ein Zwischenbericht’, Bauwelt (20 November 1967), 1204. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Figure 40.Diagnose Exhibition Panels, ‘Entangled Interests’, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 41.Diagram showing relationships between various social housing construction companies. Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 51. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

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Figure 42.‘Help! Berlin Help!’, Aktion 507, Diagnose (1968), 29. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 43.‘Wage-Theft – GESOBAU’, Märkisches Viertel. (‘Menschen im Experiment’, Der Spiegel, 45 (2 November 1970), 218).

Figure 44.Aktion 507, Diagnose, ‘City Planning Concerns Us All’ (1968), 99. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 45.Jürgen Holtfreter, Diagnose Poster, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Jürgen Holtfreter).

Figure 46.Wolf Vostell, Proposal for an Addition to the Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts in Berlin, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of © DACS, 2020).

Figure 47.Bernhard Höke, Anti-Nazi Spray, 1968. (‘Hohlspiegel’, Der Spiegel, 5 (29 January 1968), 154).

Figure 48.Gerhard Richter, Onkel Rudi [Uncle Rudi], 1965. (Reproduced courtesy of © Atelier Gerhard Richter 2020).

Figure 49.Leaflet for a Demonstration against the Springer Press, 1968. (FU Archiv Berlin).

Figure 50.Diagnose Exhibition Panels, ‘Adaptation, Alienation’, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 51.Ulrich Baeht, Fries für Lieberhaber [Frieze for Lovers], 1965. (Reproduced courtesy of Ulrich Baeht).

Figure 52.Tenement Demolition in Wedding or Neukölln, West Berlin, 1963. (Reproduced courtesy of bpk/Heinrich Kuhn).

Figure 53.Ornamentation in West Berlin, Manfred Durniok (dir.), Die gemordete Stadt (Berlin: rbb Rundfunk, 1965), 2:14 min.

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Figure 54.‘Cleansed Façades’ in West Berlin, Manfred Durniok (dir.), Die gemordete Stadt (Berlin: rbb Rundfunk, 1965), 4:52 min.

Figure 55.Diagnose Exhibition Panels, ‘Redevelopment’, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 56.Herbert Vesely (dir.), Die Stadt (München: filmform oHG, 1959), 4:11 min.

Figure 57.Protest on the Kurfürstendamm, West Berlin, 21 October 1967. (Reproduced courtesy of bpk/Jochen Moll).

Figure 58.‘Americans out of West Berlin! Have the courage to fight, have the courage to win’. Cover of Agit 883, 60 (May 1970).

Figure 59.Ernst-Reuter-Platz, West Berlin, 1967. (Reproduced courtesy of bpk/Liselotte and Armin Orgel-Köhne).

Figure 60.Delivery of Prefabricated Panels, Märkisches Viertel, 1969. (‘Wohnungsbau: Es Bröckelt’, Der Spiegel, 6 (3 February 1969), 58).

Figure 61.Märkisches Viertel, 1968. (‘Städtebau West-Berlin: Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 134–5).

Figure 62.A Family in the Märkisches Viertel, 1970. (‘Menschen im Experiment’, Der Spiegel, 45 (2 November 1970), 223).

Figure 63.Kritische Universität Pamphlet, 1967. (Reproduced courtesy of Michael Wegener).

Figure 64.Leaflet: Wir Sind die Linken!!! (TU Archiv Berlin).

Figure 65.Jürgen Holtfreter, Leaflet, Day of those Affected, 1968. (Reproduced courtesy of Jürgen Holtfreter).

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Figure 66.‘Not A Pfennig More Rent!’, MV Zeitung (October 1971).

Figure 67.Façades of various buildings in the Märkisches Viertel. (‘Städtebau West-Berlin: Slums verschoben’, Der Spiegel, 37 (9 September 1968), 137). [NB: Der Spiegel incorrectly attributed O. M. Ungers’ designs to Ludwig Ungers; top-centre and bottom-right].

Figure 68.Bill Haley and The Comets Concert, Berlin Sportpalast, 26 October 1958. Still from Herbert Vesely (dir.), Die Stadt (München: filmform oHG, 1959), 26:38 min.

Figure 69.Programme for the Diagnose Exhibition Opening. (Reproduced courtesy of Hinrich Baller).

Figure 70.Diagnose Opening, September 1968. (Ingrid Krau, ‘Die Zeit der Diagnose’, Stadtbauwelt, 74 (1983), 343. Reproduced courtesy of Bauwelt).

Details

Pages
XXIV, 302
Publication Year
2022
ISBN (PDF)
9781789977974
ISBN (ePUB)
9781789977981
ISBN (MOBI)
9781789977998
ISBN (Softcover)
9781789975819
DOI
10.3726/b16755
Language
English
Publication date
2021 (November)
Keywords
Architectural activism in 1968 Post-War West Berlin Urban Experience
Published
Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, New York, Wien, 2022. XXIV, 302 pp., 24 fig. col., 54 fig. b/w.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Laura Bowie (Author)

Laura Bowie is a Lecturer in Architectural History and Theory at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. She has previously taught architectural history and theory at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, where she also completed her doctoral thesis. Her research interests include the city and protest, the radicalization of urban space, the relationship between urban planning and the psyche, and the use of memory and cultural outputs as exploratory tools.

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Title: The Streets Echoed with Chants