GAZİ UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCINCES

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE FACULTY

NAZI ARCHITECTURE - HOW ADOLF HITLER AND

ALBERT SPEER USED ARCHITECTURE AS A
PROPAGANDA TOOL ?

IDEOLOGY AND SPACE

PROF. DR. NEŞE GURALLAR

Course For Graduates

2020/21 - I

MUSTAFA DALLI

208355209
 Introduction
The Nazi era began in Germany when Hitler took over the rule of Germany with the National
Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) in 1933, getting the most votes. With the
proclamation of Hitler as the Führer, a single party order was soon established, and then a
totalitarian regime was established. After coming to power, Hitler aimed to develop a fully
developed architectural propaganda program. Hitler's envisioned plans included not only the
reconstruction of Berlin, but also a "total architecture" program in which all of Germany
would be reformed to the Nazi image. Hitler worked with Albert Speer, the Minister of
Armaments, who was also the architect, to achieve this architectural program and its goals.
His architectural skills raised him more and more within the NSDAP, and he soon caught
Hitler's attention and began to enter his immediate circle. Hitler ordered him to design and
construct the most important architectural structures, including the Reich Chancellor and
Zeppelinfeld Stadium in Nuremberg, where party rallies were held.

Like the fascist-era Italy of the Benito Mussolini era, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany was deeply
influenced by the Roman Empire and was inspired by them in many ways. The Nazis, like the
Romans, embraced a clearly defined system of social and political hierarchy, Roman order,
discipline, and militarism, led by a leader with almost sacred powers. For this reason, they
saw Roman architecture as a source of inspiration in their architectural understanding. The
perception of architecture as a powerful political tool by Hitler made the power of the Nazi
regime unique in Germany. Fascist architecture, enriched by ideology and propaganda
activities in Nazi Germany, rose strongly and rapidly. Using architecture for both artistic and
ideological purposes, the Nazis initiated a propaganda activity in this direction. The Nazis
also integrated architecture into their social and cultural organizations.

In the world of absolute government controls and effects under totalitarian rule, the concept of
legitimacy, with the help of ideology, often requires a certain degree of control, manipulation,
or the influence of art. In Nazi Germany, which is one of the most extreme examples of the
state regulation of architecture and art, the possible duality of art is seen as follows; limited to
authoritarian regimes although not, the expression of art by free speech or censorship,
restrictions on personal expression, and forced collective will and propaganda.

The government-sponsored Nazi art program, which can be explained as the

"Gesamtkunstwert", "the process of Nazisation through artworks", in which all architects and
other artists started to work on behalf of the government, is the so-called "Gleichschaltuung"
and Nazi Germany, from economy and trade associations to the media, from culture to
education was supported by the process that created a totalitarian control and coordination
system in the field. On the other hand, the concept of "Weltanschauungskrieg" was designed
to digest, homogenize and idealize all Germans and establish complete absolute dominance.
The aim of such a program was to bring society into absolute unity, the term "Gemeinschaft",
which is used to describe social paradigms in the order brought about by modernization. In
other words, the concepts and values that the Nazis mostly used in order to gather the German
people as a whole and to create an absolute authority regime were art and culture.

In this study, the architectural works of the period of Nazi Germany, their characteristics and
the reasons for their construction, Hitler and Speer's detailed understanding of architecture,
sources of inspiration, ways of working and why and in what ways they use architecture as a
propaganda purpose will be analyzed and examined in detail.
 Adolf Hitler & Albert Speer

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria. Hitler considered
becoming an architect or painter in his youth. For this reason, he tried twice to enter the
Faculty of Architecture and the painting school at the University of Fine Arts in Vienna, but
he did not succeed. He served in the German Army throughout the war in World War I, which
began in 1914. Hitler took over Germany with the National Socialist German Workers Party
(NSDAP) in 1933, taking the most votes, and soon after bringing the single-party order,
created a totalitarian regime and was declared the Führer. With the invasion of Poland by
Nazi Germany in 1939, World War II started and the war lasted for 6 years. The Nazis, who
were superior in the first years of the war, began to lose their superiority because they fought
in a wide geography and on many different fronts. On April 30, 1945, just as Soviet troops
were approaching the downfall of the city of Berlin, Adolf Hitler, although still uncertain
today, committed suicide.

Figure 1: Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer are working on the projects. (URL 1)

Albert Speer was born in 1905 in Mannheim. Speer completed his education at prestigious
universities such as Karlsruhe University, Munich Technical University and Berlin Technical
University and began his architectural studies in 1927 as Heinrich Tessenow's assistant. He
joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1931 and embarked on a fourteen-year political career. His
architectural skills raised him more and more within the party, and he soon caught Hitler's
attention and began to enter his inner circle. From 1942 he became one of Hitler's closest, as
the Reich Minister of Armaments. Albert Speer was caught at the end of the war at
Glücksburg Castle in Flensburg and arrested. He was released in 1966 after more than 20
years of imprisonment. Following his release, he published two best-selling autobiographical
works, "The Third Reich and Spandau: The Secret Diaries." And while in London he suffered
a stroke and died on September 1, 1981.
 Understanding of Architecture and Art in Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler's era Nazi Germany was influenced and inspired by the Roman Empire. He
linkened his personal political views and ideology to the ideology of the Roman Empire.
Therefore, the effects of Roman architecture were seen in the works made. And Hitler's goal
was to project his power into the buildings, just like in the Roman empire.

On the other hand, Hitler knew that architecture and art were important tools for both
propaganda and a show of power, as well as being individual endeavors for him. Hitler's
statement that "We will win the war and secure our victory through our buildings" in a speech
given after the Nazis invaded France in 1940 clearly demonstrates this understanding. Fascist
architecture, enriched by ideology and propaganda activities in Nazi Germany, rose with an
unprecedented power and speed in history. Thus, the Nazis integrated architecture into their
social and cultural organizations.

Hitler sees architecture and art as great helpers in achieving his political goals; Accordingly, it
called on all architects, musicians, poets, painters and dancers in the country to abandon their
individual interests through a system known as "Gesamtkunstwert" and called "Total Work of
Art" and volunteer to work directly with the government towards a common Nazi ideology
goal. Together with the Gesamtkunstwert program in Nazi Germany, it included not only the
arts in the country, but also the political philosophy of leaders, history and people as new
material. All this artistic and ideological accumulation has also been turned into a great work
of art. Along with the Nazi hierarchy, the government thought that a single unified political or
cultural entity could be more easily designed, organized, and controlled.

At the end of this process called "Gesamtkunstwert", German architects and artists were
transformed into artistic translators of Nazi ideology, creating the symbolic art form and
architectural style of Hitler's ideological aspirations and other theories of the Nazis that could
be more easily understood and digested by the public. The activities and social positions of
the artists in Nazi Germany in the country were transformed from an autonomous expression
of personal and public thought into a pioneering expression of the national socialist
movement. As a result of this ideological transformation and recruitment, artists and
architects were turned into figures who faithfully represented Nazi ideals.

Nazi Period Architecture Examples and Features

Nazi architecture had three different roles in establishing the new order in Germany:
theatrical, symbolic, and didactic. The Nazis perceived architecture as producing buildings
that, in addition to having a certain function, could serve purposes beyond use. The artistic
inspiration that the Nazis took from the Romans, having an ideological meaning, has been
turned into state art. In this context, they tried to reflect this inspiration and ideology in the
characteristics of city planning, squares and buildings.
 City Plans
Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germania)

After winning the war, Hitler was thinking of renovating the capital Berlin to reflect the
fascist ideology from top to bottom. That's why, together with Speer, they prepared a giant
city plan project to represent a great empire that won the war. According to Hitler, Berlin
would become a new German city worthy of a renewed nation. It would show the world the
economic, political, cultural and military power of Germany and the unity of the German
people. With this project, the new Berlin would be divided into two long and very wide
ceremonial boulevards, with two major train stations at either end of the north-south axis. The
main square in the north was to be crowned by a triumphal arch. This triumphal arch, 300
meters wide, 130 meters deep and 128 meters high, would rise above all other buildings in the
region and watch them from above. Along with the victory arch, Volkshalle, which has an
enormous dome and can be seen from everywhere, would be located on this wide street. In
addition, eleven ministries, including a large new town hall, a police station, and land, naval
and air force command buildings, would be on this giant street.

Figure 2: Plan and model of the Welthauptstadt Germania that could not be
realized. (URL 2)

Munich City Plan

Hitler had ideas not only for the capital but also for Munich, an important city for him. Hence,
if the war had been won, the city would have been redesigned to represent the Nazi ideology
and view, just like the Welthauptstadt Germania. Although Hitler assigned his architect Speer
for the renovation of the city of Munich, he personally completed the drawings in the designs
of some projects and presented the architectural projects he designed for Munich

Hitler wanted the structures that would symbolize Nazi Germany to be much larger than the
most magnificent works of the period. For this reason, Hitler's own projects for the city of
Munich included the world's largest obelisk. And the eagle, the symbol of Germany, would be
found on top of that obelisk. In addition, plans for the city of Munich included rebuilding the
Munich Train Station.

Figure 3: Model of the project designed for the city of Munich during the Hitler period.
(URL 3)
Meeting Squares and Stadiums

Party rallies organized by the Nazi party from 1933 to 1938 were held in the German city of
Nuremberg, covering an area of 11 km2 and called "Reichsparteitagsgelände". Of the
designed rally squares, only the Zeppelinfeld and the major road Große Straße could be
completed. Almost all of the designs belong to Adlof Hitler and Albert Speer.

Figure 4: Reichsparteitagsgelände, Nuremberg (URL 4)

Kongresshalle

One of the most important architectural works in the Reichsparteitagsgelände has been the
Kongresshalle (Congress Hall), one of the most important monumental structures and
symbols from the Nazi era. The Kongresshalle was designed by Ludwig Ruff and his son
Franz Ruff, one of the famous architects of the period. According to the planned design, the
Kongresshalle had to have 50,000 seats and the roof of the building had to be built with self-
supporting engineering, which remained only at the project stage. The building is located in
the north-west of the Reichsparteitagsgelände in Nuremberg, in the middle of Lake
Dutzendteich, Große Straße and Luitpoldarena. The design of the Kongresshalle was inspired
by the Colloseum in the city of Rome, which was built during the Ancient Roman period,
especially considering its exterior and layout. Its façade features colonial arrangements,
perfect symmetry and rhythm as in Ancient Roman architecture.

Figure 5: Model and plan of the Kongresshalle. (URL 5, 6)

The height of the structure is 39 meters and the diameter is 250 meters. In addition, the
commonly used material in the building is stone brick, and one facade is completely built with
granite panels. Although the foundation of the Kongresshalle was first built in 1935, the work
has remained incomplete until today, since the roof, which was planned to be built with an
engineering that can carry itself, was never finished.

Figure 6: The current state of the Kongresshalle (URL 7)

Zeppelinfeld

Zeppelinfeld, the most famous rally stadium in Reichsparteitagsgelände, is east of Große

Straße. It was designed by Albert Speer and built at the Reichsparteitagsgelände in
Nuremberg between 1933-1938. The name "Zeppelinfeld" or otherwise known as
"Zeppelinwiese"; It is given to refer to Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin's exact location of the
building, when he landed his zeppelins in 1909.
 Figure 7: Zeppelinfeld in Reichsparteitagsgelände (URL 8)

At the first stage of the construction, a rectangular stone tribune was built on the area where
Zeppelinfeld will sit. This grandstand had a capacity of 240,000 people, together with the
grandstands of the main spectators and the spaced side stands of the rectangular stone towers,
which was a classical style belt where military parades could be viewed. Called the
Zeppelinhaupttribüne, this main grandstand was 360 meters long and had a raised platform for
Adolf Hitler and party members right in the center of the main grandstand. The whole
structure was crowned with a gold-plated cross in a laurel wreath.

Olympiastadion

The most important stadium example outside of the Reichsparteitagsgelände is the

Olympiastadion in Berlin, the first work of the Welthauptstadt Germania project. Hitler gave
importance to the Olympic Games to be held in Berlin in 1936 and commissioned Werner
March, one of the famous architects of the period, and built the Olympiastadion on the
foundations of the Deutsches Stadium between 1934-1936.

Olympiastadion had a tribune of 110,000 people and was located in an area of 1.32 km2. It
also had a section for gymnastic performances, called Maifeld, and a 77-meter-high bell
tower.

Figure 8: Olympiastadion and its plan prepared for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games (URL 9, 10)
Other Public Buildings
Volkshalle
Volkshalle was a monumental building with a huge dome designed by Adolf Hitler and Albert
Speer during the Welthauptstadt Germania project. Planned to be the largest monumental
building in the capital Berlin. This project could not be realized. All of the buildings in the
Welthauptstadt Germania project are designed to sit in the symbolic shadow of the largest
building in Berlin. This structure, which Hitler had dreamed of since his youth, would have
been the largest assembly hall ever.

Figure 9: The plan of the Volkshalle, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome (URL 11)

According to its planned design, it is designed to accommodate between 150,000 and 180,000
people. It is basically a place of worship and It is aimed to have a similar importance to St.
Peter's Basilica. In addition, the dome of the building was planned to bear traces of Roman
Architecture, especially the Pantheon, as in other Nazi Architecture projects.

According to Albert Speer, this structure was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, which Adolf
Hitler personally visited on May 7, 1938. However, Hitler's interest and admiration for the
Pantheon actually dates back to much earlier than his visit. It dates back to his various
Volkshale-like designs he designed and drew in 1925.

Figure 10: Model of Volkshalle showing its colonnade facade and dome (URL 12)

Reichskanzlei: Presidential Building

After Adolf Hitler came to power, he felt that the Reichskanzlei (Presidential Building) did
not reflect the Third Reich central government and regime in design and form, therefore, he
asked Albert Speer to design a new Reichskanzlei (Presidential Building) that would most
accurately reflect the Nazi regime and its ideology. For this purpose, Speer first cleaned all
the buildings around the old Reichskanzlei within exactly one year, and then completed the
design of the building and started its construction.

Figure 11: Reichskanzlei's plan (URL 13)

Hitler wanted grand halls to be built that would leave a good impression inside the building.
Speer was given a blank check. Hitler stated that the price of the project was insignificant and
ordered that the building be of solid construction. He wanted it to be finished the next
January, in time for the next New Year's diplomatic reception to be held in the new building.

At the main entrance of the building were two large bronze statues designed by Arno Breker,
one of the famous German sculptors of the period, to symbolize the German army and the
Nazi Party. The personal office of Adolf Hitler, was 400 square meters in size. The building
had a colonial order in its facades and entrances, and a very hard and authoritative
appearance.

Figure 12: Model of the Reichskanzlei (URL 14)

 Nazi Architecture as Propaganda

Propaganda is an activity that literally means manipulating and using anything that has the
potential to serve it. Therefore, Hitler believed that propaganda was the most important
element in the permanence of power. For this reason, architecture and art were seen as
propaganda materials that could be manipulated and used by the Nazis and were used for this
purpose. This understanding was indeed the duty Hitler envisaged for German artists and
architects. Nazi artists and architects have been provided with a guide that the Nazi
Propaganda Ministry distributed and forced the artists to serve the Third Reich.

All kinds of artistic contributions that would legitimize Hitler's plan and ideals were
considered legitimate and artists and architects were used in the production and popularization
of a national socialist style. With the aforementioned Gesamtkunstwerk, the basic nationalist
sentiments of the people would be stimulated and creative motives would be directed to the
appropriate channels of the race and country.

Figure 13: A view from the rally grounds (URL 15)

However, the art and architecture performed by the Nazis was more than just propaganda. Art
and architecture were the elaborate tools necessary for national socialism to be recognized as
a legitimate political entity. Hitler deemed it necessary to rapidly produce Nazi traditions
through art in order to gain the perception of the people as "leader of the magnificent empire".
For Hitler, cultures and traditions were the basis of enduring legitimacy, but also a powerful
tool for controlling the people. Hitler; He wanted to impose the perception of "we are the
biggest" to his people and to convey his own ideology through these channels with gigantic,
large-scale buildings inspired by the Roman Empire, large rally squares with a large capacity
of people, city squares and plans that highlight these structures. And a people who believed in
this, the army, in short, with the understanding of a country, wanted to provide fear to other
states with such propaganda.
 Conclusion

Architecture and art, which were used as propaganda material to increase the power of the
Nazis, could provide this power with the environment Hitler sought and the area of influence
he desired. At that time, the military achievements gained on the battlefields were wanted to
be immortalized with new artifacts to be designed for cities. Adolf Hitler designed the
projects with Albert Speer, the chief architect he chose for him. These projects include almost
all buildings from all other city plans, such as the reconstruction of the capital Berlin, sports
complexes, meeting areas and other public buildings. The most famous buildings designed
during the Nazi Germany period have been rally areas. Because with these new physical
environments created, Nazi ideology could be more easily implanted in the German people.
On the days considered national and sacred, the glorious parades, which were shown with the
participation of hundreds of thousands of Germans, were made entirely for propaganda. Nazi
Architecture, a versatile and carefully designed propaganda program by Adolf Hitler and
Albert Speer himself, became a communication force that could more easily express and
instill Nazi ideology and lifestyle in the public. In this way, artistic and cultural production
legitimized the Nazi regime in the eyes of the people and strengthened the power of the
government, and in this environment of power, the masses could be manipulated more easily
and quickly.

As a result, Nazi architecture became a kind of "manipulated" architecture that Hitler used
both as a state program and as a propaganda tool, in addition to the rules and objectives set by
the architectural discipline. The projects designed with state programs and support have
evolved in the way that Nazi understanding comes to life by integrating and embodying art
and architecture in order to ensure that all Nazi ideologies and ideals are more easily instilled
into the people and to create the communication between the state and the people.

Figure 13: 1937 "workers rally" (URL 16)

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