Photos of German postwar reconstruction

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rob in cal
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Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#1

Post by rob in cal » 21 Oct 2013, 19:10

I've been looking around for photos of the reconstruction of bombed out German cities. There are of course lots of photos of the destroyed German cities of 1945, but I'm looking for photos of those cities as they were being rebuilt (which was when? by the late 1940's, deep into the 1950's, not sure exactly). Thanks for any links.

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Helmut0815
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#2

Post by Helmut0815 » 21 Oct 2013, 21:13

Rebuilding of the destroyed german cities started at zero hour in May 45.

Here are some photos from 1945 - 1950: http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub ... tion_id=14

regards

Helmut


rob in cal
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#3

Post by rob in cal » 21 Oct 2013, 23:18

Thanks for link.
One question I have is at what point in time most German cities were mostly repaired and rebuilt. Maybe not every building, but let us say the majority of the damage was gone and one could hardly tell there had been terrible destruction? Was this by the mid-1950's? My step-father was stationed in Germany in 1955-56 and studied there as well and he remembers Germany looking like one giant construction site. Sadly I never asked him for the full details of his time there before his passing last year.

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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#4

Post by Cerdic » 05 Mar 2014, 19:59

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo ... 56829.html (photo gallery)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/ger ... 02856.html

German cities in the 1950s http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 9#p1849996

In the book In the Wake of War, the author places the end of the period of reconstruction at between 1955 and 1960. This was the time when rubble was , repairs made and the first new housing developments completed.He says that half of the rubble covering Germany was cleared by 1951, and that which was left was not always clearly visible.

After 1955-1960, new building was known as Newbau rather than Wiederaufbau. Large new housing developments continued all through the 1960s and early 70s.

However- the question of reconstruction refers to the clearing of rubble and the general initial reconstruction of the cities to their pre-war state. That was almost all achieved by 1960. :)

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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#5

Post by Greg-H » 21 Mar 2014, 04:40

Reconstruction might be too generous of a word in this instance.

Before the war Germany's cities were arguably among the most beautiful in the world. Not so today where, with a handful of exceptions, they clearly rank among the ugliest.

And after even the great, great, great grandchildren of the wars victims are long dead and buried, this legacy will endure forevermore.

Image Stuttgart's Marktplatz then...

Image and now.

James A Pratt III
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#6

Post by James A Pratt III » 20 Apr 2014, 00:20

I think there is at least one book I think the title is "Come as a Conquerer" which deals with the US army of postwar occupation in Germany.

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BillHermann
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#7

Post by BillHermann » 25 Apr 2014, 09:48

Greg-H wrote:Reconstruction might be too generous of a word in this instance.

Before the war Germany's cities were arguably among the most beautiful in the world. Not so today where, with a handful of exceptions, they clearly rank among the ugliest.

And after even the great, great, great grandchildren of the wars victims are long dead and buried, this legacy will endure forevermore.

Image Stuttgart's Marktplatz then...

Image and now.
I Will tread lightly here but your comment astounds me, It's a matter of taste.

German pre war architecture certainly is beautiful and there is still much of it left. Having lived there I can say this. Also some pre war architecture has been torn down due to development, all has not changed due to the war.

Hitler even tore down historical buildings, in fact he had plans to redevelop some of the larger cities.

Plus there is much beauty in Italy, France and Spain for example.

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Helmut0815
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#8

Post by Helmut0815 » 26 Apr 2014, 22:55

Greg-H wrote:Before the war Germany's cities were arguably among the most beautiful in the world. Not so today where, with a handful of exceptions, they clearly rank among the ugliest.
One of the exceptions: Münster
ms_1920.jpg
Münster 1920
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ms_destruction_1945.jpg
1945, 91% of the old city destroyed
ms_destruction_1945.jpg (54.96 KiB) Viewed 5898 times
ms_1945.jpg
1945
ms_1945.jpg (71.52 KiB) Viewed 5898 times
ms_1949.jpg
Reconstruction 1949
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ms_present.jpg
Present
ms_present.jpg (73.1 KiB) Viewed 5898 times

regards

Helmut

Greg-H
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#9

Post by Greg-H » 29 Apr 2014, 04:06

Helmut0815 wrote:
Greg-H wrote:Before the war Germany's cities were arguably among the most beautiful in the world. Not so today where, with a handful of exceptions, they clearly rank among the ugliest.
One of the exceptions: Münster

Helmut
Bravo! Well done indeed :D

Greg-H
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#10

Post by Greg-H » 29 Apr 2014, 04:26

BillHermann wrote:Plus there is much beauty in Italy, France and Spain for example.
Well yeah, and in the Czech Republic, Holland, Poland and Switzerland too. Pretty much everywhere in Europe actually.

Aside for Germany that is.

And yes, Germany still possesses a few gems like Görlitz , Heidelberg and parts of Münster and Dresden. But not many :(

Paul D
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#11

Post by Paul D » 08 May 2014, 11:35

I think that many German cities hold a great deal of beauty, granted the modern rebuild is not always as pretty but in comparison to many towns/cities in the UK? (1970's concrete leaves a lot to be desired)
baor-locations.org is a site regarding the use of barracks after the war. some are more relevant to your search than others. Bielefeld took a surprising walloping and is of some interest in particular the viaduct outside the town. the photos also demostrate the inaccuracy of allied bombing. the area is now a lake (obersee) as it was easier to flood the area than to deal with the unexploded ordanance.
i also no that the Hameln museum has a lot of information on the town. i'm visiting the area in June to see the barracks before they shut.
Wurzburg is one of the gems lisited above

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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#12

Post by Cerdic » 15 Jun 2014, 15:01

Here are some from Dueren, one of the most heavily destroyed towns in all of Germany

http://www.geschichtswerkstatt-dueren.d ... ilder.html

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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#13

Post by Greg-H » 18 Jul 2014, 03:31

Cerdic wrote:Here are some from Dueren, one of the most heavily destroyed towns in all of Germany

http://www.geschichtswerkstatt-dueren.d ... ilder.html
It's a rather mediocre looking locale nowadays I'm afraid.

The Rathaus before...

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And now...

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Looks like a 1950's high school :cry:

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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#14

Post by Cerdic » 23 Jul 2014, 20:10

More before and after. Hannover Sources: Wikipedia, Deutsche Kaiserreich website, Metapedia (warning: neo-Nazi site), HAZ.de, etc.

More before and after - Hannover.

Before the war

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1945

Hannover in Trümmern / Bildergalerien Hauschild / Damals in Hannover / Themen / Hannover - HAZ - Hannoversche Allgemeine

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Post-war

Film und Geschichte - Hannover nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg

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Trümmerräumung in der Georgstraße im Oktober 1950. Im Hintergrund ist das Kaufhaus Karstadt* zu sehen.

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Die Vahrenwalder Straße war noch im März 1951 ein Trümmerfeld.

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Beseitigung der Trümmer und Wiederaufbau des Opernhauses, hier im Januar 1950.

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Die Neustädter Kirche im August 1952. Links sind die die Calenberger Straße und der Brunnen auf dem Neustädter Markt zu sehen, vorne die Archivstraße, dahinter die Rote Reihe.

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Das im Krieg zerstörte Opernhaus wurde bis zum Jahr 1950 in akribischer Arbeit wieder aufgebaut.

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1954: Langsam kam der Wiederaufbau der Innenstadt voran, hier das Steintor.

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1949 beginnen Handwerker den Wiederaufbau des Daches der zerstörten Marktkirche.



Today

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Pforzheim

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1945

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Now - Pforzheim was rebuilt in a modern style, little of the old architecture and charm is left.

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Nuremberg

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1945


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Postwar

Nürnberg, 1953: Die Königstraße in Nürnberg bei Nacht.
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Die nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg zerstörte Frauenkirche wird 1953 wieder eingeweiht.

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Am 26.11.1954 wurde die neu errichtete Museumsbrücke feierlich dem Verkehr übergeben.

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1955
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Nürnberger Altstadt, 1969

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Today - was rebuilt to be almost an exact replica of the pre-war style

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Würzburg

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1945

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16. März 1945 - die Zerstörung von Würzburg - Bilder, Hintergründe und Informationen | http://www.wuerzburg-fotos.de

Würzburg 1966-67

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Cerdic
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Re: Photos of German postwar reconstruction

#15

Post by Cerdic » 23 Jul 2014, 20:13

Heilbronn. Sources: Deutsche Keiserreich website, Wikipedia, Stadtgesichte Heilbronn, nemet_sorstragedia.lorincz-veger.hu

Heilbronn

Pre war

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1945

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[img]http://nemet_sorstragedia.lorincz-veger.hu/photos/heilbronn_03.jpg[/img]

[img]http://nemet_sorstragedia.lorincz-veger.hu/photos/heilbronn_09.jpg[/img]

Post war

Stadtgeschichte Heilbronn: Wiederaufbau

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1950
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Kilianskirche; 1950
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Town centre 1955
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Today

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