Christoph Neubauer wrote:Greetings Christoph Neubauer,
...What really intrigued is that you said your work extended to the earlier Weimar Erweiterungsbau era - Extension building. To some frustration, have never come across a ground plan (only the upper floor from old 1928 book on the Reichskanzlerpalais) of the Seidler building. I wonder if you might humor me and say if I am correct that this forms the ground lower hall of the building corresponding to the hall with the offices (and Hitler balcony Chancellor's office) one floor above? It really seems to me these two pictures form a unit, the doors seem to be common to the two rooms and curious to test my observations. My guess is the first one - which call AnnexEntrance - if you go out to the left you come out onto Wilhemstrasse through the well known door with the two No.78 lamps by it, to left (south) of balcony. The second picture almost looks like it is further beyond, to the right on the first picture. The next room over. The doors seem to match?
Danke großartig for any light shed,
Palaisfan
Hi Palaisfan
Sorry I did not intend to „kill” your work . You are right if you say that not all the books on the market are very helpful. In fact, they are more confusing than helpful.
The plan of 1928 you mentioned is one of two plans and part of the confusion. This plans have been created for Pünders book “Zur Geschichte des Reichskanzlerpalais und der Reichskanzlei” (but the gound floor plan has only been published in the special edition) and is based on the first plans made up by Siedler in 1928 for the new Chancellery building. However, during construction, many details of Siedlers plans had been changed for practical purposes. Because of that, you will not be able to match the photos you posted to the plan. It is because the plan in Pünders book is missing a door to the usher room. Originally, Siedler did only plan to build one door (from the passage, between the entrance door and the Halle, into the usher room). During contractions, they changed their mind and constructed another door leading from the “Halle” into the room of the usher too.
This means your first photo shows (as you presumed right) the Halle facing south.
Door 1 – leading to the room of the criminal police
Door 2 – main entrance door
Door 3 – door to the room of the usher
Door 4 – door to the waiting room (this door is hidden by the open door 3)
The Halle was not located directly under the Durchgangssaal (the hall with the offices). It was located rather under the Vorhalle south of the Durchgangssaal and partly (the southern half) under the court between Borsig Palais and Siedlerbau.
Your last photo has been taken more from the middle of the Halle into the same direction as pic 1, showing the above described doors 2-4 in the Halle.
I hope I was able to help.
Christoph
Hi Christoph,
First off, thank you so much for indulging my question. As to my work, it was far exceeded by and it is good made unnecessary given your statement: "
The questions of Br. James show me that people are still very interested in the Chancellery. I am therefore also trying since many years to build up a recherché center just for the history of the Chancellery. In 15 years of recherché, I found so many interesting construction plans and photos never seen before. Almost every important room is documented" and I have been delighted to see it all done so much better. The modeling is mind-boggling. In fact, it is also a delight just to hear the level of research that went into them which is as suspected. This means the scenes can be treated like the photograph quality they appear. This as you know is not always true of reconstructions of buildings of the past on other websites.
My interest was great and as you see in-depth, but was more basic in how began. I had no such great ambitions as to reconstruct the whole complex -- I merely wanted to know the placement of various photos have seen and figure out text descriptions like with other great palaces or ruler seats like the Tuileries (hence my handle). This is why it `being killed' by greater work is so much the better.
The events of the bunker also led to getting interested in the entire setting and one thing led to another.
Your post was very helpful and gracious. Every location and term description you mentioned make perfect sense to me. My guess
was close, but the biggest surprise was learning the ground floor Halle occupied space under the small courtyard south, and the Vorhalle, rather than a bit north, directly under the Durchgangsaal.
If the ground floor plan was never published in the first Pünder book (As you realized I was going by the standard edition and have only seen the upper No.1 floor plan -- I did not know there was a special edition) and changed it explains much. (I had used that book in figuring out aspects of the Old RK or Reichskanzlerpalais) So it means these two photos are the same room, and not the Waiting Room which is what thought it might be. The Waiting Room in fact must be rather smaller and narrower than would have guessed and a different space, as it is to the south side of the No.78 main entrance clearly.
I had wondered where these birthday greetings were being signed in the 1930's. As you probably surely know, in the new RK, they were signed in the Borsig ground floor at the corner of the main hall. (Took a while to figure that one out).
Once again, my greatest thanks,
- Palaisfan
