Hi! You should really make a video about the restoration of the Buda castle in Hungary, Budapest. The restoration works are called the Hauszmann Program, they have a really cool facebook page where they communicate all the developments about the project. They are very passionate about restoring the castle to its pre 1945 glory. I am sure they would love to host you, speak with you about history, architecture and show you around the castle.
Never understood why some people prefer soulless tetris blocks, but at the same time go on trips and vacation to visit historic towns. It doesnt make sense
I think a lot of it is that they don't think it's possible anymore. Modern architects, architect schools, and modernist administrators have convinced nearly everyone that it can't be done, and they'll stick with that no matter how often it's shown not to be true. These schools actually train their students to see ugly, hideous things as beautiful. It's monstrous.
Its simple, building beautiful is expensive. Wealthy people are concern in making the most profit as much as possible meanwhile goverment beuracrats are concern in spending the least amount of money as possible. The majority of people care but not too much to do something about it as long as they could own a property cheaply or cheaply as it could get. Without civilians intervention and philanthropist donors, building ugly is normalized.
@@beyondborderfilms4352Bureaucrats don't spend the least amount of money... wth are you talking about? Cheap buildings are cheap only short term. Longterm you want houses that people care about for hundreds of years. The socialists destroy both the history and the beauty, since it reminds people of the transcendental and elevates them, instead of keeping them dependent on the oppressive state.
@@beyondborderfilms4352 Nothing is as expensive as the crazy contorted buildings of today. And they don't even last. Building to last in the long run is cheaper. We've heard over and over that it's too expensive, but as his series here has shown, it's not necessarily so. Mostly it's architects and town planners that dismiss beauty as a concern that tell us it can't be done. It's a lie. In addition, municipal buildings can be built beautifully, and will last, and that builds the skill sets to improve what can be done residentially. Building a palace is expensive, yes, but we're not talking about everyone having a palace.
I was born in Potsdam and grow up there. Every time when i'm back i have the feeling like an old man (i'm 23) because there where once was nothing where is now a Palast back. Old buildings have been reshaped and are now renovated. The Grey of East Germany was replace by the colours of the Baroque and Classicism. Slowly Potsdam cames back to It's old Beauty.
Once was nothing? The "Grey" of East Germany? Many of the buildings in that video were actually rebuilt by the DDR just like it rebuilt many cities in the exact same way.
23... so just old enough to not have seen it when it was still cared for. After 1990 the green spaces around that area were totally neglected. There were flower beds, trees, statues, and other art pieces all over the place. All of that was removed piece by piece. Some were moved to the Freundschaftsinsel, some are still in storage, and some were destroyed. Sure, the DDR architecture relied heavily on concrete - it was cheap and easily manufactured and there was a whole country to rebuild after all. No one had a use or money to rebuild a baroque castle after the monarchy ended. But there still was a lot more to it than just "grey". BTW, West Germany did build very much in the same style. The Ruhrgebiet was just as "grey".
@@Maximilien1794 I relate to the nothing on the square where the castle now stands. As far as the grey is concerned, many of the normal old buildings were in a bad state, had no colour and the stucco was in poor condition. This has largely been restored. In addition, the GDR demolished many buildings that were in good condition, for example in Hermann Elflein Straße.
@@Nico6th I was thinking the same when I saw the video. I'm 36 so I still saw the area around the Bibliothek (the yellow-ish Mies van der Rohe rip off building for all the non-Potsdamers) in a state of relative care. I actually liked the green spaces. The grass, the bushes and trees, the benches, the flower beds, the collonades and ofc the Staudenhof in the back with its pergolas and fountains. The whole complex was very pedestrian-friendly and provided a bit of breathing room in the city centre. It was not ugly, just a different kind of beauty. I really hope that they don't forget to insert some green spaces in between the reconstructed blocks. Let's see.
My great grandfather was an architect/builder in Potsdam who eventually immigrated to New York City-just in time for the post-civil war building boom. I knew none of this history when I was in architecture school, but now it has great meaning to me. Hooray for these architects willing to help rebuild Potsdam.
@@AlexandervonGoldstein You have the name Goldstein, so it‘s pretty obvious that your family is Jewish but that doesn’t mean that it was the same with her grandfather.
100% - right now they do buy art, but it’s bananas sticked to walls with duct tape… which could be some form of tax evasion, I don’t know, but by building things most people like they would actually get goodwill
Being resentful of people just because they have money is a true waste of time, and wears on one's soul. Like in every other part of life, there are good people and bad. The good far outweighs the bad. It's just such a smaller group, that the few bad really stick out.
in potsdam, the people are still resentful towards them. for they buy their will - regardless of tenthousands of votes or inhabitants signatures. people have an innate feeling of fairness.
I was in Potsdam in 2015 and again in 2024, the difference is striking and inspiring. So great to see a place embracing its beautiful classic heritage instead of the ugly modernistic minimalism.
As an American, seeing this town which was formerly under the GDR be rebuilt, truly gives me hope that the same could eventually happen in the United States.
"Under the GDR" - what does that mean? It was part of GDR, end of story. Don't ask too many of the former GDR citizens how they feel about the town they built being torn down. Some buildings were ugly as F, but others clearly were removed for political reasons and replaced with more expensive, less useful builds.
Man I hope it so much for you. American cities where so insanely beautiful before car infrastructure destroyed them. I saw a lot of videos which compared American cities before and after the car and it's really traumatizing what Americans did do their cities without even having a devastating war like Europe (which doesn't mean we didn't destroy a lot of old buildings for cars too).
You should really take a deep look into photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s in the US, it was filled with beautiful one-of-a-kind architecture. Seriously unique looks to every single major city. It will shock you, it is otherworldly, like a different looking timeline.
Wow, Potsdam shows how it should be done! Even though they still have a long way to go, it already looks impressive and makes me want to visit it soon. Great video btw!
Potsdam may still have a lot of scarves but tbh even without the newest reubuilds it already had more castles and prussian architecture than almost any other city in Germany. So saying "it has a long way to go" is a bit off. Jena has a long way to go. But not Potsdam.
@@vomm I understand what you mean. In this case, I'm referring to the central part of the city. There are still a lot of not-so-pretty buildings and empty holes in many parts of this area. Rebuilding them into their former glory will take time, probably decades. But they are making great progress.
I would be willing to bet there are a lot of sneerers, especially amongst the worldwide architectural community. They would condemn the efforts here as "pastiche" and artificial. That is what has happened at Clandon Park in Surrey, England, two miles from my home which burnt down in 2016. There are no plans to return this 300 year Grade I listed Palladian mansion whose walls still stand to its former glory. It's to become a ruin with a cafe. I am surprised they did not just knock it down and build a suburban housing estate. The problem with reinstating former buildings is that they never use land as efficiently as purpose-built, high density developments. As Britain's population increases by almost one million per year mainly through immigration and local municipalities are given mandatory targets on numbers of dwellings whose plans they must approve and with shortages of land which can easily be developed, I cannot see the UK ever doing anything similar to this (only Poundbury in Dorset built by King Charles when he was Duke of Cornwall springs to mind). Where I live, one can see extensions to existing old houses and infilling of all the gaps between them including building of dwellings on gardens of any size alongside them and buikdings with 12 floors anongst much older buildings with far fewer. I assume also tgat it is merely the facades of tge old buildings in Potsdam which are being recreated with no attempt to recreate the original interiors. Am I right, I wonder?
Lima is restoring its city center as well, look it up, its and ongoing process but they recently secured a high % of sales tax to be devoted to funding it and a major work to recover a major road that demolished buildings will be restored.
Wonderful! How are they going about that? I’ve been in Lima once, it needed some love, but it did have some amazing buildings in downtown. The city has grown so much that it seems the historical center is surrounded by a concrete jungle, I hope they can introduce true Lima ‘genius loci’ in Lima again! Thanks for watching 🙏🏼
@@the_aesthetic_city Pending on how long ago you came to Lima, you could find a drastically different city. (the concrete jungle surrounding it hasn't improved much though xD) It started about 5 years ago but it has really picked up the pace after the pandemic ended. A new institution, PROLIMA, was created to manage the 40 historic city blocks of the city center, the idea is to restore its buildings using the original designs, colors, and overall architecture. Basically, if everything goes well you'll be able to experience Lima as it was at the height of the Viceregal era once the project is completed. So far they've restored many streets, monuments and specially churches. But what's coming now is gonna be much bigger. There is a law that has assigned a permanent budget to PROLIMA (so, independent of the wills of the city mayor, although so far they have contributed greatly), as i mentioned a % of the sales tax of the city center will directly go to fund it. Now they will restore a major avenue, by eliminating it, and making it go underground. While creating a walkable linear park filled with monuments and greenery + restoration of all the buildings that line it ofc. The Rimac river will also be restored to how it was during the Viceroyal times which was a pleasant meadow and park that you could walk and even fish for crabs in the river. (at least for a few km, the river is very long) Its in Spanish but this is the River project: th-cam.com/video/_rgtWp9UzMA/w-d-xo.html This is a more overall look at the project: th-cam.com/video/MMuCCi7f2xE/w-d-xo.html Ofc people are loving it, Lima was abandoned, almost destroyed by neglect, overcrowding and failed concepts of "modernization" since the 40's until the 2010s I enjoy your channel very much! and am endless frustrated by my architect friends who are in a incestuous "love" relationship with Le Corbusier, its acolytes and Brutalism. But i think their days are numbered, their architecture style is just plain ugly xD
Lima should not start with pimping their buildings but with building a *dense* network of tramlines throughout the city. Dense = a tram stop every 500 meters throughout the whole city. And then they should make crossing streets and roads safer - there are hardly any crosswalks - neither with nor without redlights - not even on 4 lane roads in the middle of the city. I was in Lima twice and hated it - it's a city for car drivers but not for pedestrians.
@@svenlima We can do both. But also realize the difference in scope. Lima center is 40 square blocks 300 thousand people. You are talking about fixing traffic on a 12 million city. I hate that part of Lima too, the crazy part is that its infrastructure is made to accommodate people originally but the Car and Bus "mafia" pushed for destruction of mass transit since the 40s. We used to have tramlines everywhere and buses to compliment. lima is building 1 new metro line, 2 more new ones are going to start construction late 2025 or early 2026, Exclusive Bus lines are expanding and avenues that should've been completed 30-50 years ago are finally being built to completion. There is a new law that passed not 2 years ago that closes the door on insane bureaucracy that prevented the use of public land that was "invaded" by people to build homes or businesses. And it was extremely painful and long to expropriate it would outlive any Mayor in office so they stopped pushing for it and decided to just expand existing roads and make "traffic" a priority. I can't say when there will be a government that will take pedestrians seriously, this is supposedly already happening but the traffic is so bad people are more focused on the big picture and not how to improve the quality of life of pedestrians, which is what really should matter more.
People forget that the architect behind a building is usually someone who has only looked over the safety and technical aspects of the building. Usually whoever’s name is on the project just put the stamp on it because a design can’t pass through unless stamped by a person with a license.
I note the democratic element in the rebuilding of Potsdam (and Dresden, and Warsaw). This is critical, but too many architects are trained in an ideological way in architecture schools. They frequently (and usually) ignore local preferences for so-called 'older' or more 'traditional' architecture and town planning.
In the Hamburg district where I worked, an architect built a new house with an "old facade" so that it would fit in better with the existing houses. Many other architects think they have to express themselves and do not pay attention to the existing architecture, and then after a few decades a district looks like a strange patchwork of old and new.
" looks like a strange patchwork of old and new". I think you are desc ribing Brussels here; that's actually called brusselization... a good example of what not to do when renovating an old city.
Except, you know, there was no existing architecture of this ilk there when they started building this, and working cities always change spottily, one fresh building at a time. What's happening here is you want to live in Disneyland.
People are always blaming architects but I never hear them directly adressing the people who actually pay for these buildings and decide "oh that's good enough". Those are even more 'to blame'.
@@jfrancobelge Bruxelles est une vraie honte. On détruit le patrimoine des Belges, et les Belges s'en foutent. Ou comment donner raison aux Français qui se moquent du QI des Belges
Britain could learn something from Germany when it comes to this stuff 👏 We have a joke in Britain, "the post-war 'modernist' architects did more damage to British cities than the Luftwaffe ever did."
As a matter of fact the same really is true for the RAF and Bremen and Hamburg. The latter lost 60% more buildings in the years after the war than in it. Tragic.
Britain should tart to adopt traditional arabic architecture like from umayyad renaissance imagine incorporating some alhambra'like buildings into modern brittish cityscape. Allahu Akbar brother
Writer JRR Tolkien wrote to his wife Edith how much he opposed the carpet bombing, since they have no military value, and they destroy buildings from ancient civilizations, like the Roman ruins in Cologne
@@EkoFranko The Alhambra is an absolute marvel of architechture, but I wonder whether that style could organically be incorporated into british city scapes. Not saying that it isn't possible, I'm actually wondering
I used to live in Potsdam during my childhood, I remember hating the old marketplace, because of the endless construction sites. Now I appreciate the revival of this pearl of an city. Potsdam will forever be my home, but my current home city of Stralsund is also pretty nice.
Da haben wir getauscht. Ich bin von Stralsund nach Potsdam gezogen. Zum Glück ist Potsdam mittlerweile genauso schön wie Stralsund -auch wenn im Heiligen See baden nicht dasselbe wie die Ostsee ist. Leider hat sich Stralsund im Gegensatz zu Potsdam in jüngerer Zeit aber auch einige stadtarchitektonische Schnitzer geleistet. Ich denke da vor allem ans Ozeanum, der überdimensionierten Klorolle, die die Silhouette der Stadt nachhaltig verschandelt, naja.
Places in the US need the Potsdam-touch. If you look at old footage of Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland and Atlantic City, all had beautiful buildings and architecture. Today, they are shells of their former glory. Meanwhile, there are numerous places in Germany that could use rebuilding, many of the eyesores in Western Germany along with Chemnitz in Saxony.
My Grandparents payed a very large amount to the "Frauen Kirche" to rebuild it. To this day there is a panel with a special thanks to the company.I am very proud to be the great son of the big sponsor! (Unfortunately the company had to close down in 2007 but the church is now the remaining honor of the company.
Always have been an admirer of your videos. It is the architecture that makes and strengthens communities by giving you a sense of belonging. Your point on billionaires spending on yachts is well made.
"It is the architecture that makes and strengthens communities"... uh, don't say that in Potsdam. The whole rebuilding has done more damage to the community than strengthening it, especially that church rebuild. Lots of controversies, lots of fighting over tax money, lots of debates as to whether the government needs a castle and so on.
if they are to be ashamed of something, be of history, not of present german culture and identity, you might even help prevent these dark chapters of history from happening again by doing popular decisions like this making people love their democracy and not alienating people desire for belonging, connection to their surroundings and reassurance by continuity, otherwise it would help lead them right into the arms of autocracy simps again.
We are not ashamed of our culture but we are and we should be aware of our past. The Nazis were the darkest part of human history. And sadly the people back then said nothing against them. We can and we must learn from our past. So no vote for the far right! And by the way, why do we need patriotism? The most modern countries have less patriotism. I have other things to be proud of than my country. However I am happy to live in Germany.
As a Swiss citizen without any war in the last century I can tell you ; it’s the car who destroyed our cities in the 50’s and 60’s - worldwide ! Reconstruction of livable city centers would take too long in the US - for example. Imagine the time it would take to transform a city with 50% car parks…from where should come the money and the tenants ?
Developers in the United States would love to get their hands in all those car parks. But they're not willing to cut into their profits by creating mass transit. It's a vicious cycle.
As someone from Potsdam, I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that you visited here. Thank you for the incredible videos you always create, they mean so much!
Haha, really awesome you talked with my father - Thomas Albrecht - about the Barberini and Potsdam! I visited the sites in various states of development, and it was always so interesting !
We definitely need a project like this in Rio de janeiro, in my opinion the city lost took much of it's identity over the years. Many of the 1880 and 1920 builds have been demolished or simply abandoned even when they are actually historical, like the house of Jose Bonifácio one of the founding father of Brazil. Today the city downtown is horrible, it has degrated modern buildings and it's quite hard to live in them. I hope one day Rio goes back to it's old glory.
@the_aesthetic_city Brazil is great man. Cities like Rio, Ouro preto and Gramado are wonderful. One day I would like you to do a video about Brazilia, Brazil's capital it's a great example of how not to build a capital city.
It brings me a lot of joy to see the restoration of both Potsdam's Alter Markt and the Stadtschloß in Berlin. The amount of restoration in Potsdam since my initial visit there in 2010 is astounding.
I largely agree; arriving for the first time back in Potsdam in years and see it transformed was quite the experience. I do have some issues with how these buildings are used, though, particularly in Berlin: it's all very much aimed at wealthy boomers, it seems.
@@bomcabedal yeah, the apartments in those rebuilt houses in Potsdam are absolutely unaffordable. They sell for millions. As for the castle in Berlin: who the h*ck came up with the waterfront facade??? it ruins the whole building and it's what most tourists see when they take one of the many city river cruises. -.-'
@@Nico6th I don't mind that façade all that much, to be honest. It blends in with the architecture around it just as much as the baroque façade matches Unter den Linden.
Well I don‘t know- history and architecture should be growing and evolving, just rebuilding the old seems to me to be some sort of kitschy Disneyworld….
@@katinsu7700 I agree. Otherwise we could go back even further and rebuild the old castle/fortress that existed before the Stadtschloss in Potsdam was build. I still think that a lot of modern architecture is remarkably bland and void of creativity. It's not always the architects fault, but still. Just add a little "something". Anything that makes it more than just rectangular concrete.
How wonderful this is.As an American of German descent whose family came from Hannover in the 19th Century this makes me very happy!I hope a movement arises to rebuild some of the great rooms inside the Berlin City Palace including the great staircase!❤️
I love baroque buildings but here it's like turning Potsdam into Disneyland. Post WWII buildings are also historical buildings. Erasing them is erasing a part of our history and art. Maybe 400 years from now, people will say "How stupid it was to destroy those buildings"... Remember that from the Renaissance up to the 18th century, people hated gothic architecture. Today who would say that a gothic cathedral is ugly?
Hello from London uk - this is WONDERFUL - bravo and well done on correcting the wrongs of the past - I for one can’t wait to see the new old Potsdam xx🎉🎉🎉🎉 BRAVO ❤❤❤❤
Please don't call it "wrongs of the past". After the war people did their best to clean up the rubble and start over. They rebuilt their city in the style of their time. Concrete was cheap and easy to produce, so that's what was used. A lot of people who are now in their 60s/70s are quite sad to see the buildings of their youth destroyed when some could very well have been saved and renovated. No one needed a castle after 1945 or had the money for it. That created a huge empty space in the city center which was filled with trees, flower beds, and, yes, a parking lot. Which was quite practical for the churchgoers and the students at the new college that was built there. As for the "wrongs of the past": that's a good argument for why we maybe should NOT rebuild that church... Because the biggest "wrong" of all times visited that place.
@@resireg Of course they were. They were ruins. For a lot of buildings there just was no way to save them. The bricks were reused whenever possible. Some statues and ornaments were saved too, though maybe some more were saveable. People were worried about where they would get their next meal, where their children would sleep the next night and which soldiers to trust or not to trust. Potsdam was bombed only once and ended up with ~60k homeless people. Other cities had it way worse. Add to that the refugees from the east and you can see how "saving ruins" was the last thing people cared about at that point. Rebuilding culture always starts after the more imminent things are taken care of: shelter, food, safety, medical care, infrastructure, schools, a somewhat functioning governement, etc.
@Nico6th I see things differently. Stalin wanted to punish the entire German civilization. It was not a communist promise, but a Russian one. Catherine tried and failed, Tsarina Elizaveta almost did it and pretty much every Russian Tsar tried to and failed. The ones like Tsar Paul, who were friendly with Germans were assassinated by their own staff. So I see the loot and destruction of German History as collective punishment by jealous neighbors. And one reason why castles and churches are destroyed is to prevent any tourism development. For example, France wanted no competition with Paris, so they participated in the destruction. UK the same, their motivation was to make sure that the baroque and rococo architecture in Munich, Dresden was erased, in order to make sure there was nothing for tourists to see. This way they would make money with the hotels, restaurants and shopping. They don't accept competition
Probably the best video I have seen about the fascinating development of Potsdam. It is a signal to people in other cities, demonstrating that beautiful buildings are still possible in today's era of concrete and steel. Help spread the word!
*** there is a German version below*** Hi, I live and study in Potsdam, and over the past few years, I had been occasionally interestet in the city's development. That’s why I found the video especially interesting. However, despite the good research and the good summary of Potsdam's history, I have a few points of criticism that might not be as evident to someone who doesn’t live here. I felt that a second perspective was missing, but I can also understand if that would have exceeded the scope of the video. Therefore, I would like to attempt to give a brief overview of some of these points. 1. Many of the new construction projects currently being built are perceived by many people here as lifeless and resembling movie sets. There’s the impression that they only serve the purpose of boosting tourism, rather than improving the quality of life in the city. 2. In the process of rebuilding these Kaiser-era buildings, significant structures from the more recent German history have been demolished. In the video, the woman from "Mitteschön" conveyed that you can’t choose your history. However, that is exactly the impression one gets in Potsdam. Many important buildings with significant historical value, such as the Rechenzentrum or the former Institut für Lehrerbildung from the GDR era, are currently being erased to make way for the glorification of the Prussian era. 3. After the reunification, many of the long-neglected buildings, which were described in the video as "ugly blocks," offered space for a young, alternative, and progressive youth culture that over the years developed into an integral part of the city's arts and culture scene. Yet, this part of the cultural scene is often overlooked by conservative forces in the local politics. This is especially frustrating for young people, who often feel neglected. As result many young people are leaving the city to move to places like Berlin or Leipzig. 4. There is a strong impression that many of the new buildings in recent years serve only therfor to attract millionaires and the higher-earning people to the city. Affordable housing for people with lower incomes, such as students, is hardly being created. Unfortunately, I have personally experienced over the past three years that students often have to move out due to the rapid rise in rents. 5. The Garnisonkirche: This church embodies many of the conflicts mentioned above. As a Prussian military church, admired by Hitler, it has a dark past. Its supporters argue that the reconstruction should serve as a memorial for this horrific time. However, it is hard to believe this when considering that some of the financial supporters of the reconstruction are former National Socialists, and the project is also supported by modern-day neo-Nazis. Additionally, the former Rechenzentrum, an iconic building from the GDR era were the East German and Soviet space missions were pland and controlled, is supposed to be demolished to make way for the church’s reconstruction. Futhermore the Rechenzentrum is now an alternative cultural center with hundreds of small studios and exhibitions, offering space for art, dance, theater, and music, and plays an important role in Potsdam’s cultural scene. I fully understand that city planning and development are always a compromise between that what must be sacrificed to create space for the new and what is worth preserving and should therefore be protected. However, in a livable city, there should be space for everyone, and all perspectives should be included in the decision-making process. Unfortunately, many people here feel like they have little participation in the development of Potsdam. It rather seems like wealthy individuals are relentlessly pushing their vision of a shining, Prussian Disneyland, flattening everything that stands in the way of that dream without regard. Thank you for reading through all of this. I hope I was able to offer a different perspective on the topic. Feel free to visit Potsdam, I really like the city, and besides the typical tourist attractions, you should also check out some of the more hidden places like the Freiland, the Archiv, the "Casino" at the University of Applied Sciences (it’s just ist name, not a real casino ;) ), the Lottenhof, the Olga, the Projekt Hause Babelsberg, and of course the Rechenzentrum, along with many others. Greetings from the capital of Brandenburg! :D ***German*** Hi, ich lebe und studiere in Potsdam und habe mich in den letzten Jahren immer mal wieder mit der Potsdamer Stadtentwicklung auseinandergesetzt. Daher fand ich das Video besonders interessant. Ich muss jedoch, trotz der guten Recherche und der gelungenen Zusammenfassung der Potsdamer Geschichte, ein paar Dinge kritisieren, die einem vielleicht nicht so präsent sind, wenn man nicht hier lebt. Mir hat nämlich ein bisschen eine zweite Perspektive gefehlt, aber ich kann auch verstehen, wenn das den Rahmen des Videos sprengen würde. Deshalb möchte ich hier mal versuchen, einen kurzen Abriss dessen zu geben. 1.Viele der neuen Bauprojekte, die gerade entstehen, werden von vielen Menschen hier als leblos und kulissenhaft empfunden. Man hat den Eindruck, dass diese nur dem Zweck dienen, den Tourismus anzukurbeln, nicht aber die Lebensqualität der Stadt zu verbessern. 2.Für den Neubau dieser Bauten aus der Kaiserzeit wurden und werden Bedeutende Bauwerke aus der jüngeren deutschen Geschichte abgerissen. Im Video wurde von der Frau von „Mitteschön“ vermittelt, man könne sich seine Geschichte nicht aussuchen. Genau diesen Eindruck bekommt man aber gerade in Potsdam. Viele wichtige Gebäude mit bedeutendem historischem Wert, wie das Rechenzentrum oder die Fachhochschule aus der DDR-Zeit, verschwinden gerade, um einer Glorifizierung der Preußenzeit Platz zu machen. 3.Nach der Wende boten viele der lange Zeit sich selbst überlassenen, im Video als „hässliche Blöcke“ beschriebenen Gebäude Raum für eine junge, alternative und progressive Jugendkultur, die sich mit den Jahren zu einem festen Bestandteil des Kunst- und Kulturangebots der Stadt entwickelte. Trotzdem wird dieser Teil der Kulturszene von konservativen Kräften in der Stadtpolitik oft verkannt. Besonders für junge Menschen ist das oft ein Grund, sich hier nicht berücksichtigt und damit nicht mehr wohlzufühlen. Viele junge Menschen verlassen daher gerade die Stadt, um zum Beispiel nach Berlin oder Leipzig zu ziehen. 4.Man bekommt stark den Eindruck, dass viele der Neubauten der letzten Jahre nur den Zweck haben, Millionäre und besser Verdienende in die Stadt zu locken. Bezahlbarer Wohnraum für Menschen mit geringem Einkommen, wie zum Beispiel Studierende, wird kaum neu geschaffen. Gerade Studenten, das musste ich in den letzten 3 Jahren leider mehrfach selbst erleben, müssen oft ausziehen, weil die Mieten so rasant steigen. 5.Die Garnisonkirche: Sie verkörpert viele der eben angesprochenen Konflikte. Als preußische Militärkirche, die auch von Hitler bewundert wurde, hat sie eine dunkle Vergangenheit. Ihre Befürworter sagen daher, der Wiederaufbau solle als Mahnmal für diese schreckliche Zeit stehen. Dies fällt jedoch schwer zu glauben, wenn man bedenkt, dass unter den Geldgebern und Stiftern des Baus einige ehemalige Nationalsozialisten stecken und dieses Projekt ebenfalls von heutigen Neonazis begrüßt wird. Außerdem soll für den Wiederaufbau der Garnisonkirche das ehemalige Rechenzentrum abgerissen werden, ein Prestigebauwerk aus der DDR-Zeit, von dem aus unter anderem die ostdeutschen und sowjetischen Raumfahrtmissionen gesteuert wurden, das heute ein alternatives Kulturzentrum ist, das mit Hunderten kleinen Ateliers und Ausstellungen Platz für Kunst, Tanz, Theater und Musik bietet und damit einen wichtigen Platz in der Potsdamer Kulturszene einnimmt. Ich verstehe sehr gut, dass Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung immer ein Kompromiss sind zwischen dem, was weichen muss, um neuen Platz zu schaffen, und dem, was schützenswert ist und daher erhalten bleiben sollte. In einer lebenswerten Stadt sollte jedoch Platz für alle sein, und es muss versucht werden, alle Positionen in den Entscheidungsprozess darüber einzubinden. Leider haben viele Meschen hier Gefühl, an der Stadtentwicklung in Potsdam kaum teilzuhaben. Eher wirkt es, als wollten Menschen mit viel Geld kompromisslos ihr Bild eines strahlenden, preußischen Disneylandes verwirklichen und dabei ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste alles platt machen, was diesem Traum im Wege steht. Danke, dass du dir das alles bis zum Schluss durchgelesen hast. Ich hoffe, ich konnte ein bisschen eine weitere Perspektive auf das Thema liefern. Komm gerne mal nach Potsdam, ich mag die Stadt wirklich sehr und schau dir neben den Touri-Highlights gerne auch mal ein paar der versteckteren Orte an, wie z.B. das Freiland, das Archiv, das Casino an der FH (ist kein Casino, heißt nur so ;)), den Lottenhof, die Olga oder das Projekthaus Babelsberg und das Rechenzentrum natürlich sowie viele weitere. Grüße aus der brandenburgischen Landeshauptstadt. :D
Even before reading your comment I suspected some of those conflicts would be present. This channel has an unfortunate tendency to cheapen itself by silencing counter-arguments, or the other side of the coin, or whichever way you want to put it. Thanks for that post. Should be the pinned comment, honestly.
Thank you, I feel the same. The second perspective is missing. The new-old buildings look nice but they are pretty lifeless. The old market is missing any kind of greenery and gets way too hot in summer. All the art pieces and greenery that existed in that area before were removed. I'm personally not a fan of the Rechenzentrum, I just think it's pretty ugly^^ I don't think we need a church there either, tough. A new, practical build for local artists or a renovated Rechenzentrum would be nice. And someone PLEASE turn those mosaics the right way up! Seriously, some are installed the wrong way, you can see that since it is one continuous picture... (also why am I writing in English here...)
Zu 2: Der Wert von DDR Gebäuden hält sich mMn doch stark in Grenzen. Das sieht man auch an deinem Punkt 1: Die DDR Gebäude ziehen offensichtlich keine Touristen an. Eben weil sie nicht wirklich einen historischen Wert haben. Das Brandenburger Tor ist auch nicht beeindruckend oder die Reste der Berliner Mauer und trotzdem kommen hunderttausende nur wegen der Geschichte. Das tun sie in Potsdam nicht. Also widerspricht sich Punkt 1 und 2 bei dir schonmal, auch wenn man natürlich argumentieren kann, dass Tourismus nicht historischen Wert definiert in akademischer Hinsicht, aber trotzdem ist es ein starker Indikator, dass die Bedeutung von etwas gering ist, wenn sich kaum wer dafür interessiert. Wichtig ist auch zu bedenken, dass es ein Unterschied macht, ob für ein Gebäude ein anderes histrorisches Gebäude gesprengt wurde. Der Palast der Repubik in Berlin würde garantiert auch noch stehen wenn die DDR nicht für ihn das Stadtschloss gesprengt hätte. Zu 3) junge Menschen aus fast allen Städten ziehen nach Berlin oder in ander Großstädte wie München und Hamburg. Das darauf zu reduzieren dass es im Stadtzentrum weniger Freiräume gibt ist sehr stark vereinfacht. Und Gentrifikation passiert immer wenn Stadtteile einen Aufschwung erleben, das hat absolut nichts mit der Rekonstruktion von Fassaden zu tun. Viele der Bauten in der Innenstadt waren ja sowieso geplant, ohne die Initiativen wären die Angebote für Jugendliche genauso jetzt weg, nur halt stünden da Klötze aus Beton und Glas. Also auch dieser Punkt ist irreführend von dir. Zu 5) Nur weil die Garnisonkirche von Hitler gemocht wurde hat sie eine dunkle Vergangenheit? Hä? Dieser Punkt ist total lächerlich. Abgesehen davon will keiner die wieder aufbauen um die angebliche "dunkle Geschichte" zu feiern sondern weil sie halt architektonisch wunderbar in die Innenstadt passt und gut aussieht. Und naja zu 4) Dass in Stadtzentren jetzt nicht grade für milliarden Euro prunkvolle Sozialwohnungen entstehen ist Schade, geb ich dir Recht, aber ist absolut normal und betrifft absolut jede Stadt. Wie bei Punkt 3) hat dieses Argument nichts mit den historischen Fassaden zu tun. Ich finde deine Argumente insofern weit hergeholt und teils populistisch. Sie haben im Kern garnichts mit der Architektur oder den histroischen Fassaden zu tun sondern beziehen sich ganz allgemein auf Gentrifikation die so oder so passiert wäre.
Haben sie einen Link wie viele Wohnungen in Potsdam durch die Rekonstruktion verloren gingen? Würde mich sehr interessieren. Dazu wollte ich noch sagen, dass der gravierende Wohnungsmangel in Deutschland meiner Meinung nach ja nur zu einem winzigen Bruchteil an den wenigen historischen Restaurationen liegt sondern in erster Linie an Katastrophaler Neoliberaler Deregulierung und dem Mangel an staatlichem Engagement. Diese Vermietermafia und die korrupte Politik sollte der Feind sein, nicht die paar wenigen Gebäude, welche vielen Menschen gefallen und die Potsdams Ruf signifikant verbessert haben. Wo ich zustimme ist natürlich dass mehr Grünflächen wichtig und wünschenswert sind
I think it's very good that Potsdam's old architecture is reappearing in large numbers. But it should also be mentioned that in the former GDR houses that were demolished, people with modest incomes used to live and were able to reside right in the city centre. I dare to doubt, perhaps I am wrong, that mere mortals could ever afford to live in the new buildings with historic façades. Nevertheless, I like them very much. And I agree with the local lady who said in the interview that this kind of architecture is the reason why tourists come to Potsdam. And I think it's also a reason why the majority of Potsdamers identify with their city.
Spot on with the effects of beauty on the human condition. Many gaols and office buildings are concrete austere bland spaces. This creates sadness and depression. I have felt it from staying in a grey modern hotel to feeling uplifted in an historical colourful hotel. What a difference good architecture and design make.
It's such an incredible place and its proximity to both the metropolis of Berlin and the countryside makes it even more special. If I could, I'd certainly live there. Schloss Babelsberg is also a quite notable palace - looks like straight out of a fairytale.
@@the_aesthetic_city If you have the chance, totally do! Imo the most beautiful of our parks and castles here in Potsdam! The view from the hill on which the castle stands, down to the water and the very historic Glienicker Brücke - it's marvellous, especially in the warm half of the year!!
Sono molto felice che la Germania abbia ricostruito alcune sue architetture storiche. Spero che la cosa continui e venga ritrovata la bellezza e la storia perduta. Ottimo lavoro grazie x questi fantastici interventi architettonici. Bellissimo
I regularly go to Potsdam because I love to see old places being reconstructed, and to see what progress has been made since my last visit, and because that is one of the best examples within reach of where I live. It seriously is one of my favorite places ever. The other place I regularly go is the Berlin City Palace on Museum Island because that is still receiving small additions all the time as well and its just a little more driving. That area of the city has been greatly restored too, the entire architectural ensemble is being rebuilt and theyve already come a long way. The huge problem I see with projects like this is still that they promote gentrification to a very large degree. The municipalities have still not understood that germany needs social housing to a degree it never has before, and that rents need to stay affordable. Projects like this at the same time drive up rents in the area and create more living space that is oriented towards rich people, not average germans. You can of course argue that its the inner city and it isnt realistic for us to afford a place here anyway, but that is also an issue. Rich people and offices shouldnt be the only ones who can afford to be in the city center, thats not how it used to be. SO this is something that needs to be adressed, and with larger policy measures on the federal level. Anyway, Im really happy you made this video! Its really good. My only criticism would be that you still romanticize the past a bit too much (rich people building beautiful buildings in the past was more of a dick measuring contest than about giving back to the community) and leave out some of the negative points with projects like this, but thats already become a lot better from where it used to be.
What an absolutely brilliant film, movement, approach to architecture and history. Sense of place. Beauty matters. I've felt this for decades but no one has verbalised it and helped me understand historical architecture so well. I've been to Potsdam three times and love it like it was my hometown. ❤️🇩🇪
Mentioning your stories really help me to show people that it is even possible to think about a better future when it comes to architecture and that it is not only something from the far past. Most people dont even think about it. This is why I appreciate your channel
As much as I support aspects of what you're doing, we shouldn't make the mistake of equating all anonymous, cookie cutter architecture with communism. Such neighborhoods were built in the West as well, and more importantly, still are. And it's even somewhat understandable; with a housing crisis like the post-war one going on, it's politically tempting to resort to the quickest and cheapest solution, and one that is supported by the building industry. So while I appreciate restoring cities to their former glory, the real fight is for the future. On a lighter note, the lack of quality of GDR buildings actually helped reconstruction along. Had the Rosa Luxemburg complex not fallen to bits so easily (I even worked very briefly in that building during the mid-90s) it might've been much more difficult to accomplish.
At the time, they were not looking for Dutch craftsmen, but rather experts in draining wetlands. They came and helped drain several wetlands near Potsdam. They already had many years of expertise in Holland, the dry laying was then also successful.
Yeah, there are two sides to every story. I have lived in Potsdam for a long time. The old castle was destroyed during the war - during the only bombing of the city. After the war, there was simply no money and no need for a castle. So the ruins were removed. The empty space was turned into a parking lot surrounded by trees, flower beds, lanterns, and some water features. It was very much a build of its time. It was still a place full of life with shops, greenery, and a local college. The metal building you see in some pictures was the temporary theatre. The new castle now is the government's seat - yeah, they build themselves a castle, sour spot there. It was sooo expensive. It's also not exactly identical to the original, they made it wider to fit the rooms. Without the donation from Hasso Plattner they wouldn't even have added the historical facade! The now rebuilt residential buildings do look very nice - well, the ones that had conditions set as to how they have to look. The ones in between look so out of place and some are just outright ugly. And the apartments are absolutely unaffordable. The old market now is a lot of stone without any trees, so it gets incredibly hot in the summer. As it is now everyone sticks to the very edges of the place because the buildings provide shadow. Maybe there will be a Christmas market there someday. Overall, a lot of nice-looking things were rebuilt but the comfort of the people actually living in the city was neglected. The rebuilding of the Garnisons Kirche (the church) is controversial. It's still unfinished and will be so for years. There is not just the problem with Nazis, there is also the question of if and why tax money should be spent on building a church. We do have separation of state and church after all, there are two other big churches in the city center and the number of church members keeps decreasing. So yeah, it looks nice now. The tourists like it.
An inspiring model for the rest of Europe, making beautiful is possible with determination and the right people. The result is already incredible, the people of Potsdam can be proud, greetings from France!
I wouldn't say that it was a mistake because imho it was done on purpose, as was the destruction of the historic German city centres, often only a couple of weeks before the end of the war.
Video suggestion for you, The Aesthetic City: A nuanced discussion of the pros and cons of socialist modern architecture. Or even in the west, for that matter. I am by no means an expert on the topic, but just from the places that I have seen with my own eyes I get the feeling that many of the residential and public builidngs and squares in the eastern block were designed with a communal aspect in mind, which imo is a good thing about them. While I agree that many of the buildings are on the uglier side and I personally would more often than not prefer older buildings with their nice wooden floors, the larger complexes often had much open space and thus much natural light. Plus the green spaces, the water elements and pieces of art that were incorporated in the designs in the vast majority of the cases. Many of these places were designed for people to use them to hang out there, and when it works it's a unique atmosphere there. Cheers, have a good day!
Wonderfull Video and very inspirational. In Dresden, where I'm living since 17 years, the only new build historical part is the area around the "Frauenkirche". At many other places new buildings are lifeless without any trace of beautifull and traditional architecture. Very well done Potsdam.
Modern architecture is meant, by design, to disengage people, make them hopeless and easier to manage. If you aren´t connected to your home, the government can manage you more easily. Beauty is a weapon against tyranny.
Hello. Thank you for this beautiful summary. I live in Potsdam since 1990 and witnessed it all on a daily basis! And yes, it is incredible! Also Hasso Plattner was my chef and I am very proud of what he does. Both museums he built (you left one out..) gain lots of traction and boost the tourism industry. But IMHO also many bad decisions have been made - like the massive main station and the ugly and oversized indoor swimming pool - both right in front of the rebuilt castle. The demolition of the 'ugly' Staudenhof also included a beautiful cafe and a little park.The Staudenhof block had over one hundred available flats. IMHO the downside of this massive project is gentrification. It's nearly impossible to find affordable housing in the city center. And last not least: both museums and the (partly) rebuilt of the canal deserve their own documentations, don't you think? Greetings from Potsdam
There was a desperate need for housing after the war. The Soviets weren't the only ones building non-descript architecture. It was only after immediate needs were met that you had the luxury to invest in things that are more decorative.
Local Potsdamer here. (This is a long comment intended primarily as feedback to The Aesthetic City!) It's funny, the video presented the reconstruction of our historic city centre as being largely supported by the public. In reality it's quite a touchy subject for us. Many people are highly critical of it. I found that this video presented the issue rather one-sided, so I'd like to bring up some points that I missed. Bc while I also love beauty, I think there are more aspects to be considered for increasing a city's overall quality of life, which imo should be the overarching goal. There are actually many people here who are quite critical of a rigorous reconstruction of Potsdam's historic city centre, me included. I say 'critical of', not 'dead against' bc it's not that we dislike the historic buildings. It's more that we wonder whether the sacrifices necessary for the reconstruction are worth it in the end. Let me give two examples: 1. Most (in)famously, the 'Garnisonkirche' (garrison church) For me personally, the fact that Hitler was "crowned" there isn't even the issue. I agree with the lady in the video that the building could be a valuable trigger for sensitive discussion of the darkest chapter of german history. For most people the bigger problem is that rebuilding the whole church would mean to demolish the building right next to it (visible in the white frame at 10:47), which is called the 'Rechenzentrum' (computing centre) and nowadays provides space for student life as well as affordable ateliers for artists, rehearsal spaces for musicians and rooms for concerts and exhibitions and has done so for decades by now. The place is literally bustling with life, and there is a sizeable movement that fights year by year to keep the place up and open. I honestly don't know who is in the majority, but there is a probability that rebuilding the Garnisonkirche might not be so democratic after all. One might also ask whether Potsdam with its already high number of castles and parks and historical buildings really needs one more of those and whether the Rechenzentrum doesn't provide more net benefit by enriching the social life here in the city. 2. The current demolition of the "one big ugly lump of concrete" seen at 10:19 and to us Potsdamer known as the "Staudenhof" (perrenial yard) This is the basically the good old issue of gentrification. This block, while not exactly pretty, was a residential building with very affordable flats smack dab in the middle of an increasingly expensive city (I semi-affectionately call Potsdam the "Munich of the east", Munich being famous for being one of the most expensive cities in Germany, while eastern Germany as a whole is still comparitively cheaper than the rest of the country for obvious reasons). So there were local people with low to regular incomes who lived there and who otherwise have a very hard time finding accomodation this central and affordable. And while the building itself may not have been pretty, the actual complex actually was. We called it Staudenhof for a reason: In between the building itself and the Mies van der Rohe rip off building opposite of it (which hosted the state library and a branch of the trade school) there was a quiet green back yard with slightly elevated levels, filled with benches, flower beds, overgrown pergolas and even one or two fountains. On the elevated ground floor of the Staudenhof building there was a pretty popular café/bar also called Staudenhof. (I'll link to an image of the old Staudenhof in a subsequent comment) So, as you can imagine, this whole complex did not only provide affordable, central and yet quiet-situated housing to a number of people but arguably increased the quality of life of the city centre. Whether the newly-built historic buildings can do the same remains to be seen, and although ofc I hope that the do, I and many others are rather sceptical. Let's not kid ourselves, these new spaces will be expensive and most probably only affordable by those in the higher income brackets. Some of us Potsdamer actually like to joke that those flats will mostly be rented/bought by rich Munich people to be used as second homes which they will visit once or twice a year and leave empty and unused the rest of the time XD Since Potsdam has no shortage of pricey historical flats in the city centre, I again gotta wonder whether tearing down the Staudenhof to be replaced by historical houses really is more democratic in the end. And, naturally, there was also a sizeable movement to prevent the demolition of the Staudenhof. Some final thoughts and a suggestion for how to deal with problems like these: As with most things in life imo this comes down to finding a healthy balance. We don't need to keep things as they are just for the sake of it and shoot down all proposals for change. But at the same time we don't need to blindly rebuild to a historical model or think that historic is always better. I think in Potsdam there are people close to the levers of power who seem to want to revive some old historic glory of the city while at the same time wishing to erase any and all traces of our GDR past. And I wonder: Should we really aim to try to revert a city back to some point in the past? Is that even possible? And should we aim to erase 45 years of admittedly controversial histroy from our city scape? Could we not also leave some of the buildings intact as yet another landmark of an eventful and discussion-worthy history, especially when the buildings are functioning well and/or maybe even have their own form of aesthetic and beauty? The GDR is part of our past as well, why not stand by it? While critically examining it ofc My take: 1. We need to make sure to not inflict more overall loss by tearing down than the gain we provide by rebuilding. A good example is the Barbarini Palace, which now hosts the museum mentioned in the video which is well received by locals and tourists alike. The new building was successfully filled with life. Also no actual building had to be torn down to make space. Yes, the theatre building had been there before, but it was a provisional building anyway (we affectionately called it the Blechbüchse, the tin can XD). Huge gain, next to no loss. 2. If there are functioning buildings in place already, even from the GDR period, that provide a benefit for the community, why not leave them intact and rebuilt the rest of the historic buildings where there is still space? It might actually make for an interesting city scape to have different architectural styles in such close proximity. If done with taste and care it might result in a very original vibe of the neighbourhood. This is what I think should have been done with the Staudenhof. And in some places, why not even go one step further and actually fuse buildings of different styles? I think that would be an interesting option for the Garnisonkirche and Rechenzentrum. Stick with the tower of the church, and instead of tearing down the Rechenzentrum, why not fuse it with the tower in some creative way? The plan is to make the church a place of intercultural meeting and exchange anyway, so why not put that in the tower, maybe build a smaller extension building but not the full church, and fuse and collaborate with the Rechenzentrum? Instead of moving back to some glorified past this would basically build on what is there from different past periods and create something new and unique and thus move on into the future! Mr. Aesthetic City, I generally enjoy your videos and focus on beauty as something that has value and uplifts the spirit! I would enjoy your videos even more if you also shed some light on possible counter arguments to and critical voices on the projects you cover! Thanks for reading this far, have a great day!
Thanks for your insightful comment! Do you happen to know if any of the newly constructed "old-style" buildings will be marked as social housing? That may help with the gentrification issue.
Let's be real here, this retreat to an imagined past glory and rejection of the present is a part of alt-right's RETVRN and fight against modernity. The aesthetic absolutism is at the forefront because it screams of power dynamics. The urbanist and social aspects are useful for populist reach, but the cupolas are the point. Which is why there's no interest in meshing with the existing fabric but instead an insistence on erasing it, why the existing functions can be sacrificed, or why there's no interest in hybridising or reintegrating traditional and modern concerns and practice.
Great comment! I also sometimes miss a bit of nuance from the channel, but it is always interesting to watch a different view than what i get on my architecture school
Around 1 year ago, i visited Berlin for the first time in my life for one week. At the first day i went into Berlin too look around, but it was so stressful that i planned to go to Potsdam on the second day. So did i on the next day and i was blown away by the beauty of Potsdam. At the End i ended up beeing more days of the week in Potsdam than in Berlin itself, beause the city so stunningly beautiful, i cant even put it in Words. I've never thought i would say this but you will have no problem with spending a whole week in Potsdam because of the amount of palaces, parks and museums which you can visit. And by the way the prices for staying and visiting are lower than in Berlin and if you want to see Berlin than you can take the train for a short trip.
Wow. Been to Potsdam a few years ago. Didn’t realise so much of the old town was actually the new town and rebuilt. It is a lovely place with the Neu Palace and San Souci.
May Potsdam serve as an inspiration for the rebuilding of New York CIty’s Pennsylvania Station, Singer Building, Pennsylvania Hotel, and, perhaps, low-noise versions of Manhattan’s Elevated Railroads!
The British did the same with the city of Dresden out of spite (neither city had any strategic or military value, and the war was almost over) it was to punish the German people for going along with Hitler.
Churchill was essentially jealous. Before prime minister, he was the Chancellor of the exchequer, equivalent to treasurer of the nation. And he was the enforcer of Versailles treaty, ensuring Germany had no industry or middle class in the 1920s and 30s
According to our many left parties, the bombing was justified, because the bomb victims were guilty. Even more, one of our most famous left politicians, a female, stated in public TV "In fact it were the Nazis, who destroyed Dresden".
To claim that Dresden had no strategic or military value is pure misrepresentation of history. In fact, the city was the third largest rail hub in the German Empire. Railway lines to Berlin, Prague, Breslau, Warsaw, Leipzig and Nuremberg crossed here. Since railway systems in other cities were already severely damaged, rail traffic in the Leipzig-Berlin-Dresden area from 1944 was largely handled via the Dresden-Friedrichstadt freight and marshalling yard, the main train station and the Dresden-Neustadt train station. The systems also supplied the industrial companies in Freital and mining companies in the Erzgebirge as well as the industrial areas of Heidenau, Pirna, Radebeul, Coswig, Bautzen and Görlitz, and armaments transports and transports to the concentration camps also ran via Dresden. If this isn't a strategic or military value...
@Ul.B the bombings happened mostly in 1944 and 1945, when the allies already won. Germany was already poor, alone and extremely outnumbered. I think Churchill and Roosevelt were war criminals. They were simply kicking a dead horse
Don't worry, we do exist! I hope that after a longer period of somewhat of a broken relationship with our own heritage we can slowly move back to a healthy confidence while still being critical of the dark times in our past. And I hope we manage to to be confident and yet humble that we can learn to love our own culture and still respect the other ones, bc humans all around the globe have done amazing things
People should know that the eastern european communists rebuilt many destroyed cities in the East in the exact same way: Warsaw, Gdansk, Dresden, Budapest and of course parts of Berlin (Potsdam is right next to Berlin) including the infamous Brandenburg gate, that was seriously damaged during the war.
@@babaoga Like in most western cities such as Lorient. That's modernist architecture and some of the best architects like Niemeyer or Le Corbusier built "big concrete blocks". The level of philistinism is astounding. Even if the 10% figure was accurate that would still be a prowess considering the amount of destructions in Germany and how harder it was to rebuild that way. One should also question the fact that behind the decorum these buildings are also "big concrete blocks" and will never actually replace the original.
Yeah, that part of the video bashing the GDR was so cringe lmao. He totally glosses over the fact that the Germans literally started the Second World War and brought the destruction of their cities onto themselves. They have nobody to blame but themselves. Also that part at the end where he praises billionaires and calls them 'patrons of art and beauty' or whatever the fuck, I cringed so hard I hurt my neck. Where were all these billionaires during the 1960s and 1970s when historic buildings were being demolished all across the world?
Great video, thank you. I traveled to see Potsdam in June and it was incredible. The places and gardens in particular were sensational, so its great to get more context about the extent of the reconstruction of the city center. Well done. I watch all your videos, thanks for the effort.
absolutely love to see this,germany and many other european countries are slowly swaying back to building beautiful.. but unfortunately we still have ideologues plagueing our institutions to keep everything ''contemperary'' etc. we HAVE to return.
Didn't expect there to be a cheap ripoff of a building in little Des Moines, Iowa in GDR Potsdam... I walk by that original van der Rohe building every day at work!
This is very impressive. I am not generally a fan of recreating old architecture in a literal/pastiche way, because I think there is a strong argument for progress and looking forward (while respecting the past). However, in situations like this, where something great once stood, and then it was destroyed, I think it is totally legitimate to restore it to how it was. I'm British and I studied design at Coventry University, so I have experienced first hand living in a city destroyed by war. Coventry was quite an interesting case study, because many of the 1950/60s replacement buildings were absolutely horrible compared to what came before, but there were a small number of very good examples (for example the new cathedral, next to the old one). Since I left there in 2005, a lot of the brutalist buildings have been knocked down and replaced with brand new ones, but in a modern style. I think some of them work well, and some of them are just as bad as what came before. The whole city is basically one big architectural experiment/theme park. In some ways I kind of like it, but it definitely lacks coherence, and I really like what they've done in Potsdam.
@@the_aesthetic_city or somebody told me "you know all those pretty buildings and churches were built by slaves right?" only for them to be angry at me when I provided evidence that the buildings I liked were in fact built by payed laborers.
@@diametheuslambda because this is the pretty version. You're acting like I want to bring back fascist architecture which typically mixed more brutalist with neoclassical elements to create an oppressive symbol of power.
I mean, even if something was in fact built by slaves, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. You can still marvel, “isn’t it amazing that slaves built something so incredible?!” Such buildings honor the legacy of the slaves who, though unjustly exploited, contributed so much to building the society. The worst thing that we could do to dishonor slaves would be to destroy their hard work.
Ich wohne in Potsdam und kann nur sagen, dass es tatsächlich große vortschritte gegeben hat. Leider sind vieler orts immernoch die Wunden der DDR und ihrer Häuserpolitik zu sehen, auch gibt es wiederstand von Aktivisten, welche unverständlicherweise Rekonstruktion mit Nationalsozialismus und gleichsetzen. Glücklicher weise bestehen aber weiterhin Projekte und auch die Ambitionen die Stad weiter zu entwickeln und das in einer Humanen und Schönen weise.
Those who resist the new reconstruction by saying that it is nazi, they are fanatic modernists. This farytail story they tell is absolutely false. But which architect made this stupid nazi-argument up? Who did invent this silly argument? Does anybody know?
Ihnen ist bewusst, dass Potsdam mit Geld zugeschmissen wird, seit viele Berliner Bundespolitiker dort leben? So etwas, gibt es in keiner anderen deutschen Stadt.
Thank you for the superbly executed, informative, and inspiring video. Yes, we can reimagine our cities--particularly those that were once architecturally stunning and exceptional. Creating vibrant, beautiful, and memorable places fills our souls with magical sustenance. I am fortunate to live in Middelburg which boasts a delightful, historic town centre that was almost completely destroyed in WW II.
that depressing sovjet nightmare was special for many east germans... it had the nickname: the people’s palace and in my opinion it is not good too demolish that building... because it was a magnificent piece of architecture and history... after the fall of the wall... east germany did lose his industries and all the glory of the former state... why demolish all the things soviets did? i dont understand that is part of history of the city too and may not be forgotten....
My parents go there on vacation a lot. They prefer Potsdam over Berlin for it's location among lakes and forests which are ideal for hiking and long bike tours. Also the city centre is "more cozy and beautiful" according to them. Places like Potsdam and Dresden can serve as beacons for other German cities that were bombed and then haphazardly rebuild that we don't have to continue on the path set up by the Modernists and Communists after the war but instead rebuild our cultural heritage.
As an architecture student I wish we learned topics you mention… I really hope our new generation will take all these parameters in their projects. Thank you !!
Also, blaming 300 to 500 year old buildings or architecture because something bad happened at some point in their history is ridiculously childish. Those buildings reflect all of their history and the untold people who built and lived in them. Rebuild them all!
I love potsdam! The hollandisches viertel is incredibly charming and enclosed. The whole city is like epcot, with a russian ranch, a ronantic ruin, etc
I am a lover of traditional architecture. I just hope that, maybe, one day we could get away from merely reconstructing it but get to creatively build new beautiful buildings. I am not just taking about applying the stiles of the past but taking what makes them glorious and using that for creative means. I always have to think of all those art deco skyscrapers that connect a commitment to modernity with a recognition for timeless beauty. But, then I realise what a spiritually empty culture we live in, how all academic institutions blindly follow ideologies of inevitable civilisational decline, and I just give up hope for Europe. Maybe one day we can be alive again, but we need to wait until the current high priests of culture have so thoroughly discredited their 1970s ideologies and backwards, small, provincial hippie mentality that change will be forced upon them from below. Let's hope for better times folks
It's quite funny how you lump all of this together and call it 'traditional' architecture - those architects from the early 20th century (art nouveau/art deco) we both seem to be fond of would have looked down on such buildings from the 'stuffy era' (late 18th to mid 19th century), also known as the 'Biedermeier' (Grm. for philistine) era in the decades after. Quite similar to how people are starting to look down on modernism today - boring, lacking creativity, yesterday's news! The renaissance man (literally, not figuratively) also wasn't too fond of all that gothic cathedral business - two hundred year old gargoyles that look like they are about to fall down on your head at any time - no thanks! If you ask me, I can see beauty in all architectural styles if done well, and yes, that does include modernism, believe it or not! What I don't like however, are movie set tier copies of building facades long gone, where you can smell the polymeres from a mile away. Yuck!
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Could you feature Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar?
this is nothing check out what all the famous artists said about the Wuerzburg Residence then have a look
Hi! You should really make a video about the restoration of the Buda castle in Hungary, Budapest. The restoration works are called the Hauszmann Program, they have a really cool facebook page where they communicate all the developments about the project. They are very passionate about restoring the castle to its pre 1945 glory. I am sure they would love to host you, speak with you about history, architecture and show you around the castle.
Never understood why some people prefer soulless tetris blocks, but at the same time go on trips and vacation to visit historic towns. It doesnt make sense
I think a lot of it is that they don't think it's possible anymore. Modern architects, architect schools, and modernist administrators have convinced nearly everyone that it can't be done, and they'll stick with that no matter how often it's shown not to be true. These schools actually train their students to see ugly, hideous things as beautiful. It's monstrous.
Its simple, building beautiful is expensive. Wealthy people are concern in making the most profit as much as possible meanwhile goverment beuracrats are concern in spending the least amount of money as possible. The majority of people care but not too much to do something about it as long as they could own a property cheaply or cheaply as it could get. Without civilians intervention and philanthropist donors, building ugly is normalized.
@@beyondborderfilms4352Bureaucrats don't spend the least amount of money... wth are you talking about?
Cheap buildings are cheap only short term. Longterm you want houses that people care about for hundreds of years. The socialists destroy both the history and the beauty, since it reminds people of the transcendental and elevates them, instead of keeping them dependent on the oppressive state.
@@beyondborderfilms4352 Nothing is as expensive as the crazy contorted buildings of today. And they don't even last. Building to last in the long run is cheaper. We've heard over and over that it's too expensive, but as his series here has shown, it's not necessarily so. Mostly it's architects and town planners that dismiss beauty as a concern that tell us it can't be done. It's a lie. In addition, municipal buildings can be built beautifully, and will last, and that builds the skill sets to improve what can be done residentially. Building a palace is expensive, yes, but we're not talking about everyone having a palace.
are there people who actually prefer them? I thought the people live in those places because it's cheap.
I was born in Potsdam and grow up there. Every time when i'm back i have the feeling like an old man (i'm 23) because there where once was nothing where is now a Palast back. Old buildings have been reshaped and are now renovated. The Grey of East Germany was replace by the colours of the Baroque and Classicism. Slowly Potsdam cames back to It's old Beauty.
Once was nothing? The "Grey" of East Germany? Many of the buildings in that video were actually rebuilt by the DDR just like it rebuilt many cities in the exact same way.
23... so just old enough to not have seen it when it was still cared for. After 1990 the green spaces around that area were totally neglected. There were flower beds, trees, statues, and other art pieces all over the place. All of that was removed piece by piece. Some were moved to the Freundschaftsinsel, some are still in storage, and some were destroyed.
Sure, the DDR architecture relied heavily on concrete - it was cheap and easily manufactured and there was a whole country to rebuild after all. No one had a use or money to rebuild a baroque castle after the monarchy ended. But there still was a lot more to it than just "grey".
BTW, West Germany did build very much in the same style. The Ruhrgebiet was just as "grey".
@@Maximilien1794 I relate to the nothing on the square where the castle now stands. As far as the grey is concerned, many of the normal old buildings were in a bad state, had no colour and the stucco was in poor condition. This has largely been restored. In addition, the GDR demolished many buildings that were in good condition, for example in Hermann Elflein Straße.
@@Nico6th I was thinking the same when I saw the video. I'm 36 so I still saw the area around the Bibliothek (the yellow-ish Mies van der Rohe rip off building for all the non-Potsdamers) in a state of relative care. I actually liked the green spaces. The grass, the bushes and trees, the benches, the flower beds, the collonades and ofc the Staudenhof in the back with its pergolas and fountains. The whole complex was very pedestrian-friendly and provided a bit of breathing room in the city centre. It was not ugly, just a different kind of beauty. I really hope that they don't forget to insert some green spaces in between the reconstructed blocks. Let's see.
@@hirondelle8734 i life now in Berlin? Why are you asking
My great grandfather was an architect/builder in Potsdam who eventually immigrated to New York City-just in time for the post-civil war building boom. I knew none of this history when I was in architecture school, but now it has great meaning to me. Hooray for these architects willing to help rebuild Potsdam.
Why did he move to New York?
@@Tobi-ln9xr Can't you think of a reason why someone in your grandparents' generation had to leave Germany?
@@AlexandervonGoldstein he was a nazi and was afraid of soviet prosecution?
@@AlexandervonGoldstein
You have the name Goldstein, so it‘s pretty obvious that your family is Jewish but that doesn’t mean that it was the same with her grandfather.
@@Tobi-ln9xrno, the name has for my family nothing to do with Judaism. It is from the name of a Prussian/Silesia family from the Nobility
People probably wouldn’t be so resentful towards billionaires if they became patrons of the arts again
100% - right now they do buy art, but it’s bananas sticked to walls with duct tape… which could be some form of tax evasion, I don’t know, but by building things most people like they would actually get goodwill
Being resentful of people just because they have money is a true waste of time, and wears on one's soul. Like in every other part of life, there are good people and bad. The good far outweighs the bad. It's just such a smaller group, that the few bad really stick out.
@@garyjackson3531 False.
@@davidseleznova3199 Thanks for making my point. Seek professional help.
in potsdam, the people are still resentful towards them. for they buy their will - regardless of tenthousands of votes or inhabitants signatures. people have an innate feeling of fairness.
I was in Potsdam in 2015 and again in 2024, the difference is striking and inspiring. So great to see a place embracing its beautiful classic heritage instead of the ugly modernistic minimalism.
As an American, seeing this town which was formerly under the GDR be rebuilt, truly gives me hope that the same could eventually happen in the United States.
There is surely hope! Check out Strongtowns, and the CNU (congress for the New Urbanism) is also doing amazing things
"Under the GDR" - what does that mean? It was part of GDR, end of story.
Don't ask too many of the former GDR citizens how they feel about the town they built being torn down. Some buildings were ugly as F, but others clearly were removed for political reasons and replaced with more expensive, less useful builds.
Man I hope it so much for you. American cities where so insanely beautiful before car infrastructure destroyed them. I saw a lot of videos which compared American cities before and after the car and it's really traumatizing what Americans did do their cities without even having a devastating war like Europe (which doesn't mean we didn't destroy a lot of old buildings for cars too).
Why should you rebuild the medieval city centre of New Amsterdam?
You should really take a deep look into photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s in the US, it was filled with beautiful one-of-a-kind architecture. Seriously unique looks to every single major city. It will shock you, it is otherworldly, like a different looking timeline.
Wow, Potsdam shows how it should be done! Even though they still have a long way to go, it already looks impressive and makes me want to visit it soon.
Great video btw!
Thank you! And it’s worth it, so much to see
Potsdam may still have a lot of scarves but tbh even without the newest reubuilds it already had more castles and prussian architecture than almost any other city in Germany. So saying "it has a long way to go" is a bit off. Jena has a long way to go. But not Potsdam.
@@vomm I understand what you mean. In this case, I'm referring to the central part of the city. There are still a lot of not-so-pretty buildings and empty holes in many parts of this area. Rebuilding them into their former glory will take time, probably decades. But they are making great progress.
I would be willing to bet there are a lot of sneerers, especially amongst the worldwide architectural community. They would condemn the efforts here as "pastiche" and artificial. That is what has happened at Clandon Park in Surrey, England, two miles from my home which burnt down in 2016. There are no plans to return this 300 year Grade I listed Palladian mansion whose walls still stand to its former glory. It's to become a ruin with a cafe. I am surprised they did not just knock it down and build a suburban housing estate.
The problem with reinstating former buildings is that they never use land as efficiently as purpose-built, high density developments. As Britain's population increases by almost one million per year mainly through immigration and local municipalities are given mandatory targets on numbers of dwellings whose plans they must approve and with shortages of land which can easily be developed, I cannot see the UK ever doing anything similar to this (only Poundbury in Dorset built by King Charles when he was Duke of Cornwall springs to mind). Where I live, one can see extensions to existing old houses and infilling of all the gaps between them including building of dwellings on gardens of any size alongside them and buikdings with 12 floors anongst much older buildings with far fewer.
I assume also tgat it is merely the facades of tge old buildings in Potsdam which are being recreated with no attempt to recreate the original interiors. Am I right, I wonder?
Lima is restoring its city center as well, look it up, its and ongoing process but they recently secured a high % of sales tax to be devoted to funding it and a major work to recover a major road that demolished buildings will be restored.
Wonderful! How are they going about that? I’ve been in Lima once, it needed some love, but it did have some amazing buildings in downtown. The city has grown so much that it seems the historical center is surrounded by a concrete jungle, I hope they can introduce true Lima ‘genius loci’ in Lima again! Thanks for watching 🙏🏼
@@the_aesthetic_city Pending on how long ago you came to Lima, you could find a drastically different city. (the concrete jungle surrounding it hasn't improved much though xD)
It started about 5 years ago but it has really picked up the pace after the pandemic ended. A new institution, PROLIMA, was created to manage the 40 historic city blocks of the city center, the idea is to restore its buildings using the original designs, colors, and overall architecture. Basically, if everything goes well you'll be able to experience Lima as it was at the height of the Viceregal era once the project is completed.
So far they've restored many streets, monuments and specially churches. But what's coming now is gonna be much bigger. There is a law that has assigned a permanent budget to PROLIMA (so, independent of the wills of the city mayor, although so far they have contributed greatly), as i mentioned a % of the sales tax of the city center will directly go to fund it.
Now they will restore a major avenue, by eliminating it, and making it go underground. While creating a walkable linear park filled with monuments and greenery + restoration of all the buildings that line it ofc.
The Rimac river will also be restored to how it was during the Viceroyal times which was a pleasant meadow and park that you could walk and even fish for crabs in the river. (at least for a few km, the river is very long)
Its in Spanish but this is the River project:
th-cam.com/video/_rgtWp9UzMA/w-d-xo.html
This is a more overall look at the project:
th-cam.com/video/MMuCCi7f2xE/w-d-xo.html
Ofc people are loving it, Lima was abandoned, almost destroyed by neglect, overcrowding and failed concepts of "modernization" since the 40's until the 2010s
I enjoy your channel very much! and am endless frustrated by my architect friends who are in a incestuous "love" relationship with Le Corbusier, its acolytes and Brutalism.
But i think their days are numbered, their architecture style is just plain ugly xD
Lima should not start with pimping their buildings but with building a *dense* network of tramlines throughout the city. Dense = a tram stop every 500 meters throughout the whole city. And then they should make crossing streets and roads safer - there are hardly any crosswalks - neither with nor without redlights - not even on 4 lane roads in the middle of the city.
I was in Lima twice and hated it - it's a city for car drivers but not for pedestrians.
@@svenlima We can do both. But also realize the difference in scope. Lima center is 40 square blocks 300 thousand people. You are talking about fixing traffic on a 12 million city.
I hate that part of Lima too, the crazy part is that its infrastructure is made to accommodate people originally but the Car and Bus "mafia" pushed for destruction of mass transit since the 40s.
We used to have tramlines everywhere and buses to compliment.
lima is building 1 new metro line, 2 more new ones are going to start construction late 2025 or early 2026, Exclusive Bus lines are expanding and avenues that should've been completed 30-50 years ago are finally being built to completion.
There is a new law that passed not 2 years ago that closes the door on insane bureaucracy that prevented the use of public land that was "invaded" by people to build homes or businesses. And it was extremely painful and long to expropriate it would outlive any Mayor in office so they stopped pushing for it and decided to just expand existing roads and make "traffic" a priority.
I can't say when there will be a government that will take pedestrians seriously, this is supposedly already happening but the traffic is so bad people are more focused on the big picture and not how to improve the quality of life of pedestrians, which is what really should matter more.
@@celdur4635 👍
The only people who seem to live Brutalist and Modernist architecture are...architects...who usually live in beautiful traditional period homes.
People forget that the architect behind a building is usually someone who has only looked over the safety and technical aspects of the building. Usually whoever’s name is on the project just put the stamp on it because a design can’t pass through unless stamped by a person with a license.
That’s indeed very common unfortunately…
@@the_aesthetic_citySounds like a Demoralization Project.
I note the democratic element in the rebuilding of Potsdam (and Dresden, and Warsaw). This is critical, but too many architects are trained in an ideological way in architecture schools. They frequently (and usually) ignore local preferences for so-called 'older' or more 'traditional' architecture and town planning.
Do you have proof that all or most architects live in beatiful traditional period homes or did you make it up?
This is beautiful. I’m glad that there are Europeans who still see the beauty in their cities and are fighting to restore them. God Bless 🙏🏻
Sadly only when it's about rebuilding.
In the Hamburg district where I worked, an architect built a new house with an "old facade" so that it would fit in better with the existing houses.
Many other architects think they have to express themselves and do not pay attention to the existing architecture, and then after a few decades a district looks like a strange patchwork of old and new.
" looks like a strange patchwork of old and new". I think you are desc ribing Brussels here; that's actually called brusselization... a good example of what not to do when renovating an old city.
Except, you know, there was no existing architecture of this ilk there when they started building this, and working cities always change spottily, one fresh building at a time. What's happening here is you want to live in Disneyland.
People are always blaming architects but I never hear them directly adressing the people who actually pay for these buildings and decide "oh that's good enough". Those are even more 'to blame'.
@@jfrancobelge Bruxelles est une vraie honte. On détruit le patrimoine des Belges, et les Belges s'en foutent. Ou comment donner raison aux Français qui se moquent du QI des Belges
@@diametheuslambda IMO, we'd all like to live in Disneyland really. :) As you explained, it's just not practical.
Britain could learn something from Germany when it comes to this stuff 👏
We have a joke in Britain, "the post-war 'modernist' architects did more damage to British cities than the Luftwaffe ever did."
As a matter of fact the same really is true for the RAF and Bremen and Hamburg. The latter lost 60% more buildings in the years after the war than in it. Tragic.
Yeah, my city lost some old buildings to it
Britain should tart to adopt traditional arabic architecture like from umayyad renaissance imagine incorporating some alhambra'like buildings into modern brittish cityscape. Allahu Akbar brother
Writer JRR Tolkien wrote to his wife Edith how much he opposed the carpet bombing, since they have no military value, and they destroy buildings from ancient civilizations, like the Roman ruins in Cologne
@@EkoFranko The Alhambra is an absolute marvel of architechture, but I wonder whether that style could organically be incorporated into british city scapes. Not saying that it isn't possible, I'm actually wondering
I used to live in Potsdam during my childhood, I remember hating the old marketplace, because of the endless construction sites. Now I appreciate the revival of this pearl of an city. Potsdam will forever be my home, but my current home city of Stralsund is also pretty nice.
Da haben wir getauscht. Ich bin von Stralsund nach Potsdam gezogen. Zum Glück ist Potsdam mittlerweile genauso schön wie Stralsund -auch wenn im Heiligen See baden nicht dasselbe wie die Ostsee ist. Leider hat sich Stralsund im Gegensatz zu Potsdam in jüngerer Zeit aber auch einige stadtarchitektonische Schnitzer geleistet. Ich denke da vor allem ans Ozeanum, der überdimensionierten Klorolle, die die Silhouette der Stadt nachhaltig verschandelt, naja.
Places in the US need the Potsdam-touch. If you look at old footage of Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland and Atlantic City, all had beautiful buildings and architecture. Today, they are shells of their former glory. Meanwhile, there are numerous places in Germany that could use rebuilding, many of the eyesores in Western Germany along with Chemnitz in Saxony.
Actually brings a tear to my eyes seeing this restoration
Usually I'm against revisionist architecture, life is not Disneyland. In this case I embrace it.
My Grandparents payed a very large amount to the "Frauen Kirche" to rebuild it. To this day there is a panel with a special thanks to the company.I am very proud to be the great son of the big sponsor! (Unfortunately the company had to close down in 2007 but the church is now the remaining honor of the company.
Always have been an admirer of your videos. It is the architecture that makes and strengthens communities by giving you a sense of belonging. Your point on billionaires spending on yachts is well made.
If I were a millionaire, I would invest in these projects. What a great legacy it is to bring beauty to the world.
Thank you! 🙏🏼 And yes what we need is places that give a sense of belonging instead of being alienating
Well said. Thank you.
"It is the architecture that makes and strengthens communities"... uh, don't say that in Potsdam. The whole rebuilding has done more damage to the community than strengthening it, especially that church rebuild. Lots of controversies, lots of fighting over tax money, lots of debates as to whether the government needs a castle and so on.
Way to go Germany. Never let anyone bully you into being ashamed of your culture or your identity.
if they are to be ashamed of something, be of history, not of present german culture and identity, you might even help prevent these dark chapters of history from happening again by doing popular decisions like this making people love their democracy and not alienating people desire for belonging, connection to their surroundings and reassurance by continuity, otherwise it would help lead them right into the arms of autocracy simps again.
Careful saying that in Germany, the self hating government will call you a Notzi and have you arrested for hate speech.
politiques in Germany and western nations sell the nations state to ashamed culture and Identity for the guilty and more
We are not ashamed of our culture but we are and we should be aware of our past. The Nazis were the darkest part of human history. And sadly the people back then said nothing against them. We can and we must learn from our past. So no vote for the far right! And by the way, why do we need patriotism? The most modern countries have less patriotism. I have other things to be proud of than my country. However I am happy to live in Germany.
Looking at your other comments it seems like you are a difficult person. „White and Proud“ wtf. When you have nothing more to be proud of 🤷♂️🤦♂️
As a Swiss citizen without any war in the last century I can tell you ; it’s the car who destroyed our cities in the 50’s and 60’s - worldwide !
Reconstruction of livable city centers would take too long in the US - for example. Imagine the time it would take to transform a city with 50% car parks…from where should come the money and the tenants ?
Developers in the United States would love to get their hands in all those car parks. But they're not willing to cut into their profits by creating mass transit. It's a vicious cycle.
As someone from Potsdam, I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that you visited here. Thank you for the incredible videos you always create, they mean so much!
Haha, really awesome you talked with my father - Thomas Albrecht - about the Barberini and Potsdam!
I visited the sites in various states of development, and it was always so interesting !
We definitely need a project like this in Rio de janeiro, in my opinion the city lost took much of it's identity over the years. Many of the 1880 and 1920 builds have been demolished or simply abandoned even when they are actually historical, like the house of Jose Bonifácio one of the founding father of Brazil. Today the city downtown is horrible, it has degrated modern buildings and it's quite hard to live in them. I hope one day Rio goes back to it's old glory.
Would love to visit Brazil some time!
@the_aesthetic_city Brazil is great man. Cities like Rio, Ouro preto and Gramado are wonderful. One day I would like you to do a video about Brazilia, Brazil's capital it's a great example of how not to build a capital city.
Sim! A arquitetura de Brasília é horrível! É de sangrar os olhos!
It brings me a lot of joy to see the restoration of both Potsdam's Alter Markt and the Stadtschloß in Berlin. The amount of restoration in Potsdam since my initial visit there in 2010 is astounding.
I largely agree; arriving for the first time back in Potsdam in years and see it transformed was quite the experience. I do have some issues with how these buildings are used, though, particularly in Berlin: it's all very much aimed at wealthy boomers, it seems.
@@bomcabedal yeah, the apartments in those rebuilt houses in Potsdam are absolutely unaffordable. They sell for millions.
As for the castle in Berlin: who the h*ck came up with the waterfront facade??? it ruins the whole building and it's what most tourists see when they take one of the many city river cruises. -.-'
@@Nico6th I don't mind that façade all that much, to be honest. It blends in with the architecture around it just as much as the baroque façade matches Unter den Linden.
Well I don‘t know- history and architecture should be growing and evolving, just rebuilding the old seems to me to be some sort of kitschy Disneyworld….
@@katinsu7700 I agree. Otherwise we could go back even further and rebuild the old castle/fortress that existed before the Stadtschloss in Potsdam was build. I still think that a lot of modern architecture is remarkably bland and void of creativity. It's not always the architects fault, but still. Just add a little "something". Anything that makes it more than just rectangular concrete.
How wonderful this is.As an American of German descent whose family came from Hannover in the 19th Century this makes me very happy!I hope a movement arises to rebuild some of the great rooms inside the Berlin City Palace including the great staircase!❤️
I love baroque buildings but here it's like turning Potsdam into Disneyland. Post WWII buildings are also historical buildings. Erasing them is erasing a part of our history and art. Maybe 400 years from now, people will say "How stupid it was to destroy those buildings"... Remember that from the Renaissance up to the 18th century, people hated gothic architecture. Today who would say that a gothic cathedral is ugly?
If only all of Europe took this direction. Restoring beauty in favour brutalism.
Amazing ;,)
How sad it made me as a teenager when I became aware how German cities had looked like before the war. This is some healing.
Hello from London uk - this is WONDERFUL - bravo and well done on correcting the wrongs of the past - I for one can’t wait to see the new old Potsdam xx🎉🎉🎉🎉 BRAVO ❤❤❤❤
Thank you for watching dear sir! 🙏🏼
Please don't call it "wrongs of the past".
After the war people did their best to clean up the rubble and start over. They rebuilt their city in the style of their time. Concrete was cheap and easy to produce, so that's what was used. A lot of people who are now in their 60s/70s are quite sad to see the buildings of their youth destroyed when some could very well have been saved and renovated.
No one needed a castle after 1945 or had the money for it. That created a huge empty space in the city center which was filled with trees, flower beds, and, yes, a parking lot. Which was quite practical for the churchgoers and the students at the new college that was built there.
As for the "wrongs of the past": that's a good argument for why we maybe should NOT rebuild that church... Because the biggest "wrong" of all times visited that place.
Many ruins were demolished instead of restored
@@resireg Of course they were. They were ruins. For a lot of buildings there just was no way to save them. The bricks were reused whenever possible. Some statues and ornaments were saved too, though maybe some more were saveable. People were worried about where they would get their next meal, where their children would sleep the next night and which soldiers to trust or not to trust.
Potsdam was bombed only once and ended up with ~60k homeless people. Other cities had it way worse. Add to that the refugees from the east and you can see how "saving ruins" was the last thing people cared about at that point.
Rebuilding culture always starts after the more imminent things are taken care of: shelter, food, safety, medical care, infrastructure, schools, a somewhat functioning governement, etc.
@Nico6th I see things differently. Stalin wanted to punish the entire German civilization. It was not a communist promise, but a Russian one. Catherine tried and failed, Tsarina Elizaveta almost did it and pretty much every Russian Tsar tried to and failed. The ones like Tsar Paul, who were friendly with Germans were assassinated by their own staff. So I see the loot and destruction of German History as collective punishment by jealous neighbors.
And one reason why castles and churches are destroyed is to prevent any tourism development. For example, France wanted no competition with Paris, so they participated in the destruction. UK the same, their motivation was to make sure that the baroque and rococo architecture in Munich, Dresden was erased, in order to make sure there was nothing for tourists to see. This way they would make money with the hotels, restaurants and shopping.
They don't accept competition
As a person who lives in potsdam im really proud that potsdam made it into a documentation !
Probably the best video I have seen about the fascinating development of Potsdam. It is a signal to people in other cities, demonstrating that beautiful buildings are still possible in today's era of concrete and steel. Help spread the word!
*** there is a German version below***
Hi, I live and study in Potsdam, and over the past few years, I had been occasionally interestet in the city's development. That’s why I found the video especially interesting.
However, despite the good research and the good summary of Potsdam's history, I have a few points of criticism that might not be as evident to someone who doesn’t live here.
I felt that a second perspective was missing, but I can also understand if that would have exceeded the scope of the video.
Therefore, I would like to attempt to give a brief overview of some of these points.
1. Many of the new construction projects currently being built are perceived by many people here as lifeless and resembling movie sets. There’s the impression that they only serve the purpose of boosting tourism, rather than improving the quality of life in the city.
2. In the process of rebuilding these Kaiser-era buildings, significant structures from the more recent German history have been demolished. In the video, the woman from "Mitteschön" conveyed that you can’t choose your history. However, that is exactly the impression one gets in Potsdam. Many important buildings with significant historical value, such as the Rechenzentrum or the former Institut für Lehrerbildung from the GDR era, are currently being erased to make way for the glorification of the Prussian era.
3. After the reunification, many of the long-neglected buildings, which were described in the video as "ugly blocks," offered space for a young, alternative, and progressive youth culture that over the years developed into an integral part of the city's arts and culture scene. Yet, this part of the cultural scene is often overlooked by conservative forces in the local politics. This is especially frustrating for young people, who often feel neglected. As result many young people are leaving the city to move to places like Berlin or Leipzig.
4. There is a strong impression that many of the new buildings in recent years serve only therfor to attract millionaires and the higher-earning people to the city. Affordable housing for people with lower incomes, such as students, is hardly being created. Unfortunately, I have personally experienced over the past three years that students often have to move out due to the rapid rise in rents.
5. The Garnisonkirche: This church embodies many of the conflicts mentioned above. As a Prussian military church, admired by Hitler, it has a dark past. Its supporters argue that the reconstruction should serve as a memorial for this horrific time. However, it is hard to believe this when considering that some of the financial supporters of the reconstruction are former National Socialists, and the project is also supported by modern-day neo-Nazis.
Additionally, the former Rechenzentrum, an iconic building from the GDR era were the East German and Soviet space missions were pland and controlled, is supposed to be demolished to make way for the church’s reconstruction. Futhermore the Rechenzentrum is now an alternative cultural center with hundreds of small studios and exhibitions, offering space for art, dance, theater, and music, and plays an important role in Potsdam’s cultural scene.
I fully understand that city planning and development are always a compromise between that what must be sacrificed to create space for the new and what is worth preserving and should therefore be protected. However, in a livable city, there should be space for everyone, and all perspectives should be included in the decision-making process. Unfortunately, many people here feel like they have little participation in the development of Potsdam. It rather seems like wealthy individuals are relentlessly pushing their vision of a shining, Prussian Disneyland, flattening everything that stands in the way of that dream without regard.
Thank you for reading through all of this. I hope I was able to offer a different perspective on the topic.
Feel free to visit Potsdam, I really like the city, and besides the typical tourist attractions, you should also check out some of the more hidden places like the Freiland, the Archiv, the "Casino" at the University of Applied Sciences (it’s just ist name, not a real casino ;) ), the Lottenhof, the Olga, the Projekt Hause Babelsberg, and of course the Rechenzentrum, along with many others.
Greetings from the capital of Brandenburg! :D
***German***
Hi, ich lebe und studiere in Potsdam und habe mich in den letzten Jahren immer mal wieder mit der Potsdamer Stadtentwicklung auseinandergesetzt. Daher fand ich das Video besonders interessant.
Ich muss jedoch, trotz der guten Recherche und der gelungenen Zusammenfassung der Potsdamer Geschichte, ein paar Dinge kritisieren, die einem vielleicht nicht so präsent sind, wenn man nicht hier lebt.
Mir hat nämlich ein bisschen eine zweite Perspektive gefehlt, aber ich kann auch verstehen, wenn das den Rahmen des Videos sprengen würde.
Deshalb möchte ich hier mal versuchen, einen kurzen Abriss dessen zu geben.
1.Viele der neuen Bauprojekte, die gerade entstehen, werden von vielen Menschen hier als leblos und kulissenhaft empfunden. Man hat den Eindruck, dass diese nur dem Zweck dienen, den Tourismus anzukurbeln, nicht aber die Lebensqualität der Stadt zu verbessern.
2.Für den Neubau dieser Bauten aus der Kaiserzeit wurden und werden Bedeutende Bauwerke aus der jüngeren deutschen Geschichte abgerissen. Im Video wurde von der Frau von „Mitteschön“ vermittelt, man könne sich seine Geschichte nicht aussuchen. Genau diesen Eindruck bekommt man aber gerade in Potsdam. Viele wichtige Gebäude mit bedeutendem historischem Wert, wie das Rechenzentrum oder die Fachhochschule aus der DDR-Zeit, verschwinden gerade, um einer Glorifizierung der Preußenzeit Platz zu machen.
3.Nach der Wende boten viele der lange Zeit sich selbst überlassenen, im Video als „hässliche Blöcke“ beschriebenen Gebäude Raum für eine junge, alternative und progressive Jugendkultur, die sich mit den Jahren zu einem festen Bestandteil des Kunst- und Kulturangebots der Stadt entwickelte. Trotzdem wird dieser Teil der Kulturszene von konservativen Kräften in der Stadtpolitik oft verkannt. Besonders für junge Menschen ist das oft ein Grund, sich hier nicht berücksichtigt und damit nicht mehr wohlzufühlen. Viele junge Menschen verlassen daher gerade die Stadt, um zum Beispiel nach Berlin oder Leipzig zu ziehen.
4.Man bekommt stark den Eindruck, dass viele der Neubauten der letzten Jahre nur den Zweck haben, Millionäre und besser Verdienende in die Stadt zu locken. Bezahlbarer Wohnraum für Menschen mit geringem Einkommen, wie zum Beispiel Studierende, wird kaum neu geschaffen. Gerade Studenten, das musste ich in den letzten 3 Jahren leider mehrfach selbst erleben, müssen oft ausziehen, weil die Mieten so rasant steigen.
5.Die Garnisonkirche: Sie verkörpert viele der eben angesprochenen Konflikte. Als preußische Militärkirche, die auch von Hitler bewundert wurde, hat sie eine dunkle Vergangenheit. Ihre Befürworter sagen daher, der Wiederaufbau solle als Mahnmal für diese schreckliche Zeit stehen. Dies fällt jedoch schwer zu glauben, wenn man bedenkt, dass unter den Geldgebern und Stiftern des Baus einige ehemalige Nationalsozialisten stecken und dieses Projekt ebenfalls von heutigen Neonazis begrüßt wird.
Außerdem soll für den Wiederaufbau der Garnisonkirche das ehemalige Rechenzentrum abgerissen werden, ein Prestigebauwerk aus der DDR-Zeit, von dem aus unter anderem die ostdeutschen und sowjetischen Raumfahrtmissionen gesteuert wurden, das heute ein alternatives Kulturzentrum ist, das mit Hunderten kleinen Ateliers und Ausstellungen Platz für Kunst, Tanz, Theater und Musik bietet und damit einen wichtigen Platz in der Potsdamer Kulturszene einnimmt.
Ich verstehe sehr gut, dass Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung immer ein Kompromiss sind zwischen dem, was weichen muss, um neuen Platz zu schaffen, und dem, was schützenswert ist und daher erhalten bleiben sollte. In einer lebenswerten Stadt sollte jedoch Platz für alle sein, und es muss versucht werden, alle Positionen in den Entscheidungsprozess darüber einzubinden. Leider haben viele Meschen hier Gefühl, an der Stadtentwicklung in Potsdam kaum teilzuhaben. Eher wirkt es, als wollten Menschen mit viel Geld kompromisslos ihr Bild eines strahlenden, preußischen Disneylandes verwirklichen und dabei ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste alles platt machen, was diesem Traum im Wege steht.
Danke, dass du dir das alles bis zum Schluss durchgelesen hast. Ich hoffe, ich konnte ein bisschen eine weitere Perspektive auf das Thema liefern.
Komm gerne mal nach Potsdam, ich mag die Stadt wirklich sehr und schau dir neben den Touri-Highlights gerne auch mal ein paar der versteckteren Orte an, wie z.B. das Freiland, das Archiv, das Casino an der FH (ist kein Casino, heißt nur so ;)), den Lottenhof, die Olga oder das Projekthaus Babelsberg und das Rechenzentrum natürlich sowie viele weitere.
Grüße aus der brandenburgischen Landeshauptstadt. :D
I wish I could give you more than one upvote for giving a more complete picture of what that restoration means for locals.
Even before reading your comment I suspected some of those conflicts would be present. This channel has an unfortunate tendency to cheapen itself by silencing counter-arguments, or the other side of the coin, or whichever way you want to put it. Thanks for that post. Should be the pinned comment, honestly.
Thank you, I feel the same. The second perspective is missing.
The new-old buildings look nice but they are pretty lifeless. The old market is missing any kind of greenery and gets way too hot in summer. All the art pieces and greenery that existed in that area before were removed.
I'm personally not a fan of the Rechenzentrum, I just think it's pretty ugly^^ I don't think we need a church there either, tough. A new, practical build for local artists or a renovated Rechenzentrum would be nice.
And someone PLEASE turn those mosaics the right way up! Seriously, some are installed the wrong way, you can see that since it is one continuous picture...
(also why am I writing in English here...)
Zu 2: Der Wert von DDR Gebäuden hält sich mMn doch stark in Grenzen. Das sieht man auch an deinem Punkt 1: Die DDR Gebäude ziehen offensichtlich keine Touristen an. Eben weil sie nicht wirklich einen historischen Wert haben. Das Brandenburger Tor ist auch nicht beeindruckend oder die Reste der Berliner Mauer und trotzdem kommen hunderttausende nur wegen der Geschichte. Das tun sie in Potsdam nicht. Also widerspricht sich Punkt 1 und 2 bei dir schonmal, auch wenn man natürlich argumentieren kann, dass Tourismus nicht historischen Wert definiert in akademischer Hinsicht, aber trotzdem ist es ein starker Indikator, dass die Bedeutung von etwas gering ist, wenn sich kaum wer dafür interessiert. Wichtig ist auch zu bedenken, dass es ein Unterschied macht, ob für ein Gebäude ein anderes histrorisches Gebäude gesprengt wurde. Der Palast der Repubik in Berlin würde garantiert auch noch stehen wenn die DDR nicht für ihn das Stadtschloss gesprengt hätte. Zu 3) junge Menschen aus fast allen Städten ziehen nach Berlin oder in ander Großstädte wie München und Hamburg. Das darauf zu reduzieren dass es im Stadtzentrum weniger Freiräume gibt ist sehr stark vereinfacht. Und Gentrifikation passiert immer wenn Stadtteile einen Aufschwung erleben, das hat absolut nichts mit der Rekonstruktion von Fassaden zu tun. Viele der Bauten in der Innenstadt waren ja sowieso geplant, ohne die Initiativen wären die Angebote für Jugendliche genauso jetzt weg, nur halt stünden da Klötze aus Beton und Glas. Also auch dieser Punkt ist irreführend von dir. Zu 5) Nur weil die Garnisonkirche von Hitler gemocht wurde hat sie eine dunkle Vergangenheit? Hä? Dieser Punkt ist total lächerlich. Abgesehen davon will keiner die wieder aufbauen um die angebliche "dunkle Geschichte" zu feiern sondern weil sie halt architektonisch wunderbar in die Innenstadt passt und gut aussieht. Und naja zu 4) Dass in Stadtzentren jetzt nicht grade für milliarden Euro prunkvolle Sozialwohnungen entstehen ist Schade, geb ich dir Recht, aber ist absolut normal und betrifft absolut jede Stadt. Wie bei Punkt 3) hat dieses Argument nichts mit den historischen Fassaden zu tun. Ich finde deine Argumente insofern weit hergeholt und teils populistisch. Sie haben im Kern garnichts mit der Architektur oder den histroischen Fassaden zu tun sondern beziehen sich ganz allgemein auf Gentrifikation die so oder so passiert wäre.
Haben sie einen Link wie viele Wohnungen in Potsdam durch die Rekonstruktion verloren gingen? Würde mich sehr interessieren.
Dazu wollte ich noch sagen, dass der gravierende Wohnungsmangel in Deutschland meiner Meinung nach ja nur zu einem winzigen Bruchteil an den wenigen historischen Restaurationen liegt sondern in erster Linie an Katastrophaler Neoliberaler Deregulierung und dem Mangel an staatlichem Engagement. Diese Vermietermafia und die korrupte Politik sollte der Feind sein, nicht die paar wenigen Gebäude, welche vielen Menschen gefallen und die Potsdams Ruf signifikant verbessert haben. Wo ich zustimme ist natürlich dass mehr Grünflächen wichtig und wünschenswert sind
I used to work there for a year. Good memories. I guess you need at least two weeks to see Potsdams most famous sights.
I think it's very good that Potsdam's old architecture is reappearing in large numbers. But it should also be mentioned that in the former GDR houses that were demolished, people with modest incomes used to live and were able to reside right in the city centre. I dare to doubt, perhaps I am wrong, that mere mortals could ever afford to live in the new buildings with historic façades. Nevertheless, I like them very much. And I agree with the local lady who said in the interview that this kind of architecture is the reason why tourists come to Potsdam. And I think it's also a reason why the majority of Potsdamers identify with their city.
Spot on with the effects of beauty on the human condition. Many gaols and office buildings are concrete austere bland spaces. This creates sadness and depression. I have felt it from staying in a grey modern hotel to feeling uplifted in an historical colourful hotel. What a difference good architecture and design make.
It's such an incredible place and its proximity to both the metropolis of Berlin and the countryside makes it even more special.
If I could, I'd certainly live there.
Schloss Babelsberg is also a quite notable palace - looks like straight out of a fairytale.
I still need to visit Babelsberg!
@@the_aesthetic_city If you have the chance, totally do! Imo the most beautiful of our parks and castles here in Potsdam! The view from the hill on which the castle stands, down to the water and the very historic Glienicker Brücke - it's marvellous, especially in the warm half of the year!!
Sono molto felice che la Germania abbia ricostruito alcune sue architetture storiche. Spero che la cosa continui e venga ritrovata la bellezza e la storia perduta. Ottimo lavoro grazie x questi fantastici interventi architettonici. Bellissimo
Inspired is an excellent word for how this makes me feel.
Hopeful is another.
I visited the place just after Covid, I didn't know what to expect but found it quite beautiful. Well worth a visit.
I watch a lot of depressing news, and these videos are always a bright spot in my day.
So inspiring to see beautiful architecture recreated. I thought we lost the craft and the taste, but we did not! We can do this
I regularly go to Potsdam because I love to see old places being reconstructed, and to see what progress has been made since my last visit, and because that is one of the best examples within reach of where I live. It seriously is one of my favorite places ever. The other place I regularly go is the Berlin City Palace on Museum Island because that is still receiving small additions all the time as well and its just a little more driving. That area of the city has been greatly restored too, the entire architectural ensemble is being rebuilt and theyve already come a long way.
The huge problem I see with projects like this is still that they promote gentrification to a very large degree. The municipalities have still not understood that germany needs social housing to a degree it never has before, and that rents need to stay affordable. Projects like this at the same time drive up rents in the area and create more living space that is oriented towards rich people, not average germans. You can of course argue that its the inner city and it isnt realistic for us to afford a place here anyway, but that is also an issue. Rich people and offices shouldnt be the only ones who can afford to be in the city center, thats not how it used to be. SO this is something that needs to be adressed, and with larger policy measures on the federal level.
Anyway, Im really happy you made this video! Its really good. My only criticism would be that you still romanticize the past a bit too much (rich people building beautiful buildings in the past was more of a dick measuring contest than about giving back to the community) and leave out some of the negative points with projects like this, but thats already become a lot better from where it used to be.
What an absolutely brilliant film, movement, approach to architecture and history. Sense of place. Beauty matters. I've felt this for decades but no one has verbalised it and helped me understand historical architecture so well. I've been to Potsdam three times and love it like it was my hometown. ❤️🇩🇪
Wow I knew something like this was happening in Dresden but not in Potsdam. Well done!
Mentioning your stories really help me to show people that it is even possible to think about a better future when it comes to architecture and that it is not only something from the far past. Most people dont even think about it. This is why I appreciate your channel
As much as I support aspects of what you're doing, we shouldn't make the mistake of equating all anonymous, cookie cutter architecture with communism. Such neighborhoods were built in the West as well, and more importantly, still are. And it's even somewhat understandable; with a housing crisis like the post-war one going on, it's politically tempting to resort to the quickest and cheapest solution, and one that is supported by the building industry. So while I appreciate restoring cities to their former glory, the real fight is for the future.
On a lighter note, the lack of quality of GDR buildings actually helped reconstruction along. Had the Rosa Luxemburg complex not fallen to bits so easily (I even worked very briefly in that building during the mid-90s) it might've been much more difficult to accomplish.
At the time, they were not looking for Dutch craftsmen, but rather experts in draining wetlands. They came and helped drain several wetlands near Potsdam. They already had many years of expertise in Holland, the dry laying was then also successful.
Yeah, there are two sides to every story. I have lived in Potsdam for a long time.
The old castle was destroyed during the war - during the only bombing of the city. After the war, there was simply no money and no need for a castle. So the ruins were removed.
The empty space was turned into a parking lot surrounded by trees, flower beds, lanterns, and some water features. It was very much a build of its time. It was still a place full of life with shops, greenery, and a local college. The metal building you see in some pictures was the temporary theatre.
The new castle now is the government's seat - yeah, they build themselves a castle, sour spot there. It was sooo expensive. It's also not exactly identical to the original, they made it wider to fit the rooms. Without the donation from Hasso Plattner they wouldn't even have added the historical facade!
The now rebuilt residential buildings do look very nice - well, the ones that had conditions set as to how they have to look. The ones in between look so out of place and some are just outright ugly. And the apartments are absolutely unaffordable.
The old market now is a lot of stone without any trees, so it gets incredibly hot in the summer. As it is now everyone sticks to the very edges of the place because the buildings provide shadow. Maybe there will be a Christmas market there someday.
Overall, a lot of nice-looking things were rebuilt but the comfort of the people actually living in the city was neglected.
The rebuilding of the Garnisons Kirche (the church) is controversial. It's still unfinished and will be so for years. There is not just the problem with Nazis, there is also the question of if and why tax money should be spent on building a church. We do have separation of state and church after all, there are two other big churches in the city center and the number of church members keeps decreasing.
So yeah, it looks nice now. The tourists like it.
yeah lets have ugly soulless brutalist architecture instead.....
or those guys that love ugly can go live on Mars.... lots of ugly there
An inspiring model for the rest of Europe, making beautiful is possible with determination and the right people. The result is already incredible, the people of Potsdam can be proud, greetings from France!
En Europe 'en tout cas en France' le développement des constructions historiques ou traditionnels sont de retour.
I’ve visited Potsdam this fall. I was amazed by its beauty
Finally people realized that modern architecture was a huge mistake. lol.
The World is healing!
it can work, just not with residential buildings
I wouldn't say that it was a mistake because imho it was done on purpose, as was the destruction of the historic German city centres, often only a couple of weeks before the end of the war.
@@jeanvaljean7266 In the case of Potsdam, the city was bombed in April 1945 by the Allied forces.
We are still finding bombs -.-
Video suggestion for you, The Aesthetic City:
A nuanced discussion of the pros and cons of socialist modern architecture. Or even in the west, for that matter. I am by no means an expert on the topic, but just from the places that I have seen with my own eyes I get the feeling that many of the residential and public builidngs and squares in the eastern block were designed with a communal aspect in mind, which imo is a good thing about them. While I agree that many of the buildings are on the uglier side and I personally would more often than not prefer older buildings with their nice wooden floors, the larger complexes often had much open space and thus much natural light. Plus the green spaces, the water elements and pieces of art that were incorporated in the designs in the vast majority of the cases. Many of these places were designed for people to use them to hang out there, and when it works it's a unique atmosphere there.
Cheers, have a good day!
@@muenchhausenmusic already subscribed. No way I’m reading that regurgitate crap. Lmao.
Wonderfull Video and very inspirational. In Dresden, where I'm living since 17 years, the only new build historical part is the area around the "Frauenkirche". At many other places new buildings are lifeless without any trace of beautifull and traditional architecture. Very well done Potsdam.
Modern architecture is meant, by design, to disengage people, make them hopeless and easier to manage. If you aren´t connected to your home, the government can manage you more easily. Beauty is a weapon against tyranny.
What an interesting story. Congratulations to all involved in transforming Potsdam into this beautiful city.
Hello. Thank you for this beautiful summary. I live in Potsdam since 1990 and witnessed it all on a daily basis! And yes, it is incredible! Also Hasso Plattner was my chef and I am very proud of what he does. Both museums he built (you left one out..) gain lots of traction and boost the tourism industry. But IMHO also many bad decisions have been made - like the massive main station and the ugly and oversized indoor swimming pool - both right in front of the rebuilt castle.
The demolition of the 'ugly' Staudenhof also included a beautiful cafe and a little park.The Staudenhof block had over one hundred available flats. IMHO the downside of this massive project is gentrification. It's nearly impossible to find affordable housing in the city center.
And last not least: both museums and the (partly) rebuilt of the canal deserve their own documentations, don't you think?
Greetings from Potsdam
I hope the Philippines can follow this.
Germany is beautiful and I'm glad that otherwise destroyed cities are being rebuilt to their former glory.
Me too! Thanks for watching
There was a desperate need for housing after the war. The Soviets weren't the only ones building non-descript architecture. It was only after immediate needs were met that you had the luxury to invest in things that are more decorative.
Local Potsdamer here.
(This is a long comment intended primarily as feedback to The Aesthetic City!)
It's funny, the video presented the reconstruction of our historic city centre as being largely supported by the public. In reality it's quite a touchy subject for us. Many people are highly critical of it.
I found that this video presented the issue rather one-sided, so I'd like to bring up some points that I missed. Bc while I also love beauty, I think there are more aspects to be considered for increasing a city's overall quality of life, which imo should be the overarching goal.
There are actually many people here who are quite critical of a rigorous reconstruction of Potsdam's historic city centre, me included. I say 'critical of', not 'dead against' bc it's not that we dislike the historic buildings. It's more that we wonder whether the sacrifices necessary for the reconstruction are worth it in the end. Let me give two examples:
1. Most (in)famously, the 'Garnisonkirche' (garrison church)
For me personally, the fact that Hitler was "crowned" there isn't even the issue. I agree with the lady in the video that the building could be a valuable trigger for sensitive discussion of the darkest chapter of german history. For most people the bigger problem is that rebuilding the whole church would mean to demolish the building right next to it (visible in the white frame at 10:47), which is called the 'Rechenzentrum' (computing centre) and nowadays provides space for student life as well as affordable ateliers for artists, rehearsal spaces for musicians and rooms for concerts and exhibitions and has done so for decades by now. The place is literally bustling with life, and there is a sizeable movement that fights year by year to keep the place up and open. I honestly don't know who is in the majority, but there is a probability that rebuilding the Garnisonkirche might not be so democratic after all.
One might also ask whether Potsdam with its already high number of castles and parks and historical buildings really needs one more of those and whether the Rechenzentrum doesn't provide more net benefit by enriching the social life here in the city.
2. The current demolition of the "one big ugly lump of concrete" seen at 10:19 and to us Potsdamer known as the "Staudenhof" (perrenial yard)
This is the basically the good old issue of gentrification. This block, while not exactly pretty, was a residential building with very affordable flats smack dab in the middle of an increasingly expensive city (I semi-affectionately call Potsdam the "Munich of the east", Munich being famous for being one of the most expensive cities in Germany, while eastern Germany as a whole is still comparitively cheaper than the rest of the country for obvious reasons). So there were local people with low to regular incomes who lived there and who otherwise have a very hard time finding accomodation this central and affordable. And while the building itself may not have been pretty, the actual complex actually was. We called it Staudenhof for a reason: In between the building itself and the Mies van der Rohe rip off building opposite of it (which hosted the state library and a branch of the trade school) there was a quiet green back yard with slightly elevated levels, filled with benches, flower beds, overgrown pergolas and even one or two fountains. On the elevated ground floor of the Staudenhof building there was a pretty popular café/bar also called Staudenhof. (I'll link to an image of the old Staudenhof in a subsequent comment)
So, as you can imagine, this whole complex did not only provide affordable, central and yet quiet-situated housing to a number of people but arguably increased the quality of life of the city centre. Whether the newly-built historic buildings can do the same remains to be seen, and although ofc I hope that the do, I and many others are rather sceptical. Let's not kid ourselves, these new spaces will be expensive and most probably only affordable by those in the higher income brackets. Some of us Potsdamer actually like to joke that those flats will mostly be rented/bought by rich Munich people to be used as second homes which they will visit once or twice a year and leave empty and unused the rest of the time XD Since Potsdam has no shortage of pricey historical flats in the city centre, I again gotta wonder whether tearing down the Staudenhof to be replaced by historical houses really is more democratic in the end. And, naturally, there was also a sizeable movement to prevent the demolition of the Staudenhof.
Some final thoughts and a suggestion for how to deal with problems like these:
As with most things in life imo this comes down to finding a healthy balance. We don't need to keep things as they are just for the sake of it and shoot down all proposals for change. But at the same time we don't need to blindly rebuild to a historical model or think that historic is always better. I think in Potsdam there are people close to the levers of power who seem to want to revive some old historic glory of the city while at the same time wishing to erase any and all traces of our GDR past. And I wonder: Should we really aim to try to revert a city back to some point in the past? Is that even possible? And should we aim to erase 45 years of admittedly controversial histroy from our city scape? Could we not also leave some of the buildings intact as yet another landmark of an eventful and discussion-worthy history, especially when the buildings are functioning well and/or maybe even have their own form of aesthetic and beauty? The GDR is part of our past as well, why not stand by it? While critically examining it ofc
My take:
1. We need to make sure to not inflict more overall loss by tearing down than the gain we provide by rebuilding. A good example is the Barbarini Palace, which now hosts the museum mentioned in the video which is well received by locals and tourists alike. The new building was successfully filled with life. Also no actual building had to be torn down to make space. Yes, the theatre building had been there before, but it was a provisional building anyway (we affectionately called it the Blechbüchse, the tin can XD). Huge gain, next to no loss.
2. If there are functioning buildings in place already, even from the GDR period, that provide a benefit for the community, why not leave them intact and rebuilt the rest of the historic buildings where there is still space? It might actually make for an interesting city scape to have different architectural styles in such close proximity. If done with taste and care it might result in a very original vibe of the neighbourhood. This is what I think should have been done with the Staudenhof. And in some places, why not even go one step further and actually fuse buildings of different styles? I think that would be an interesting option for the Garnisonkirche and Rechenzentrum. Stick with the tower of the church, and instead of tearing down the Rechenzentrum, why not fuse it with the tower in some creative way? The plan is to make the church a place of intercultural meeting and exchange anyway, so why not put that in the tower, maybe build a smaller extension building but not the full church, and fuse and collaborate with the Rechenzentrum? Instead of moving back to some glorified past this would basically build on what is there from different past periods and create something new and unique and thus move on into the future!
Mr. Aesthetic City, I generally enjoy your videos and focus on beauty as something that has value and uplifts the spirit! I would enjoy your videos even more if you also shed some light on possible counter arguments to and critical voices on the projects you cover!
Thanks for reading this far, have a great day!
Kommunist?
Thanks for your insightful comment! Do you happen to know if any of the newly constructed "old-style" buildings will be marked as social housing? That may help with the gentrification issue.
Let's be real here, this retreat to an imagined past glory and rejection of the present is a part of alt-right's RETVRN and fight against modernity. The aesthetic absolutism is at the forefront because it screams of power dynamics. The urbanist and social aspects are useful for populist reach, but the cupolas are the point.
Which is why there's no interest in meshing with the existing fabric but instead an insistence on erasing it, why the existing functions can be sacrificed, or why there's no interest in hybridising or reintegrating traditional and modern concerns and practice.
Great comment!
I also sometimes miss a bit of nuance from the channel,
but it is always interesting to watch a different view than what i get on my architecture school
Thank you for this comment providing actual context!
Around 1 year ago, i visited Berlin for the first time in my life for one week. At the first day i went into Berlin too look around, but it was so stressful that i planned to go to Potsdam on the second day. So did i on the next day and i was blown away by the beauty of Potsdam. At the End i ended up beeing more days of the week in Potsdam than in Berlin itself, beause the city so stunningly beautiful, i cant even put it in Words. I've never thought i would say this but you will have no problem with spending a whole week in Potsdam because of the amount of palaces, parks and museums which you can visit. And by the way the prices for staying and visiting are lower than in Berlin and if you want to see Berlin than you can take the train for a short trip.
Wow. Been to Potsdam a few years ago. Didn’t realise so much of the old town was actually the new town and rebuilt. It is a lovely place with the Neu Palace and San Souci.
I love the new period style buildings
May Potsdam serve as an inspiration for the rebuilding of New York CIty’s Pennsylvania Station, Singer Building, Pennsylvania Hotel, and, perhaps, low-noise versions of Manhattan’s Elevated Railroads!
i have been in Potsdam from 2016 to 2018, i love this city and its crazy to see how much it already changed since then.
Like to see more of this…and less Miles Van de Rohe
Thanks for sharing this wonderful video about my hometown, I really enjoyed it
Danke Hasso.
Kudos to the successful recreation of such fine and handsome buildings.
Last year I was in Potsdam and it was just beautiful
I'm from Potsdam I love your channel for some time now! couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this upload
The British did the same with the city of Dresden out of spite (neither city had any strategic or military value, and the war was almost over) it was to punish the German people for going along with Hitler.
Churchill was essentially jealous. Before prime minister, he was the Chancellor of the exchequer, equivalent to treasurer of the nation. And he was the enforcer of Versailles treaty, ensuring Germany had no industry or middle class in the 1920s and 30s
According to our many left parties, the bombing was justified, because the bomb victims were guilty. Even more, one of our most famous left politicians, a female, stated in public TV "In fact it were the Nazis, who destroyed Dresden".
To claim that Dresden had no strategic or military value is pure misrepresentation of history. In fact, the city was the third largest rail hub in the German Empire. Railway lines to Berlin, Prague, Breslau, Warsaw, Leipzig and Nuremberg crossed here. Since railway systems in other cities were already severely damaged, rail traffic in the Leipzig-Berlin-Dresden area from 1944 was largely handled via the Dresden-Friedrichstadt freight and marshalling yard, the main train station and the Dresden-Neustadt train station. The systems also supplied the industrial companies in Freital and mining companies in the Erzgebirge as well as the industrial areas of Heidenau, Pirna, Radebeul, Coswig, Bautzen and Görlitz, and armaments transports and transports to the concentration camps also ran via Dresden. If this isn't a strategic or military value...
@Ul.B the bombings happened mostly in 1944 and 1945, when the allies already won. Germany was already poor, alone and extremely outnumbered. I think Churchill and Roosevelt were war criminals. They were simply kicking a dead horse
Dresden absolutely was a strategic target. The Dresden myth was built up by the Nazis and adopted by the far right later on
i took a day trip to potsdam when visiting berlin. absolutely stunning city. and the "vibe" there was cool aswell lots of students etc.
germans that are proud of their culture and heritage, didn't know they were still around.
Don't worry, we do exist! I hope that after a longer period of somewhat of a broken relationship with our own heritage we can slowly move back to a healthy confidence while still being critical of the dark times in our past. And I hope we manage to to be confident and yet humble that we can learn to love our own culture and still respect the other ones, bc humans all around the globe have done amazing things
@@muenchhausenmusic as a dutchman i am proud of our eastern neighbours and how far you have come, but btw ya'll do still owe us 2,5 million bikes ;)
This is so wonderful! A big thank you to the activists, such as Frau Kuster, for their determination, work and energy!!!
That's a beautiful city center now! What I want to see restored is Scollay Square, Boston MA USA, restored as much as possible.
Wow.. I looked up the pictures, stunning. Didn’t know that square yet, hope more is restored in Boston
Weer een geweldige video!
People should know that the eastern european communists rebuilt many destroyed cities in the East in the exact same way: Warsaw, Gdansk, Dresden, Budapest and of course parts of Berlin (Potsdam is right next to Berlin) including the infamous Brandenburg gate, that was seriously damaged during the war.
they rebuilt like 10%. the other 90% got turned into big concrete blocks
@@babaoga Like in most western cities such as Lorient. That's modernist architecture and some of the best architects like Niemeyer or Le Corbusier built "big concrete blocks". The level of philistinism is astounding. Even if the 10% figure was accurate that would still be a prowess considering the amount of destructions in Germany and how harder it was to rebuild that way. One should also question the fact that behind the decorum these buildings are also "big concrete blocks" and will never actually replace the original.
Yeah, that part of the video bashing the GDR was so cringe lmao. He totally glosses over the fact that the Germans literally started the Second World War and brought the destruction of their cities onto themselves. They have nobody to blame but themselves. Also that part at the end where he praises billionaires and calls them 'patrons of art and beauty' or whatever the fuck, I cringed so hard I hurt my neck. Where were all these billionaires during the 1960s and 1970s when historic buildings were being demolished all across the world?
Great video, thank you. I traveled to see Potsdam in June and it was incredible. The places and gardens in particular were sensational, so its great to get more context about the extent of the reconstruction of the city center. Well done. I watch all your videos, thanks for the effort.
absolutely love to see this,germany and many other european countries are slowly swaying back to building beautiful.. but unfortunately we still have ideologues plagueing our institutions to keep everything ''contemperary'' etc. we HAVE to return.
Yes, Potsdam is beautiful and it is getting better year by year.
Danke, Jauch!
Fantastic story! Thanks for shedding light on this.
Thank you!! 🙏🏼 It was a story that had to be told
Didn't expect there to be a cheap ripoff of a building in little Des Moines, Iowa in GDR Potsdam... I walk by that original van der Rohe building every day at work!
This is very impressive. I am not generally a fan of recreating old architecture in a literal/pastiche way, because I think there is a strong argument for progress and looking forward (while respecting the past). However, in situations like this, where something great once stood, and then it was destroyed, I think it is totally legitimate to restore it to how it was. I'm British and I studied design at Coventry University, so I have experienced first hand living in a city destroyed by war. Coventry was quite an interesting case study, because many of the 1950/60s replacement buildings were absolutely horrible compared to what came before, but there were a small number of very good examples (for example the new cathedral, next to the old one). Since I left there in 2005, a lot of the brutalist buildings have been knocked down and replaced with brand new ones, but in a modern style. I think some of them work well, and some of them are just as bad as what came before. The whole city is basically one big architectural experiment/theme park. In some ways I kind of like it, but it definitely lacks coherence, and I really like what they've done in Potsdam.
I dont like the whole idea of "you cant have something pretty because evil people also liked pretty things"
Exactly! Ideology ruins so much
@@the_aesthetic_city or somebody told me "you know all those pretty buildings and churches were built by slaves right?" only for them to be angry at me when I provided evidence that the buildings I liked were in fact built by payed laborers.
Sure, but why is it really important you get this specific version of pretty?
@@diametheuslambda because this is the pretty version. You're acting like I want to bring back fascist architecture which typically mixed more brutalist with neoclassical elements to create an oppressive symbol of power.
I mean, even if something was in fact built by slaves, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. You can still marvel, “isn’t it amazing that slaves built something so incredible?!” Such buildings honor the legacy of the slaves who, though unjustly exploited, contributed so much to building the society. The worst thing that we could do to dishonor slaves would be to destroy their hard work.
How interesting; I had no idea about this project. Good channel topics to explore, so here is a new subscriber. Thank you for the content.
Ich wohne in Potsdam und kann nur sagen, dass es tatsächlich große vortschritte gegeben hat. Leider sind vieler orts immernoch die Wunden der DDR und ihrer Häuserpolitik zu sehen, auch gibt es wiederstand von Aktivisten, welche unverständlicherweise Rekonstruktion mit Nationalsozialismus und gleichsetzen. Glücklicher weise bestehen aber weiterhin Projekte und auch die Ambitionen die Stad weiter zu entwickeln und das in einer Humanen und Schönen weise.
Danke fürs Zuschauen! 🙏🏼
Those who resist the new reconstruction by saying that it is nazi, they are fanatic modernists. This farytail story they tell is absolutely false. But which architect made this stupid nazi-argument up? Who did invent this silly argument? Does anybody know?
Das Problem ist, dass die Wirtschaft zur Zeit im Keller ist and bauen davon stark betroffen ist.
National Socialism? Wow! That blows my mind. Remind them National Socialism was Hitler and his crew.
Ihnen ist bewusst, dass Potsdam mit Geld zugeschmissen wird, seit viele Berliner Bundespolitiker dort leben? So etwas, gibt es in keiner anderen deutschen Stadt.
Thank you for the superbly executed, informative, and inspiring video. Yes, we can reimagine our cities--particularly those that were once architecturally stunning and exceptional. Creating vibrant, beautiful, and memorable places fills our souls with magical sustenance. I am fortunate to live in Middelburg which boasts a delightful, historic town centre that was almost completely destroyed in WW II.
If you want to rebuild like in the past, build with structural stones, and not just concrete with a stone cladding ...
Thank you, this was uplifting. And thanks for all the thorough and important work you do. Please, subscribe and support this man.
Leuk! 👍🏼
Dank je ☺️
Amazing! I had no idea it looks so beautiful today.
that depressing sovjet nightmare was special for many east germans... it had the nickname: the people’s palace and in my opinion it is not good too demolish that building... because it was a magnificent piece of architecture and history...
after the fall of the wall... east germany did lose his industries and all the glory of the former state...
why demolish all the things soviets did? i dont understand that is part of history of the city too and may not be forgotten....
This is wonderful to see! I've been to Berlin quite a few times, and love it, but didn't realize how many great things are nearby in Potdam!
My parents go there on vacation a lot. They prefer Potsdam over Berlin for it's location among lakes and forests which are ideal for hiking and long bike tours. Also the city centre is "more cozy and beautiful" according to them. Places like Potsdam and Dresden can serve as beacons for other German cities that were bombed and then haphazardly rebuild that we don't have to continue on the path set up by the Modernists and Communists after the war but instead rebuild our cultural heritage.
As an architecture student I wish we learned topics you mention… I really hope our new generation will take all these parameters in their projects. Thank you !!
Also, blaming 300 to 500 year old buildings or architecture because something bad happened at some point in their history is ridiculously childish. Those buildings reflect all of their history and the untold people who built and lived in them. Rebuild them all!
I love potsdam! The hollandisches viertel is incredibly charming and enclosed. The whole city is like epcot, with a russian ranch, a ronantic ruin, etc
I am a lover of traditional architecture. I just hope that, maybe, one day we could get away from merely reconstructing it but get to creatively build new beautiful buildings. I am not just taking about applying the stiles of the past but taking what makes them glorious and using that for creative means. I always have to think of all those art deco skyscrapers that connect a commitment to modernity with a recognition for timeless beauty. But, then I realise what a spiritually empty culture we live in, how all academic institutions blindly follow ideologies of inevitable civilisational decline, and I just give up hope for Europe. Maybe one day we can be alive again, but we need to wait until the current high priests of culture have so thoroughly discredited their 1970s ideologies and backwards, small, provincial hippie mentality that change will be forced upon them from below. Let's hope for better times folks
It's quite funny how you lump all of this together and call it 'traditional' architecture - those architects from the early 20th century (art nouveau/art deco) we both seem to be fond of would have looked down on such buildings from the 'stuffy era' (late 18th to mid 19th century), also known as the 'Biedermeier' (Grm. for philistine) era in the decades after. Quite similar to how people are starting to look down on modernism today - boring, lacking creativity, yesterday's news!
The renaissance man (literally, not figuratively) also wasn't too fond of all that gothic cathedral business - two hundred year old gargoyles that look like they are about to fall down on your head at any time - no thanks!
If you ask me, I can see beauty in all architectural styles if done well, and yes, that does include modernism, believe it or not!
What I don't like however, are movie set tier copies of building facades long gone, where you can smell the polymeres from a mile away. Yuck!