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The article hints that Berlin's soil might have been unsuitable for some of the more monstrously monumental buildings conceived, and in fact, one of the survivi
by microtherion 6y ago
The article hints that Berlin's soil might have been unsuitable for some of the more monstrously monumental buildings conceived, and in fact, one of the surviving pieces of Speer's plans is the Schwerbelastungskörper, a massive block of concrete built to study just how much such a building would sink over time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerbelastungskörper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerbelastungskörper
After the war, it first seemed too massive to demolish with reasonable effort, and now it is protected as some kind of ozymandian monument.
- tticvs 6y agoI live close to this. And while I can say it is a interesting historical curiosity, it is very obscure as a monument. The main legacy of the Nazis grandiose architecture is just down the street at the site of the former Tempelhof airport which is no longer in service but at the time of construction was one of the largest structures in the world. It is a truly gigantic swept wing eagle shaped building that even when it was the main city airport was only partially occupied. It's now falling into disrepair, but the guided tours are well worth it for the history and architecture.