Post here pictures and films of pre-1945 Germany.

[The Lawspeaker]

Bwdp1I7M2hQ
English-language travelogue to Berlin (1936)- for the Olympic Games.

-XMmLw2-4UI
Dresden unzerstört 1939 (German)

http://www.jcosmas.com/realphotopostcardimages2/rppc-109.jpg
Pforzheim in the 1930s

http://www.jcosmas.com/realphotopostcardimages2/rppc-105.jpg
Koblenz in 1934

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Berlin_Unter_den_Linden_um_1900.jpg
Unter den Linden in Berlin (around 1900)

[The Lawspeaker]

MDwNhvM6KZM
Berlin 1936. Crystal clear images. :)

[The Lawspeaker]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/33-405-7-Altstadtpanorama-Koeln-1935-4C-600.jpg
Panorama of the old town of Köln / Cologne with the Cologne Cathedral and the Great St. Martin Church. (1935)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Cochem_1919_HD-SN-99-02384.JPEG
"This old castle perched on a hilltop above the Moselle River and the town of Cochem, Germany, is headquarters of the U.S. Fourth Army Corps. In foreground is Cpl. James C. Sulzer, Fourth Army Corps, Photo Unit. January 9, 1919."

Blick auf Cochem an der Mosel am 9. Januar 1919. Das Bild wurde von Unteroffizier Charles E. Mace aufgenommen. Er gehörte zu Photo-Einheit des IV. Corps der U.S. Army, die ihr Hauptquartier in Cochem hatte. Im Vordergrund sitzt Corporal James C. Sulzer.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/BurgCochem1900.jpg
Cochem Castle between 1890 and 1905.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Mainz_BlickzumRhein_1890.jpg
Mainz towards the Rhine river (around 1890).


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Mainz_-_Rheinansicht_2.jpg
Post card, undated ( ca 1914 ). Title:" Mainz - View to the city from Rhine".

Postkarte, undatiert ( ca 1914 ). Titel:" Mainz - Blick auf die Stadt von der Rheinseite".

[Contra Mundum]

MDwNhvM6KZM
Berlin 1936. Crystal clear images. :)

The German people seemed so happy in those days. After they were freed of the Jewish yoke and once again reclaimed prosperity and national pride.

[The Lawspeaker]

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Das alte Frankfurt vor dem 2. Weltkrieg Teil 1.

Bilder aus der Mainmetroplole vor der Zerstörung
durch die Luftangriffe 1944.

Die Alstadt zwischen 1000-jährigem Dom und Römer.

Die Auswirkung vom Hochwasser des Mains.

Internationale Arbeiterolympiade 1925.



SoHMISC6W2w


Das alte Frankfurt vor dem 2. Weltkrieg Teil 2.

Bilder aus der Mainmetroplole vor der Zerstörung
durch die Luftangriffe 1944.

Automobilschau in den 20er Jahren.

Zeppelin-Luftschiffe und Flughafenbau.

Rückkehr von Max Schmehling nach dem Gewinn
der Box-Weltmeisterschaft.

Der Frankfurter Zoo.



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Das alte Frankfurt vor dem 2. Weltkrieg Teil 3

Bilder aus der Mainmetroplole vor der Zerstörung
durch die Luftangriffe 1944.

Einzug des Nationalsozialismus in Frankfurt.

Krönungsweg der deutschen Kaiser unter Hakenkreuzflaggen.

Römerbergfestspiele.

Bilder aus der unzerstörten Altstadt, Alte Oper
und Sachsenhausen.



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Die Altstadt von Frankfurt vor der Zerstörung

Bilder vom mittelalterlichen Zentrum Frankfurts,
welches durch die Luftangriffe im 2. Weltkrieg
fast vollkommen zerstört worden ist.

[The Lawspeaker]

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Fotos von Berlin und Potsdam aufgenommen um 1900. Von der Library of Congress Photochrome Collection.

Photos of Berlin and Potsdam taken around 1900. From the Library of Congress Photochrom Collection.


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Das alte Berlin

Max Missmann war einer der bedeutesten Landschafts- und Architekturfotografen seiner Zeit. Seine Aufnahmen bekannter Plätze in Berlin, enstanden Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts.

[Zankapfel]

19th Century Architecture of major German cities, included some of those taken after WWII.


Berlin

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00332v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00341v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00343v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00347v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00339v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00367v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00336v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00333v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00350v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00346v.jpg



Dresden

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00938v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00942v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00946v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00954v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00955v.jpg

[Zankapfel]

Leipzig

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00966v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00965v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00969v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00961v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00967v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00900/00964v.jpg



Breslau/Wroclaw

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01065v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01064v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01058v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01062v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01068v.jpg



Stettin/Szczecin

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00100/00118v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00716v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00100/00117v.jpg

[Zankapfel]

München

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00058v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00072v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00073v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00074v.jpg



Freiburg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00301v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00302v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00298v.jpg


Hamburg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00400v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00402v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00401v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00411v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00404v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00425v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00415v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00412v.jpg

[Zankapfel]

Karlsruhe


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00315v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00319v.jpg



Magdeburg


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01010v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01011v.jpg



Halle


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01006v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01007v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/01000/01005v.jpg




Danzig/Gdansk


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00749v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00750v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00751v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00752v.jpg

[Zankapfel]

Bremen


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00369v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00370v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00379v.jpg



Frankfurt am Main


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00382v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00388v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00390v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00300/00391v.jpg



Hannover


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00455v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00448v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00456v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00400/00458v.jpg



Braunschweig


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00500/00504v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00500/00506v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00500/00513v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00500/00511v.jpg

[Supreme American]

Thanks! I love traditional architecture. It just amazes me, the uniqueness of it. Most of my family originates in southern Germany, so I'd very much love to visit there some day.

[Zankapfel]

Kassel


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00615v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00604v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00605v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00606v.jpg



Lübeck


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00663v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00666v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00600/00664v.jpg




Königsberg


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00735v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00737v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00742v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00739v.jpg



Bonn


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00700/00790v.jpg


Köln


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00804v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00813v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00816v.jpg

[Zankapfel]

Köln [II]


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00861v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00817v.jpg


Düsseldorf


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00825v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00800/00826v.jpg



Straßburg


http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00017v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00013v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00014v.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/00000/00015v.jpg

[Stars Down To Earth]

Good thread, Zanky. :) I'm a fan of old architecture as well (especially unique sorts, like the 19th century German style), and it's pretty fascinating to see how Germany's old cities looked like only a century ago. Breslau, Stettin, Strassburg...it's like another world now.

A shame how Germany's eastern cities got destroyed in the war and were replaced by endless, grey, commie-blocks...

[Geminus]

A shame how Germany's eastern cities got destroyed in the war and were replaced by endless, grey, commie-blocks...

It's also a shame that the British and Americans bombed these beautiful cities. Especially in Dresden and Hamburg many of the old buildings were destroyed.

[Zankapfel]

Thanks for your replies! Rather than engage in endless and futile banter about negative German stereotypes, showcasing some of the reasons why we can and should be proud of our history and country works better for me.

Agreed about how much beauty and architectural/historical heritage was lost along with these buildings.

Another great source for old photos of buildings, more specifically from the city of Frankfurt - which supposedly is considered as a successful reconstruction by many, but I beg to differ - is this: Alt Frankfurt (http://www.altfrankfurt.com/Default.htm)

I, to a great extent too, deplore the absence of detail, ornament, elegance and beauty in so many contemporary buildings; they seem to suffer from shortcuts, simplicity and similarity these days.

However, it is funny ColourBlind should mention commieblocks, because a thread about East German architecture is in the cards as well.

I can appreciate Socialist Classicism in Germany's case, oddly enough, for very personal reasons. You'd be surprised to find that East German architecture has a lot more to offer than just urban eyesores ;]

[Fortis in Arduis]

I find the interior of the destroyed Reichschancellery really thrilling from a design point of view.

Was there not also a plan to build a huge, neo-classical bow-fronted municipal building during the same period?

Long, and huge but bow-fronted to make it appear even larger, using the same visual trick as the Ancient Greek pillars which narrowed at the top to appear longer?

I have seen pics or plans, but cannot remember the name or further details, was it a concert hall, or an opera house?

Bow-fronted, like these town houses, but the bow being the full length of a whole terrace:

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/99/36/1993620_724c9808.jpg