DOCSLIB.ORG

On the Horns of a Dilemma

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
On the Horns of a Dilemma ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA Clarity and Ambivalence in Oppositional Writing in the Wake of the Uprising of 17 June 1953 in the German Democratic Republic Patrick P Harkin PhD University of Edinburgh 2010 Abstract of Thesis A civil Uprising on 17 June 1953 in the German Democratic Republic created a dilemma for a number of writers there. On one hand, they were deeply committed to the principles of socialism, upon which their state was based and which they saw as being put in grave danger by events such as those they experienced on 17 June. On the other hand, they were fiercely critical of the practice of socialism as pursued by the governing party, whose Stalinist methods of governance they believed to be in large part responsible for the civil unrest. My thesis explores the nature of this dilemma in the case of four writers, Bertolt Brecht, Heiner Müller, Stefan Heym and Erich Loest, and their efforts to resolve it within a repressive state, whose regime vigorously suppressed all signs of criticism or dissent. These writers created major works of fiction, a cycle of poems, a drama and two novels, in which the Uprising of 17 June is the central theme. In addition, each has provided a substantial body of non-fictional texts, largely journalistic and autobiographical, in which the Uprising is extensively contextualised. In bringing together and interrelating the fictional and non-fictional work of each author into my analysis, I have been able to demonstrate that all four held and publicly expressed views that set them in opposition to the regime in the GDR. i Contents List of Abbreviations vii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. THE LITERATURE OF 17 JUNE: TEXTS AND CONTEXTS 8 A Clash of Interpretations 8 ‗Der 17. Juni ist kein einzelner Tag‘ 8 Sources of Interpretation 9 The Eastern View 11 The Western View 13 Writers and Writing in the GDR 18 The Antifascist Narrative 19 Party Control 21 The Writers’ Tasks 22 Rewards and Privileges 24 Censorship 25 Opposition 28 Problems of Interpretation 35 The Literature of 17 June and Its Reception 39 ii 3. BERTOLT BRECHT 50 Introduction 50 Brecht: As Others Saw Him 52 Brecht in Private 52 The Berliner Ensemble and Cultural Freedom 54 17 June 57 A Changed Landscape 60 Public Reactions 62 Brecht in his Own Words 65 Problems in Interpretation 70 Analysis of the Texts 73 Initial Reactions 73 A Sociopolitical Analysis 75 Need for Cultural Reform 79 Mature Reflection 84 Buckower Elegien 86 A Unitary Cycle of Poems 87 Themes and Textual Strategies 89 The Threat of Fascism 90 Dialogue with the People 92 Nature 94 Building 96 Movement and Stasis 97 ‗Böser Morgen‘ 99 iii Optimism or Pessimism? 101 Publication of the Elegien 101 Conclusion 102 4. HEINER MÜLLER 106 Introduction 106 Müller‘s Prose 108 17 June in Müller‘s Prose 115 Germania Tod in Berlin 121 Germania Tod in Berlin within Müller’s Dramatic Oeuvre 122 German Past and GDR Present 124 Realism and Surrealism 137 Montage and Fragmentation 140 Text and Intertextuality 143 Destruction and Renewal 147 Discordance and Harmony 149 Germania Tod in Berlin as Oppositional Writing 153 Conclusion 156 5. STEFAN HEYM 158 Introduction 158 Journalistic Influences in Heym‘s Work 159 Heym‘s Non-Fictional Responses to 17 June 169 Heym’s 17 June 170 iv The 17 June Newspaper Articles 172 5 Tage im Juni 178 From Der Tag X to 5 Tage im Juni 179 Documentary Fiction and the Illusion of Reality 181 Characterisation 188 Martin Witte and August Kallmann 188 The Party 192 The Workers 193 The Westerners 196 The Soviets 197 Narrative Style 199 A Convincing Account? 203 Conclusion 205 6. ERICH LOEST 208 Introduction 208 Loest According to Himself 210 Loest and 17 June 219 The Portents 219 In East Berlin on 17 June 222 The Aftermath 227 Sommergewitter 232 Plot and Characterisation 233 An Accurate Account? 237 v Personal Experiences 241 Narrative Style 246 Realism or Socialist Realism? 250 A Response to Socialist Realist Depictions of 17 June? 253 Conclusion 255 7. CONCLUSION 258 United in Opposition 259 Contrasting Receptions 264 Appendix 1 Works of Fiction Featuring 17 June 1953 as a Theme 270 Bibliography 273 vi List of Abbreviations 5T 5 Tage im Juni BBA Bertolt-Brecht-Archiv BFA Groβe kommentierte Berliner und Frankfurter Ausgabe BPRS Bund Proletarisch-Revolutionärer Schriftsteller BStU Bundesbeauftragte für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik D Durch die Erde ein Riβ: Ein Lebenslauf DDR Deutsche Demokratische Republik FDGB Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund G Germania Tod in Berlin GDR German Democratic Republic HO Handelsorganisation K Krieg ohne Schlacht: Leben in zwei Diktaturen KgU Kampfgruppe gegen Unmenschlichkeit KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands LPG Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft MfS Ministerium für Staatssicherheit N Nachruf vii NSDAP Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands OdF Opfer des Faschismus RIAS Radio im amerikanischen Sektor S Sommergewitter SA Sturmabteilung (der NSDAP) SBZ Sowjetische Besatzungszone SED Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands SPD Sozialistische Partei Deutschlands SS Schutzstaffel (der NSDAP) Stasi Staatssicherheitsdienst USPD Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands VEB Volkseigener Betrieb viii 1 INTRODUCTION On 17 June 1953, a civil uprising took place in cities and towns throughout the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the culmination of months of growing anger and unhappiness among the population. It ended almost as soon as it had begun, petering out in the afternoon rain on 17 June, but the day became emblematic of the ideological, political and cultural division of Germany and enjoyed an almost mythical status that was to endure up to and beyond the demise of the GDR itself. What made it especially complex was that it provoked an impassioned debate, in which a single set of events and circumstances was invoked in support of ideological views which often stood in diametric opposition to each other. For some, 17 June 1953 exposed the illegitimacy of the GDR regime, revealing not only the courage of a people determined to throw off the yoke of communism, but also the treachery of those who would stand in the people‘s way. For others, it confirmed their fears that fascist ambition was still very much alive and could only be kept at bay by adherence to the socialism they believed had brought down the Third Reich. Writers were inevitably drawn into this war of words. Those in the GDR were socialist and generally supported their government‘s efforts to build and maintain a socialist state, so much so that Walter Ulbricht, General Secretary and leader of the ruling Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED), could declare at a Party meeting in July 1953: ‗Die Angehörigen der Intelligenz haben in den Tagen der faschistischen Provokation loyal gearbeitet.‘1 For many, Ulbricht‘s words confirmed the fact of GDR writers‘ unanimous and unconditional support for their government‘s harsh suppression of the workers‘ revolt on 17 June. As a result, GDR writers were often regarded in the West as apologists for a repressive and illegitimate regime, and 1 Walter Ulbricht‘s speech at the Fifteenth Plenum of the Central Committee of the SED, 24-26 July 1953 is reprinted in Elimar Schubbe (ed.), Dokumente zur Kunst-, Literatur- und Kulturpolitik der DDR (Stuttgart: Seewald, 1972), p. 296. 1 consequently there has been a tendency to dismiss GDR texts relating to 17 June.2 The situation, however, was more complex. Many GDR writers, particularly among those who had experienced at first hand the undeniable alienation between the people and their state, were deeply dismayed and filled with conflicting emotions which they endeavoured to express in writing immediately after 17 June and in the months and years to come. Among these texts are to be found not only works of considerable literary merit, but also evidence of a consistency and honesty of view, which ran counter to official GDR narratives and which I believe animated a number of GDR writers in the early decades of their state's existence. It is important here to define what is included within this generic term, ‗texts‘. The relationship between many GDR writers and 17 June is a very complex one indeed: to gain an understanding of this relationship in the case of any particular writer, it is essential to consider everything he (or she) has written or said on the subject. This means we must take into account all texts, not only literary- fictional work, such as novels, poetry and drama, but also diaries and autobiographies, letters, essays, press articles and interview scripts. Only by analysing the totality of a writer‘s output can we fully appreciate the significance of each individual text. It is my contention that the variety of and in texts relating to 17 June has not been sufficiently acknowledged and, as a result, the complexity of individual writers‘ views on this topic has tended to be less than fully understood. In short, judgement of the concerns and motivations which 17 June engendered in writers, or at least some writers, has been hampered by an overly narrow critical reception of their work. We must, of course, treat all texts with caution. Novels, plays and poetry may or may not be intended to represent the author‘s own opinions. Newspaper articles are usually written with the objective of presenting a point of view, based on facts: whether this is always the journalist‘s intention, or indeed whether the underlying ‗facts‘ are reliable is often debatable. Letters have addressees, but the writer may have intended a wider readership. Life narratives require similar circumspection. Diaries may be personal and private, or may have been written with a view to later publication. 2 See, for example, Hubertus Knabe, 17. Juni: Ein deutscher Aufstand (Berlin: Ullstein, 2004), p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Thesis Slabaugh Ms072117
    THE NECESSITY AND FUNCTION OF THE DRAMATURG IN THEATRE A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Melanie J. Slabaugh August, 2017 THE NECESSITY AND FUNCTION OF THE DRAMATURG IN THEATRE Melanie J. Slabaugh Thesis Approved: Accepted: ______________________________ ______________________________ Advisor School Director James Slowiak J. Thomas Dukes, Ph.D. ______________________________ ______________________________ Faculty Reader Dean of the College Durand L. Pope John Green, Ph.D. ______________________________ ______________________________ Faculty Reader Dean of the Graduate School Hillary Nunn, Ph.D. Chand Midha, Ph.D. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………….. 5 II. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF DRAMATURGY ……………………… 3 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and the Hamburg National Theatre ……… 4 Lessing’s Influence on the Dramaturgical Movement …………………. 8 Dramaturgy in American Theatre ……………………………………….. 16 III. PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY ……………………………………………. 13 The Production Dramaturg/Director Relationship ……………………. 15 New Production Dramaturgies …………………………………………… 18 IV. NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT ………………………………………………… 20 The Role of the Dramaturg in New-Play Development …………..…… 22 The Dramaturg as Supporter ………………………………………..….… 22 The Dramaturg as Guardian ………………………………..………….…. 26 The Dramaturg as Questioner …………………………………..……….. 29 V. DEVISED THEATRE ………………………………………….…………..……. 32 The Tasks of the Dramaturg in Devised Theatre ………………….….…
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 2 the Period of the Weimar Republic Is Divided Into Three
    CHAPTER 2 BERLIN DURING THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC The period of the Weimar Republic is divided into three periods, 1918 to 1923, 1924 to 1929, and 1930 to 1933, but we usually associate Weimar culture with the middle period when the post WWI revolutionary chaos had settled down and before the Nazis made their aggressive claim for power. This second period of the Weimar Republic after 1924 is considered Berlin’s most prosperous period, and is often referred to as the “Golden Twenties”. They were exciting and extremely vibrant years in the history of Berlin, as a sophisticated and innovative culture developed including architecture and design, literature, film, painting, music, criticism, philosophy, psychology, and fashion. For a short time Berlin seemed to be the center of European creativity where cinema was making huge technical and artistic strides. Like a firework display, Berlin was burning off all its energy in those five short years. A literary walk through Berlin during the Weimar period begins at the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin’s new part that came into its prime during the Weimar period. Large new movie theaters were built across from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church, the Capitol und Ufa-Palast, and many new cafés made the Kurfürstendamm into Berlin’s avant-garde boulevard. Max Reinhardt’s theater became a major attraction along with bars, nightclubs, wine restaurants, Russian tearooms and dance halls, providing a hangout for Weimar’s young writers. But Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm is mostly famous for its revered literary cafés, Kranzler, Schwanecke and the most renowned, the Romanische Café in the impressive looking Romanische Haus across from the Memorial church.
    [Show full text]
  • Germany, International Justice and the 20Th Century
    Paul Betts Dept .of History University of Sussex NOT TO BE QUOTED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR: DRAFT VERSION: THE FINAL DRAFT OF THIS ESSAY WILL APPEAR IN A SPECIAL ISSUE OF HISTORY AND MEMORY IN APRIL, 2005, ED. ALON CONFINO Germany, International Justice and the 20th Century The turning of the millennium has predictably spurred fresh interest in reinterpreting the 20th century as a whole. Recent years have witnessed a bountiful crop of academic surveys, mass market picture books and television programs devoted to recalling the deeds and misdeeds of the last one hundred years. It then comes as no surprise that Germany often figures prominently in these new accounts. If nothing else, its responsibility for World War I, World War II and the Holocaust assures its villainous presence in most every retrospective on offer. That Germany alone experienced all of the modern forms of government in one compressed century – from constitutional monarchy, democratic socialism, fascism, Western liberalism to Soviet-style communism -- has also made it a favorite object lesson about the so-called Age of Extremes. Moreover, the enduring international influence of Weimar culture, feminism and the women’s movement, social democracy, post-1945 economic recovery, West German liberalism, environmental politics and most recently pacifism have also occasioned serious reconsideration of the contemporary relevance of the 20th century German past. Little wonder that several commentators have gone so far as to christen the “short twentieth century” between 1914 and 1989 as really the “German century,” to the extent that German history is commonly held as emblematic of Europe’s 20th century more generally.1 Acknowledging Germany’s central role in 20th century life has hardly made things easy for historians, however.
    [Show full text]
  • The University of Chicago Objects of Veneration
    THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OBJECTS OF VENERATION: MUSIC AND MATERIALITY IN THE COMPOSER-CULTS OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA, 1870-1930 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HUMANITIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC BY ABIGAIL FINE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2017 © Copyright Abigail Fine 2017 All rights reserved ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES.................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................. x ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... xiii INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1: Beethoven’s Death and the Physiognomy of Late Style Introduction..................................................................................................... 41 Part I: Material Reception Beethoven’s (Death) Mask............................................................................. 50 The Cult of the Face........................................................................................ 67 Part II: Musical Reception Musical Physiognomies...............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting Zero Hour 1945
    REVISITING ZERO-HOUR 1945 THE EMERGENCE OF POSTWAR GERMAN CULTURE edited by STEPHEN BROCKMANN FRANK TROMMLER VOLUME 1 American Institute for Contemporary German Studies The Johns Hopkins University REVISITING ZERO-HOUR 1945 THE EMERGENCE OF POSTWAR GERMAN CULTURE edited by STEPHEN BROCKMANN FRANK TROMMLER HUMANITIES PROGRAM REPORT VOLUME 1 The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. ©1996 by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies ISBN 0-941441-15-1 This Humanities Program Volume is made possible by the Harry & Helen Gray Humanities Program. Additional copies are available for $5.00 to cover postage and handling from the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Suite 420, 1400 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-2217. Telephone 202/332-9312, Fax 202/265- 9531, E-mail: info@aicgs.org Web: http://www.aicgs.org ii F O R E W O R D Since its inception, AICGS has incorporated the study of German literature and culture as a part of its mandate to help provide a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Germany. The nature of Germany’s past and present requires nothing less than an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of German society and culture. Within its research and public affairs programs, the analysis of Germany’s intellectual and cultural traditions and debates has always been central to the Institute’s work. At the time the Berlin Wall was about to fall, the Institute was awarded a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to help create an endowment for its humanities programs.
    [Show full text]
  • Literature and Film of the Weimar Republic (In English Translation) OLLI@Berkeley, Spring 2019 Mondays, April 1—29, 2019 (5 Weeks), 10:00 A.M
    Instructor: Marion Gerlind, PhD (510) 430-2673 • marion@gerlindinstitute.org Literature and Film of the Weimar Republic (in English translation) OLLI@Berkeley, Spring 2019 Mondays, April 1—29, 2019 (5 weeks), 10:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. University Hall 41B, Berkeley, CA 94720 In this interactive seminar we shall read and reflect on literature as well as watch and discuss films of the Weimar Republic (1919–33), one of the most creative periods in German history, following the traumatic Word War I and revolutionary times. Many of the critical issues and challenges during these short 14 years are still relevant today. The Weimar Republic was not only Germany’s first democracy, but also a center of cultural experimentation, producing cutting-edge art. We’ll explore some of the most popular works: Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s musical play, The Threepenny Opera, Joseph von Sternberg’s original film The Blue Angel, Irmgard Keun’s bestseller The Artificial Silk Girl, Leontine Sagan’s classic film Girls in Uniform, Erich Maria Remarque’s antiwar novel All Quiet on the Western Front, as well as compelling poetry by Else Lasker-Schüler, Gertrud Kolmar, and Mascha Kaléko. Format This course will be conducted in English (films with English subtitles). Your active participation and preparation is highly encouraged! I recommend that you read the literature in preparation for our sessions. I shall provide weekly study questions, introduce (con)texts in short lectures and facilitate our discussions. You will have the opportunity to discuss the literature/films in small and large groups. We’ll consider authors’ biographies in the socio-historical background of their work.
    [Show full text]
  • Datenhandbuch Deutscher Bundestag 1994 Bis 2003
    Michael F. Feldkamp unter Mitarbeit von Birgit Strçbel Datenhandbuch zur Geschichte des Deutschen Bundestages 1994 bis 2003 Begrndet von Peter Schindler Eine Verçffentlichung der Wissenschaftlichen Dienste des Deutschen Bundestages Herausgeber: Verwaltung des Deutschen Bundestages Abteilung Wissenschaftliche Dienste/Referat Geschichte, Zeitgeschichte und Politik (WD 1) Verlag: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden-Baden Technische Umsetzung: bsix information exchange GmbH, Braunschweig ISBN 3-8329-1395-5 (Printausgabe) Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin 2005 Vorwort Die parlamentarische Demokratie ist auf das wache Interesse ihrer Brgerinnen und Brger angewiesen. Aber wer auch immer sich mit der wichtigsten Institution unse- res parlamentarischen Regierungssystems, dem Deutschen Bundestag, beschftigen mçchte, ob es um die Beteiligung an einer Diskussion geht, um Kritik, Ablehnung oder Zustimmung, fr den ist eine Grundkenntnis wichtiger Daten, Fakten, Zusam- menhnge und Hintergrnde unverzichtbar. Vor rund 25 Jahren, aus Anlass des 30jhrigen Bestehens des Deutschen Bundesta- ges, haben die Wissenschaftlichen Dienste deshalb erstmals versucht, die Daten und Fakten zu Leistung, Struktur und Geschichte des Deutschen Bundestages in einer Dokumentation zusammenzustellen, nach denen mit Recht hufig gefragt wird und die bis dahin jeweils einzeln von den verschiedenen Organisationseinheiten der Ver- waltung erfragt oder unterschiedlichen Publikationen entnommen werden mussten. ber die Jahre hinweg hat sich aus dieser Dokumentation das Datenhandbuch und damit
    [Show full text]
  • Francesca Rogier
    The Other Parliam ent in th e Francesca Rogier 07 When the Reichstag, seat of the German parliament Fig. 1 Aerial view of the Palast and the surrounding area. The 190 m from 1889 to 1933, was re-dedicated as the new home long building, placed 180' to the for- mer palace footprint, marks a of the Bundestag last April, another parliament build- sequence of open spaces moving ing gazed vacantly from the foot of Unter east from Marx-Engels-Platz at the westward foot of Unter den Linden to the Marx- Engels-Forum, the 1 969 TV tower, den Linden. The Pa/ost (^er Re^wfaZ/fc, the monolith overlooking and Alexanderplatz. Wrapped in a Marx-Engels-Platz in the heart of Berlin that once housed the East marble base, the Palast's rear eleva- German Volkskammer, might as well have been worlds away, so tion makes contact with the Spree in a lateral walkway and boat landing, insignificant was its presence in the public's consciousness. But at pre- directly engaging the island site in a cisely that moment, a shift have taken place that could lead to a may manner unusual for modernist build- new perception and possible re-use of the forgotten parliament, just as mgs. Although plans for Marx- it could engender a new definition of German identity. Engels-Platz never progressed past the stage of parking lot, it has proven to be an excellent outdoor The greatest moment for the Palast der Republik came in August 1990, space for carnivals, performance art, when the first freely-elected representatives of the Volkskammer, a body volleyball matches, attracting large crowds - the kind of public previously subjugated to the central committee, voted for German unifi- entertain- ments so often promoted today in cation.
    [Show full text]
  • Rudolf Laun and the Human Rights of Germans in Occupied and Early West Germany
    6 Rudolf Laun and the Human Rights of Germans in Occupied and Early West Germany Lora: Wildenthal What are human rights? The technical answer is that they are norms of international law that are formulated in abstract, universally applicable terms. For example, Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person." Such a norm contains no reference to any context or circumstances that might justify limiting those rights - and therein lies the power of human rights language. When lawyers or activists attach a particular situation to a human rights norm, they seek to persuade others to see that situation in isolation from its historical context and usual justifications, as a violation. Human rights norms are ahistorical and decontextualized, and that is the point of invoking them. After the Second World War, activists around the world hoped that people would think ever more in terms of human rights norms, and the Allies encour­ aged that hope. However, the use of the ahistorical fanguage of human rights in occupied and West Germany - the subject of this essay - was difficult and inevitably controversial. In practice, the language of human rights in West Germany highlighted the tension between the Federal Republic's most prized moral claims: to have enshrined timeless, universal human rights, and to have accepted the specific historical responsibility of Nazism. While the former asks listeners to set aside context, the latter depends on a specific context for its significance. \ There was and is no single, typical West German "take" on human rights.
    [Show full text]
  • German History Reflected
    The Detlev Rohwedder Building German history reflected GFE = 1/2 Formathöhe The Detlev Rohwedder Building German history reflected Contents 3 Introduction 44 Reunification and Change 46 The euphoria of unity 4 The Reich Aviation Ministry 48 A tainted place 50 The Treuhandanstalt 6 Inception 53 The architecture of reunification 10 The nerve centre of power 56 In conversation with 14 Courage to resist: the Rote Kapelle Hans-Michael Meyer-Sebastian 18 Architecture under the Nazis 58 The Federal Ministry of Finance 22 The House of Ministries 60 A living place today 24 The changing face of a colossus 64 Experiencing and creating history 28 The government clashes with the people 66 How do you feel about working in this building? 32 Socialist aspirations meet social reality 69 A stroll along Wilhelmstrasse 34 Isolation and separation 36 Escape from the state 38 New paths and a dead-end 72 Chronicle of the Detlev Rohwedder Building 40 Architecture after the war – 77 Further reading a building is transformed 79 Imprint 42 In conversation with Jürgen Dröse 2 Contents Introduction The Detlev Rohwedder Building, home to Germany’s the House of Ministries, foreshadowing the country- Federal Ministry of Finance since 1999, bears wide uprising on 17 June. Eight years later, the Berlin witness to the upheavals of recent German history Wall began to cast its shadow just a few steps away. like almost no other structure. After reunification, the Treuhandanstalt, the body Constructed as the Reich Aviation Ministry, the charged with the GDR’s financial liquidation, moved vast site was the nerve centre of power under into the building.
    [Show full text]
  • Nachruf Auf Inge Von Wangenheim
    NACHRUF AUF: INGE VON WARNHEIM Wolfgang Knappe Sie schloß sich Ende der zwanziger Jahre als Schauspielerin linken Theatertruppen um Erwin Piscator und Gustav von Wangenheim an, wurde 1930 Mitglied der KPD und emigrierte vor dem Faschismus in die Sowjetunion. Dort war sie u.a. als Redakteurin für die Bewegung „Freies Deutschland" tätig. Nach ihrer Rückkehr übersiedelte sie alsbald nach Thüringen. Hier gehörte Inge von Wangenheim ü- ber Jahrzehnte zu den literarisch und kulturpolitisch prägenden Persönlichkeiten, die u.a. durch die gründliche Erörterung problematischer Fragen und den sensiblen Umgang mit ihrer Lebensumgebung geschätzt und geachtet war Wenige Monate vor ihrem Tod führte WOLFGANG KNAPPE mit ihr folgendes Gespräch, das als eine ihrer letzten öffentlichen Äußerungen gilt: Frau von Wangenheim, es heißt, das Beste, was ein Mensch weiterzugeben habe, sei seine Lebens- erfahrung. Was würden Sie aus Ihrem reichen Leben vererben wollen? In meinem 60 jährigen Berufsleben am Theater, beim Film, in der Presse und schließlich in der Litera- tur fand ein mit Schmerzlichkeit verbundener Kampf um die Erkenntnis der Wirklichkeit statt. Ich habe immer wissen wollen, was ist! Nur wenn ich dieses zu wissen glaubte, wagte ich zu sagen, was sein soll. Ich halte es mit Lessing: Das Suchen nach der Wahrheit ist die Hauptsache. Sie zu finden, bleibt ein Glücksfall. Lessing: „Es ereifere jeder seiner unbestochenen, von Vorurteilen freien Liebe nach. Es strebe jeder von Euch um die Wette, die Kraft des Steins in seinen Ring zu legen ..." Welches waren die wichtigsten Stationen Ihres Lebens? Die erste prägende Station meiner Jugend war die Motzstraße in Berlin-Schöneberg. Ich bin ein Kind der Weimarer Republik.
    [Show full text]
  • Festvortrag: Ohne Pracht, Ohne Macht?
    18 Festvortrag: Ohne Pracht, ohne Macht? Vladimír Šlapeta* Im Frühjahr 1944 nahte die letzte Phase des Zweiten Welt- krieges. Berlin wurde permanent bombardiert, und Hans Scharoun wurde für Räumungsarbeiten in Steglitz und in Lichterfelde eingesetzt. Schon vorher erlebte er die Bom- bardierung seiner Büros, zuerst in der Passauer Straße, danach am Bayerischen Platz, auch seine Wohnung in der Siemensstadt erlitt Schäden. Zufällig wirkte in dieser Zeit in Olmütz (tschechisch Olomouc) Scharouns Nach- bar aus der Siemensstadt, Rudolf Haase, der einige Mo- nate als Kurier den unzensierten Briefwechsel zwischen Scharoun und meinem Vater, seinem tschechischen Schü- ler, vermittelte. Als Geschenk schickte damals mein Vater Scharoun das Buch Prag in Fotos von Karel Plicka. Scha- roun war sichtlich erfreut und bedankte sich mit einem ausführlichen Brief, den er, wie er bitter vermerkte, im „Heldenkeller“ auf vergilbtem Papier mit Bleistift schrieb (Abb.1).1 Darin erklärte er das städtebauliche Phänomen Prags als Beispiel für eine „Stadt als Garten“ mit edlem Abb. 2: Hans Scharoun, Brief an Lubomír und Čestmír Šla- peta, 15.8.1944 Einklang der dramatischen Topographie, der Natur und der organisch gewachsenen Struktur. Er betonte auch das einheitliche geistige Klima Prags, das in bunter städtebau- licher Struktur das Gebaute überbrückt und verbindet. Das Beispiel Prags scheint ihm ideal für seine damals im Ent- stehen begriffenen Gedanken zu den fast märchenhaften „Stadtlandschaften“, die er in den Nächten skizzierte und auf deren Grundlage er sein sämtliches Spätwerk aufbaute. Im nächsten Brief, datiert am 15. August 1944 (Abb. 2) – gerade drei Wochen nach dem missglückten Attentat von Claus von Stauffenberg auf Adolf Hitler –, kann man le- sen, wie schnell er neue Energie sammelte in der Hoffnung auf ein baldiges Ende des Krieges und einen Neuanfang: „Meine Arbeit ist ein ewiger Kampf gegen Material und Arbeitermangel, aber vielleicht kann ich in Ihrem Büro einmal Wiederauferstehung feiern! Einmal wieder Räume schöpfen! Jetzt erschöpfen wir uns! Was hat eigentlich die Abb.
    [Show full text]