Karolina Jara Institute of Art History, University of Wrocław e soundscape of public space in Breslau during the period of National Socialism Abstract: is article examines the methods of space appropriation employed by the Nazi authorities, with particular emphasis on the musical and auditory layers and the projects for reshaping the public space in Breslau, focusing on the designed sound environment. e rst of the issues presented, the 12th German Choral Society Festival (Deutsches Sän- gerbundesfest), took place from 28 July to 1 August 1937. It was the biggest musical event organised in Breslau under the ird Reich and one of the most important events on the national level. e festival allows us to trace how the musical sphere was harnessed in the space of the city and how its propaganda potential was exploited. e second phenomenon under scrutiny concerns a space that was designed but never actually existed, so the ques- tion of its acoustic characteristics seems completely inaccessible. Useful in this respect are architectural plans and photographs of mock-ups with planned areas of the city that allow us to reect on designed architecture in relation to the planned soundscape of new urban spaces. I am most interested in how and to what extent sound can be considered an important factor in the process of redesigning an entire city centre in the late 1930s. e aim of this article is to broaden understanding of the sound experience of the Nazi city, as well as its role in urban planning. Keywords: public space, architecture, ird Reich, music festival, space appropriation, designing the sound environment e air is exceptionally warm tonight. e strains of a brass band are waed from far away, so it seems, by a gentle breeze. e sound uctuates, reverberating from distant streets. e music grows louder. With a sudden explosion of noise, the band merges from a side street followed by a detachment of Brownshirts marching in step. ey, in turn, are followed by a group in regional costume and some civilians who have joined the procession en route. Many windows are open, and the din invades the rooms behind the uttering curtains. Across the way, curious residents are already leaning on their window sills and gazing down into the street. Many wave. e window of one darkened room is closed and the curtain drawn as if by some ghostly hand. e windowpane at my back begins to vibrate. e night air resounds to the blare of trumpets and the rattle of snare drums. ey’re passing the house now. e color bearer’s ag, propelled by a headwind, slaps him in the face.1 1 Beyer, e Karnau Tapes, 67. Renata Taczuk and Sawomir Wieczorek - 9783631753361 Downloaded from PubFactory at 09/25/2021 03:10:53PM via free access 144 Karolina Jara Given the abundance of elements that create the sound environment of a par- ticular place, it is essential to clarify the areas that we look at, or rather “listen to”. e soundscape in Breslau under the ird Reich may be analysed from various angles, such as the soundscape of the small number of newly erected public build- ings, the functioning of musical institutions or radio broadcasts, and this study looks at only a small part of this very complex phenomenon. Based on the example of a music festival, it shows the methods of space appropriation employed by the Nazi authorities, with particular emphasis on music and sound. It also describes the interaction between the public space and the architecture that forms it, and also their acoustic qualities, within the context of the plans for the thorough redesigning of the city centre. e 12th German Choral Society Festival (12. Deutsches Sängerbundesfest) took place from 28 July to 1 August 1937 and was the most important musical event organised in Breslau under the ird Reich and one of the most important events on a national level. It allows us to trace how the musical sphere was incorporated into the space of the city and how its propaganda potential was exploited. Obser- vations regarding the auditory impact of the space itself are preceded by remarks on the arrangements for the festival, in particular those related to architectural works and temporary decorations. is is important to the subject, because the urban fabric, as a material and visual factor, is intrinsically linked to the sound- scape of a place. Moreover, this planned spectacle for a mass audience combined visual and auditory elements in an inseparable whole. e analysis of the festival also covers phenomena related to the history and musical culture of Silesia, which formed a symbolic layer of the event. e second phenomenon under scrutiny concerns a space that was designed but never actually existed, so the question of its sound characteristics seems completely inaccessible. Useful in this respect are architectural designs and photographs of mock-ups with planned areas of the city that allow us to reect on the designed architecture in relation to the planned sound environment of new urban spaces. What interests me most is how and to what extent sound can be considered an important factor in the process of redesigning the entire city centre during the late 1930s. Did the existing urban soundscape inuence the new plans? What does the case study of Breslau allow us to say about the designing of city acoustics under the ird Reich? I will attempt to broaden understanding of the sound experience of the Nazi city, as well as its role in urban planning. e quote from Marcel Beyer’s novel e Karnau Tapes at the beginning of this article is a literary representation of part of the German soundscape under the ird Reich. Not only is the plot set in Nazi times, the book is also devoted Renata Taczuk and Sawomir Wieczorek - 9783631753361 Downloaded from PubFactory at 09/25/2021 03:10:53PM via free access e soundscape of public space in Breslau 145 to sound, as the main character, Hermann Karnau, works as a sound technician and is obsessed with sound and with recording the human voice. Arrangements Grüß Gott! Grüß Gott mit hellem Klang! Heil deutschem Wort und Sang! Singers’ greeting (Sängergruß)2 e German Choral Society (Deutscher Sängerbund) was founded in 1862 to unite the numerous singing organisations that ourished during the rst half of the nineteenth century and organised rallies of male choirs.3 Apart from the concerts and rivalry, festivals also manifested national ideas that were gaining strength in the tense political arena before the unication of Germany in 1871. is was particularly evident at festivals held in border cities, hence the choice of Breslau. Press and radio coverage used mostly the characteristic form of nar- ration that I call “border discourse”. is was present in the ocial statements of the Nazi authorities, and it intensied during the late 1930s, before the outbreak of war. It highlighted the dicult situation of the borderland territories of the Reich, especially the disputed areas that were nationally, ethnically, religiously and culturally diverse and therefore susceptible to “foreign” inuences. Such discourse was designed to create a sense of threat and the need to strengthen the “German character” of those areas. So holding a nationwide German festival in Silesia was also signicant in terms of propaganda. e Breslau festival was the rst and the last to be organised under the National Socialist regime. e previous festival took place in 1932 in Frankfurt am Main; the next edition was planned for the 1940s in Vienna, but it did not take place because of the war. It should be stressed that this was not the rst time Breslau was chosen as the venue for a choral gathering lasting several days. e previous festival in the city was held exactly thirty years earlier, in 1907, in a temporary purpose-built hall in the park on the Friebeberg (now between Sztabowa Street and Powstańców Śląskich Square),4 in a remote southern part of the city. e 1937 festival took place in partly new facilities. at was a big asset of the city and, apart from geo- political issues, it certainly contributed to Breslau being chosen again. e main venues were the Jahrhunderthalle (now Hala Stulecia) with adjacent exhibition grounds, opened in 1913, and the sports complex with stadium built in the 1920s in Leerbeuthel (now the Olympic Stadium in Zalesie). Yet the presence of a large 2 Loeser and Werbeck, Musikfeste im Ostseeraum, 13. 3 Fastl, “Sängerfest”. 4 Schlesische Tageszeitung, 27 June 1937. Renata Taczuk and Sawomir Wieczorek - 9783631753361 Downloaded from PubFactory at 09/25/2021 03:10:53PM via free access 146 Karolina Jara number of choirs also necessitated the construction of temporary stages. A shel- tered podium was created at the stadium to accommodate 40,000 choral singers (Fig. 1), and a special stage with steps in the Jahrhunderthalle, both providing adequate acoustics and visibility (Fig. 2). Breslau also had numerous concert halls, including spaces of unique historical and artistic value, such as the Aula Leopol- dina and Oratorium Marianum. Figure 1: Chorfeier [Choral celebration], reprod. from Deutsches Volk – Singend Volk. Herausgegeben im Einvernehmen mit dem Deutschen Sängerbund (Berlin: C. A. Weller, 1937), 79. Courtesy of Wroclaw University Library Renata Taczuk and Sawomir Wieczorek - 9783631753361 Downloaded from PubFactory at 09/25/2021 03:10:53PM via free access e soundscape of public space in Breslau 147 Figure 2: Noch einmal: Feierliche Erönung [Once again: grand opening], ibid., 21 In addition to the venues that enabled concerts and shows to be organised, musical infrastructure was also important. e Jahrhunderthalle had an organ made by the Wilhelm Sauer Organ Company, which at that time was one of the largest in the world.