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kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2019 - 1 Aleksandra !arado&ska Architecture and 0istor) and .heir $e resentations in German !ro aganda in the $eichsgau "artheland* Amongst the surviving traces of German urban lan- ce. Escutcheons to the left of the ma com rise sym- ning in !oland during "orld "ar ## eculiar artefacts bolic re resentations of the trades t) ical of the regi- ha en to be found. A large-scale ma of the $eichs- on. .hese include> soldiering% agriculture% crafts, in- gau "artheland is a case in oint%1 no& art of the dustry, science% joinery, and navigation. .he central collection of the 'tate Archive in (ydgoszc*% !oland section on the ma renders "arthegau in relation to +,ig. 1).2 .he ma belongs in a series of various illus- the ca itals of other rovinces: (erlin, "rocła& 4(res- trations, very much redolent of children’s rints and lau7% Kato&ice 4Katto&it*7% Krak@& 4Krakau7% 5Anigs- roviding synthetic re resentations of the territories berg% and Gdańsk 49anzig7. Escutcheons to the right annexed Germany or occupied b) it.3 As the style of bear the ne& coats of arms of the major cities in the the re resentation suggests, the ublisher, namely region: !o*naB 4!osen7% C@dD 4Lit*mannstadt7% #n- Heimatbund "artheland% intended the ma as an ac- o&rocła& 40ohensalza7% Kalisz 4Kalisch7% Gnie*no cessible means of circulating information on the 1the 4Gnesen7, and Włocła&ek [Leslau7. heartland of the German East3 4Kernland des deut- .he ex anse &ithin the outline of "arthegau fea- schen 6stens7. ,eatured in the framing% the lyrics of tures sim lified dra&ings &hich describe each of its Heinrich Gutberlet’s song 18arch of the Germans in arts. ,our ma;or themes come to the fore> architec- !oland3 418arsch der 9eutschen in !olen”7 add to the ture +mainly to&n halls and alaces)% industrial facili- ma ’s educational im ort. .he song uses oetic lan- ties, historical symbols, and transportation routes guage to describe the war as a German reconquest of such as rivers and railways. .he re resentation is the !olish territories, &hich are said to have always rounded off &ith human figures: soldiers, farmers, and belonged to the $eich, and the victory of 1939 as the foresters +a ainter and a &anderer also make an a - advent of divine justice.< .he ma &as intended to earance-% all of them German b) default% inhabiting combine visual and auditory sensations, namely, a and transforming the land re resented in the ma . o ular song actualized in one’s mind. As such, the #n its im ort% the ma combines different eye-cat- mendacious ro aganda message became all the ching elements to thoroughly integrate the images of more ronounced. As a result% !olish history and cul- the ast% resent% and future. 6ne such section re- ture became utterly obliterated% an so &as the every- resents a Gothic church in "rześnia 4"reschen7 and da) realit) of !oland under Na*i-German occupation, construction &orks in its vicinity. .he architectural that is, the de ortation an extermination of !olish image of "arthegau brings together de ictions of citizens. both existing buildings and those in the making% hu- .he ma uses ictorial terms not only to render man activit) being the driving force and a contact "arthegau itself% but also to provide basic information oint bet&een the ast and the future. .his visual re- on the region in the context of the entire .hird $eich resentation of the German-occupied territories of and also more locally. 'ilesia &as similar in that the !oland and the activities the) &itnessed brings out region &as considered a frontier rovince% and a the ideas underlying German olicies and their tools: bridgehead for further ex ansion to the East. Whereas urban lanning and architecture. .hese t&o areas, in 'ilesia &as defined b) its industry, "arthegau &as combination &ith a broad social and economic ro- rimarily an agricultural region. .he fact that "arthe- gramme% &ere intended to change !olish territories.G gau &as one of the first areas ca tured b) the Ger- .heir thorough integration &as considered a recon- mans in 'e tember 1939 &as also of some im ortan- dition to ultimate victory. Aleksandra !arado&ska Architecture and 0istory and their !ro aganda Re resentations in the kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2019 - 2 $eichsgau "artheland ,ig. 1 Ma of Reichsgau "artheland% ca. 1940 .hese and many other elements of the ma ’s im ort examination of a &hole range of historical, economic% are a starting oint for m) investigations into the osi- and social determinants; in fact% the investigation tion of "arthegau’s architecture and urban lanning must be broader than for other regions. .he major in the German &ar olicy. .he major goal of this artic- factors underlying German urban lans and setting le is to ex lore ho& architecture became a ro agan- "arthegau a art from other rovinces are% on the one da tool and ho& it &as used to reinforce German rule hand% the harnessing - broader than else&here - of in the annexed territories. 8) understanding of archi- the Germanization tradition from the eriod of the tecture goes beyond the actual buildings in the ma % !artitions and the likelihood of its revival; and on the &hich ma) have been instrumental in develo ing a other, a massive displacement of eo le% i.e., the de- ne& German image of the annexed territories, as it ortation and extermination of its !olish and Ie&ish also com rises a net&ork of associations spanning o ulace% &ho &ere re laced b) German colonists.J the past% present% and future. The issue seems im ort- 6ther German administrative units, &hich !olish terri- ant inasmuch as the urban lanning and architecture tories &ere incorporated into% did not &itness such of the region &ere described in literature in similar rocesses on a similar scale or of similar consistency. terms to other !olish regions annexed to other Ger- .hus, "arthegau ma) exem lif) an area ex osed man rovinces +Gau 9anzig-West reussen, Gau 6st- to com rehensive urban lanning rocesses, archi- reussen, Gau Schlesien- or treated as occupied terri- tecture being one of the tools in the service of the tories +the General Government-. 0o&ever, as sugge- German &ar polic). At every ossible o ortunit)% ho- sted b) recent research, the issue calls for a broader togra hs, dra&ings, and descriptions of both existing Aleksandra !arado&ska Architecture and 0istory and their !ro aganda Re resentations in the kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2019 - 3 $eichsgau "artheland ,ig. 2 Georg 'al*mann, Model of One& and old Gnie*no3 4neu und alt Gnesen]% 1940 buildings and building designs &ere laced at the a re ertory of references to commendable German core of ro aganda releases, even if their content fai- history. .he) &ere described in academic ublicati- led to address the issue of spatial lanning or mana- ons and% at the same time% circulated b) the ress. gement. Architecture and urban lanning became the !ublications develo ed b) researchers from various very tools to be used for the education, assimilation, fields of stud) at the $eich Universit) of !o*nań/Po- and sha ing of the identit) of German colonists, &ho sen served as a com lement to previous elaborations, had ne&ly arrived from various locations and identi- &hich &ere created in the nineteenth century as art fied &ith their little homelands. !ostcards, ress re- of a broader tradition of the 6stforschung +Eastern leases, guide books, school atlases, and various other 'tudies).M .his line of research focused on articular ublications &ere used to inculcate the idea that events or buildings of symbolic im ort% &hich later ublic buildings and the very space of !olish to&ns made their &a) to daily ress releases. Even rior to and cities &ere indigenously German. #n so doing% the outbreak of "orld "ar ##% German intelligence the) had ictured the annexed territories as alread) made a reconnaissance of !olish territories and rovi- ca tured before any actual investment rocess be- ded re orts on the cultural and economic activit) of gan. .he strateg) transformed the measures hitherto the Polish state.N undertaken b) Na*i authorities; it &as sup lemented !articular buildings became symbols +charged &ith elements deriving from the German ex erience of &ith a clear agenda- as well as lodestars for future de- history. velo ment. .his &as the case irrespective of the arti- At the core of the Na*i olic) &as the ideologically cular to&ns and cities in "arthegau and their varying charged historical understructure% leaning both to- asts, the region encom assing both the areas of the &ards the ast and future% &hich made it very much former !russian artition and the territories &hich had akin to the ma and its im ort. Various eriods of been under $ussian rule in the nineteenth century. #n German supremac) in Polish territories or the fact that the latter case% the interpretations of the buildings’ !olish peo le ado ted some of the German standards history &ere more likely to contain serious distortions &ere considered to be the evidence of German cultu- &hile ca tions describing their current role fraudulent- ral superiority. #n so doing% these elaborations offered ly suggested their German origins. !ublic buildings, Aleksandra !arado&ska Architecture and 0istory and their !ro aganda Re resentations in the kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2019 - < $eichsgau "artheland develo ed b) interwar !oland and mostly Neo-classi- tolled the church as the achievement of German Go- cal in style% fell an easy re) to such ractices.9 .he thic% and to a lesser extent% that of #talian (aro:ue.12 visual ro aganda dre& on architecture &hile beco- 9espite 'alzmann’s o&n ronouncement% &ho sa& it ming a foundation for the identit) of ne&ly arrived as #talian in style% the major furnishing in the church, German colonists.