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Posts from the ‘Former Soviet Union’ Category

May 25

Städtebau im Schatten Stalins

Book Presentation

Olga Zinovieva, Moscow State University, olga@zinovieva.me

In May 28 2015, the Central House of Architects in Moscow is hosting a conference on totalitarian architecture associated with the presentation of the book “Urban design in the shadow of Stalin” by Harald Bodenschatz and Christiane Post. Several members of the UEDXX network: Harald Bodenschatz, Thomas Flierl, Tilman Harlander and Olga Zinovieva – will give their papers for this occasion.
The Central House of Architects is a historical building, designed in several steps by outstanding architects: Adolf Ericsson in 1896 as a town residence and Andrei Burov, Alexander Vlasov and Miron Mirzhanov in 1941.

Download full programm > Konferenz-Architektur-Programm-de-ru

Apr 22

Urbanism and Dictatorship – A European Perspective

Book presentation
Monday, May 4, 2015. 7 pm
Bücherbogen, Savignyplatz (Berlin)

Organized by Bücherbogen am Savignyplatz and Deutscher Werkbund Berlin e.V.

Guests: the authors Christine Beese, Harald Bodenschatz, Thomas Flierl, Christian von Oppen, Piero Sassi and Max Welch Guerra

Moderation: Claudia Kromrei (Deutscher Werkbund Berlin)

Piero Sassi, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, piero.sassi@uni-weimar.de

Der Städtebau der europäischen Diktaturen in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts diente nicht nur der Herrschaftssicherung im eigenen Lande, sondern auch der Anerkennung durch die demokratischen Staaten. Nach der Machtübergabe an das nationalsozialistische Regime geriet er mehr und mehr zur Trumpfkarte im Wettbewerb unter den großen Diktaturen Europas – fast wie in der Zeit des Absolutismus. Jenseits aller Konflikte und politischer Orientierungen bestand ein intensiver fachlicher Austausch unter den Ländern Europas.

Eine nur nationale Sichtweise auf die Diktaturen ist daher nicht hinreichend. Der übergreifende Blick trägt nicht nur dazu bei, die Besonderheiten der jeweiligen Diktatur zu klären, er weist auch manch vereinfachtes Verständnis von deren Städtebau zurück. Das ist keineswegs nur von historischem Interesse: Die Auseinandersetzung mit Diktaturen ist immer auch Ausdruck unserer gesellschaftlichen Verhältnisse, unserer Erinnerungskultur, unserer Fähigkeit, alte und neue Formen von Diktatur zu erkennen – auch heute!

Das Buch diskutiert den Stand der Forschung zum Städtebau von fünf Diktaturen der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts und präsentiert exemplarisch neue Forschungsergebnisse.

Urbanism_and_Dictatorship

Apr 15

Stadt Bild Moskau

Series of events at the Osteuropa-Institut of the Freie Universität Berlin

Thomas Flierl, Bauhaus-Institut für Geschichte und Theorie der Architektur und Planung, mail@thomasflierl.de

Moskau – imperiale, sowjetische, postsozialistische Metropole. Moskau – urbanes Planspiel und urbanes Monster. Moskau – vielschichtiges Gefüge der Organisation von Lebenswelten, des Wohnens, der Bewegungsformen, der politischen und kulturellen Repräsentation. Die Vortragsreihe thematisiert unter architektur- und planungshistorischen, film- und musikwissenschaftlichen Aspekten das «Bild» der Metropole im mehrfachen Sinne von realer Topographie, Imagination und symbolischer Aufladung des städtischen Raums. Sie führt in zeitlicher Perspektive von der Hauptstadt der Sowjetunion bis zur globalisierten Mega-City der Gegenwart.

Koordination: Thomas Flierl, Susanne Strätling, Georg Witte

Download programme: Stadt_Bild_Moskau

stadt bild moskau_karte

Apr 9

20th Century European Urbanism: Towards a Shared History

Lecture series at the Bauhaus University Weimar

Piero Sassi, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, piero.sassi@uni-weimar.de
Max Welch Guerra, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, max.welch@uni-weimar.de

The debate on a common European identity is by no means novel. However, over the past few years the escalation of multiple crises and the consequent discussion about the future of the European Union have extended this debate to ever larger segments of society. A shared European history is a fundamental part of the European identity. Discussing it is today more important than ever. Professional and cultural exchange throughout Europe was very intense in the 20th century. It had a strong effect on urbanism in the individual countries. Therefore, the history of urbanism in Europe during the 20th century should be discussed in an international context, as a shared history. Within the lecture series, we will tackle some major issues, such as housing policies, large-scale projects and urban renewal in different geographical contexts (Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Russia and Cyprus) and historical periods. On the one hand, this will allow to underline similarities between case studies and to recognize the exchange of models, experts and know-how between different countries. On the other hand, by considering the single case study in a broader international context, this will make it possible to understand its peculiarities. Doing so, the lecture will take on a European perspective.

Download programme: 20th_Century_European_Urbanism_20042015 Urbanism in Europe_Karte Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Apr 9

Architecture as Propaganda in Twentieth-Century Totalitarian Regimes. History and Heritage

Conference at the Swedish Institute in Rome, 16-17 April 2015

Håkan Hökerberg, Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma, hkb@isvroma.org

The aim of the conference is to map and analyse the rhetorical architecture of twentieth-century European totalitarian regimes. Essential issues are to define rhetorical architecture, to examine if certain architectural styles tend to be associated with totalitarian regimes and how ideological propaganda is promulgated through architecture. An important aspect is how rhetorical architecture left behind by totalitarian regimes may be integrated into present day democratic states, and its potential as modern urban heritage. The current attitude toward fascist architecture in Italy will be discussed in relation to European countries that have a similar history but have developed different approaches to their controversial architectural heritage. The aim is to illustrate the consequences of these different approaches and also how history is used, what processes shape national identity and how heritage is produced.

The conference is organized by Håkan Hökerberg (Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma).

Download conference programme: Programme_Architecture_as_Propaganda

Poster

Feb 4

Urbanism and Dictatorship – A European Perspective

Publication edited by Harald Bodenschatz, Piero Sassi and Max Welch Guerra (Birkhäuser Verlag, Bauwelt Fundamente 153, 2015)

Harald Bodenschatz, Technische Universität Berlin, harald.bodenschatz@tu-berlin.de
Piero Sassi, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, piero.sassi@uni-weimar.de
Max Welch Guerra, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, max.welch@uni-weimar.de

Urban design under European dictatorships in the first half of the twentieth century must be considered in an international context, as the professional and cultural exchange between European countries was – beyond conflicts and political orientations – very intensive. This European perspective allows us to recognize the specificities of old and new forms of dictatorship!

Download flyer: Urbanism_and_Dictatorship_2015

Urbanism_and_Dictatorship

Jan 8

Urban Design and Authoritarian Government – European Dictatorships in the 20th Century in International Perspective

Roundtable Discussion funded by the German Research Foundation at the University of Kassel on 25 and 26 August 2014

Uwe Altrock, Universität Kassel, altrock@asl.uni-kassel.de
Harald Kegler, Universität Kassel, harald_kegler@yahoo.com

To strengthen the network of researchers working on 20th century dictatorships in Europe and urban development, researchers from the University of Kassel, TU Berlin and Bauhaus University Weimar hosted a roundtable discussion. About 20 scholars from Germany and abroad discussed avenues for a more systematic research and perspectives for the funding of research networks. The underlying idea was that there is a lot of detailed research in a number of European countries that have witnessed dictatorships in the 20th century especially when it comes to matters of architectural form, whereas a broader approach transcending this narrow perspective is only gradually established. The following questions seem to need a more thorough reasearch approach that is truly international in nature and may allow for comparisons and for significant contributions in the context of the contemporary perception of legacies of dicatorships in a democratic environment:

How is an authoritarian system of urban design established?
Are there specific products and traditions of urban form?
How is urban design in dictatorships influenced by international exchange both in political and professional terms?
What are the specific features of the production of urban space in dictatorships when looking beyond representational urban design for the state itself?
The roundtable discussion offered an opportunity for productive interdisciplinary exchange between scholars from the fields of architecture, planning, history, history of art, preservation and political science that have all contributed to the overall theme of the roundtable discussion.
In the future, research activities of the participants will build on completed and on-going projects dealing with the situation in, among others, Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Balkans, and linking it more actively with the activities of networks such as UEDXX.

1 ehemal parlament jugoslawiens 1961

Former Parliament of Yugoslavia (inaugurated in 1961), nowadays Parliament of Serbia. The built legacy left behind by the dictatorship in former Yugoslavia was discussed during the presentation “Research on Forgotten Dictatorships” (Harald Kegler). Photograph by Harald Kegler 2014, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Dec 2

Urban Design for Mussolini, Stalin, Salazar, Hitler and Franco during the Interwar Period

Session M50 at the 12th International Conference of the European Association for Urban History (Lisbon, September 3–6, 2014)

Christian von Oppen, Technische Universität Berlin, christian.von.oppen@uni-weimar.de

Earlier this year, the UEDXX for the first time participated in the European Association for Urban History (EAUH) biannual conference in Lisbon. The EAUH conference provides a multidisciplinary forum for the diverse community of urban scholars. Following this multidisciplinary approach, Prof. Dr. Harald Bodenschatz, DI Christian von Oppen and Prof. Dr. Max Welch Guerra (founding members of the network) organized a session about urban design under the European dictatorships of the 20th Century (“Urban Design for Mussolini, Stalin, Salazar, Hitler and Franco during the Interwar Period”, M50). The session mainly focused on an international approach, which was underlined by six contributions representing six different countries.

Due to the forced repression of other European countries, as well as the cultural diplomacy of the most powerful dictatorships of the 20th century (for example, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy), urban history under dictatorial regimes is a topic with broad international reference. Nevertheless, this important topic is mainly discussed within the single national contexts. During the session, the different contributions made clear that the understanding of the common European history under dictatorships is determined by different national experiences. It is necessary to overcome this gap to achieve a shared understanding of the European history of the 20th Century.

Accepted papers will be published on this website.

Conference session (M50):
http://www.eauh2014.fcsh.unl.pt/index.php?conference=conference&schedConf=eauh2014&page=schedConf&op=trackPolicies

Download short report (German): Bericht_SessionM50

140829_UEDXX

The UEDXX network was presented during the networking event on Thursday, September 4, 2014, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Oct 28

Städtebau und Diktatur in Europa: Sowjetunion, Italien, Deutschland, Portugal, Spanien

Forum Stadt. Vierteljahreszeitschrift für Stadtgeschichte, Stadtsoziologie, Denkmalpflege und Stadtentwicklung. 41. Jahrgang 1/2014

Publication edited by Harald Bodenschatz and Max Welch Guerra

Harald Bodenschatz, Technische Universität Berlin,  harald.bodenschatz@tu-berlin.de

2014-1 Zeitschrift Forum Stadt.indb

Aus dem Editorial:

„Die deutschsprachige Forschung zur Städtebaugeschichte der europäischen Diktaturen der Zwischenkriegszeit hat sich aus verständlichen Gründen jahrzehntelang auf das nationalsozialistische Deutschland konzentriert, Studien über den Städtebau anderer Diktaturen dieser Jahre blieben eine Ausnahme. Dies ändert sich langsam. Dabei sind ganz unterschiedliche Sichtweisen zu beobachten, vor allem historische, kunst- bzw. bauhistorische, planungsgeschichtliche sowie politik- bzw. sozialwissenschaftliche Betrachtungen, die oft wenig untereinander kommunizieren. Damit sind zwei Käfige benannt, in denen sich die noch tastende und wenig systematisch vernetzte Forschung bewegt: nationale Grenzen und disziplinäre Schranken.

Das folgende Heft versteht sich als ein weiterer Schritt in Richtung vernetzter Forschung über nationale und disziplinäre Grenzen hinaus. Es thematisiert unterschiedliche europäische Diktaturen der Zwischenkriegszeit, vor allem solche längerer Dauer, und die Autoren repräsentieren unterschiedliche Disziplinen: Architektur, Kunstgeschichte, Kulturphilosophie, Planungswissenschaften, Politikwissenschaften und Soziologie. Gemeinsam ist ihnen allen eine langjährige Erfahrung in der Kooperation mit anderen Disziplinen.“

Inhaltsverzeichnis:
http://d-nb.info/1048465764/04

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