Scarred by war
City of Aachen
Aachen was heavily affected by the war, particularly due to its location as a border town. The degree of destruction of the city can be clearly seen in the so-called rubble map.
Decisions
This level of destruction presented the city of Aachen with a fundamental decision. Which path of reconstruction should be taken? Some cities, such as Hanover, opted for a structural reorganization and a traffic concept of the car-friendly city. Other cities, such as Krakow, rebuilt the destroyed old towns true to detail. If one reads the contemporary texts on the reconstruction of Aachen, then the longing for the qualities of the historic city becomes just as clear as the idea of the future, which from the perspective of the time wanted to improve urban planning deficiencies.
"The greatness of tradition lies in its changeability"
This quote by Arnold Toynbee was used by Dr. Helmut Fischer, Director of the City Planning Office, for the new edition of "Aachen plans" in 1975 and conveys the attitude of the planners well. It expresses the values that led to the Aachen model and how a virtue was made of necessity.
The surviving Aachen city layout became Aachen's first monument. According to Fischer, the "character of the city, the familiar, manageable order" was to be saved and "the features that had been partially washed out by the flow of time" were to be restored. No significant structural changes were made
City of AachenIn addition to many other buildings, Neupforte 8-10 was also affected by the destruction of the war.
New living conditions
The aim was to build for the people; the neighborhood was to become the nucleus of urban life. Traffic, technology or political and economic concerns were to take a back seat. The redevelopment areas show which new living conditions were taken into account. Small-scale structures with courtyards and semi-public open spaces lead to a high quality of life and the desired neighborhood in the middle of the new old town.
