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THE CITY OF REDEMPTION. LARGE PRISON STRUCTURES IN THE WILHELMINE PERIOD OF GERMAN EMPIRE. SPTIAL PLANS, STRUCTURE, ARCHITECTURAL COSTUMES.

S. Wroblewski

Abstract

During the “Wilhelmine” era in the German Empire (1871-1918) several large-scale prisons were planned. The evolution of those structures started in the first part of the 19th century with “castellated style”, neo-Gothic architecture of prisons (Breslau, Ratibor, Beuthen). Large prison structures (Wohlau, Gross-Strehlitz, Siegburg, Herford, Kassel, Wittlich, Neumuenster, Berlin-Tegel, Breslau - Kletschkau Strasse, Wronke, Freiendiez, Stuhm,) were also adorned with architectural neo-style costumes, related to the official Prussian politics, such as “national” – “Medieval” neo-Gothic or neo-Romanesque styles (or in the later period – neo-Renaissance and “Retablissement” styles), but those structures were designed as the complete new form – “cities of Redemption”. Their spatial plan and architectural composition of buildings were shaped in the different way than the prisons from the previous period. High walls surrounding the inner architecture of prison were still built to resemble medieval fortifications (and serve its prison-purpose), with high roofs and towers behind them dominating in panoramic views. The centre and the main axis of the “inner city” was always, like in Medieval times, a church or chapel with the highest tower in the complex structure. Wings of the main prison building and additional prison structures such as hospitals, schools, workshops and factories, or technical buildings were planned in the interesting composition around inner courtyards. However, equally interesting part of the spatial composition structure appeared outside the prison walls. Smaller houses for administration, sentinels, teachers, and priests were designed in different plans. Those spatial structures combined with greenery, agricultural space were formed to resemble the small village and idyllic rural landscape outside the walls of “prison-city”. The 19th century dichotomy vision of pastoral life outside the city and hard existence in medieval city was incorporated in the Prussian model of City of Redemption, which served for the new society. Main sources in study of this matter were original records from archives (Architectural Museum of the Technical University of Berlin, the Polish State Archives in Wroclaw and Opole) and original publications by the Prussian Ministry of Public Works - Ministerium fur Handel, Gewerbe und offentliche Arbeiten (Zeitschrift fur Architektur, Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung). Photographs were made in situ.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2019V/6.1/S17.064

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