National Socialist architecture

Jews (who else?) object to returning Munich's N-S era art museum to its original appearance

Published by carolyn on Sat, 2016-12-31 15:13

Artist's rendering of London architect David Chipperfield's proposed exterior "renovation" of the Munich House of Art. Basically, he simply removes the row of trees planted across the front, post-war, that obscure the distinctive column facade, and widens the street to facilitate a more expansive view.


 By Carolyn Yeager

STAR ARCHITECT David Chipperfield’s plan to restore Munich’s Haus der Kunst to its original Nazi-era state has provoked blow-back amongst Jewish groups and the political left.

The 1937-era building sits at Prinzregentenstraße at the southern end of the English Garden and is scheduled to undergo the renovation work at the end of 2017. The Bavarian government has allocated €58 million to the project, with €20 million chipped in from the Federal government (totaling $83.7 million). Bavarian Culture Minister Ludwig Spaenle approved the plan, which has surprised many by being essentially a restoration of the exterior and surrounding grounds to its original Nazi-era state.