The uniqueness of the German barracks in the context of the style of military architecture in the interwar period.

Abstract

When studying the styles of barracks complexes in Eastern Europe, one can notice two main periods of heightened militarism. The large-scale barracks built in the 1880s represent a style infused with national romanticism. In Prussia, for example, it is Rundbogenstil, which legitimizes monarchical power. As a result of the defeat in World War I, this style is compromised. With the beginning of the 1930s, the tendency to build extensive barracks complexes intensifies again. The buildings erected at that time reflect the tendency to modernize architecture, characterized by functional and hygienic layout of rooms and a cubic style. This tendency is also evident in German barracks, such as those in Wrocław, designed by Otto Salvisberg, and Swiss barracks in Lucerne, designed by Armin Meili. However, due to the tightening of the nationalist rhetoric by the ruling NSDAP, as witnessed by the "Entartete Kunst" exhibition held in Munich in 1937, the international style is rejected in Germany, which was unprecedented at the time. A new style is sought, and the Heimatstil based on vernacular patterns developed in the 1870s fits in with the populist inclinations of the Third Reich. As a result, the design of barracks complexes sees a return to a simplified historicizing style, which then gives way to buildings that represent the biased national style of Heimatschutz, expressiing the polarization of public discourse along the lines of: cosmopolitan "them" and domestic "us".