Please join Susanne Nielsen for Installation project:
"My Mother's Dresses" - a celebration of Postwar Women and Fashions
8/26 - 9/30 exhibition dates ( Mon-Thursday)
The Background - Wiesbaden as a post-war city - NEW BUILDINGS!
(source: images from Wiesbaden City Archives)
1. Wiesbaden “Kurhaus" (Casino/ theater/restaurants) - built in 1907 in the new-classical style, was repurposed in March 1945 through 1950 as the “ Red Cross Eagle Club,” the Officers’s/NCO’s club ; the Thierschsaal (Hall) was destroyed February 2, 1945 in a fire bombing and could was renovated after the Americans released the Kurhaus back to the Wiesbaden population November 15th, 1950, with a ceremony December 21, 1951. The northside of the Kurhaus building remained the American Club until it was returned November 2, 1954.
2. December 15th, 1953 German Architect Paul Schaefer-Heyrothsberge’s Administration Building of the Raiffeisen-Insurance-Company at the beginning of the Sonnenberger Strasse was opened. On the ground floor the restaurant “Schultheiss am Kureck” was located with its spacious terrace. The facade and clock remain the same to this day.
3. The second major Federal Agency to relocate to Wiesbaden ( The capital of Ober-Hessen) was the "Statistisches Bundesamt”, the statistical Federal agency of West Germany. Designed by German Architect Paul Schaeffer-Heyrothsberge, and built in only one year’s time, the building opened March 1st 1956 at Gustav-Stresemann-Ring. The facade of the 14 -story high and 100 meters long administrative building initially had turquoise glass-mosaics along its balconies, that were later replaced by heat insulation. The single building of the cafeteria offered 550 people a light and airy glassed atmosphere.
4. Gas Station of the new Opel Haus - initially built as a car service and repair station in 1935 along the Reisinger Anlagen park, near the train station, it was rebuilt near Gustav-Stresemann-Ring and Mainzer Strasse after the Americans had confiscated the old Opel-House in 1945. In 1950 Wiesbaden’s population owned 4,340 cars, in 1960 they owned 27,630 cars, six times as many. One liter gasoline in 1950 cost 56 pfennigs, and on 1960 60 Pfennige. The building in the background is the Statistische Bundesamt ( federal agency of Statistics).
5. Public Swimmingpool Schwimmbad Kleinfeldchen, built in 10 months designed by Wiesbaden Architect Geza Loerincz as one of the most modern pools in West Germany. On inauguration day 4,000 visitors used the three generous pools for non-swimmers, swimmers, and divers. A large (20,000 square meters) sunning meadow and a 1,000 square meter terrace along a long building with changing rooms opened to a pleasure seeking public July 14th , 1951. Up to this point, 1950, the Germans had been barred from visiting recreational facilities like parks ( exceptions 4th of July), cafes, hotels, movie theaters, dances.
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