Fascist architecture

Fascist architecture in the form of Rationalism with elements of classical Roman architecture was born under dictator Benito Mussolini's rule of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Mussolini invested in public construction projects in order to foster economic development, gain popular support and modernize the country, but it was especially during the totalitarian acceleration of the 1930s that the regime asked its architects to reflect the values of fascism, a form of pedagogical architecture for the masses. Sometimes these buildings utilized local materials and took inspiration from local architecture, blending local and Italian styles. Early Nazi architecture 1936 Olympic Games Despite their differences, German National Socialism is often considered a form of Fascism, their architectures show similarities but also some differences. The 1936 Olympic Games had been awarded to Weimar Germany in 1931, when Hitler came to power he decided to use the games for propaganda purposes. He made plans for the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Reichssportfeld", with a brand-new Olympiastadion as its centerpiece. Hitler desired more grand and extravagant venues than those that had been proposed before the IOC in 1931 by Berlin's bid team. On 14 December 1933, Hitler had the March brothers create a third design for an Olympic Stadium. This is the plan that was used, and contained not only the Olympic Stadium that would be built, but also other elements that were built such as the Olympischer Platz, parade grounds with the "Führerloge", the Olympic Bell Tower along the east-west axis the Coubertinplatz, and the swimming stadium placed on the north-south axis. In late fall of 1933 demolition work began on the old Deutsches Stadion, and work commenced on the completion of the gymnasium that had been left half-finished since 1928. Construction took place from 1934 to 1936. Complying with Hitler's wishes, March was the stadium's architect for the majority of the project, though Hitler ultimately replaced him with Albert Speer as the stadium's architect. It's impossible not to see the resemblance between the façades of the New Reich Chancellery (built between 1938-1939) and the Palace of Justice of Milan (built between 1932 and 1940), although the tribunal of Milan is much bigger and modern in style (simplified from its original, more elaborate project) it is unclear whether it influenced the design of the New Chancellery. Around 1936 Italy designed a large rally ground called Arengo delle Nazioni to be built near the Mussolini Forum, about the size of the Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg. Later the plans were revised, and it was said about the 1941 final plan: "Finally the Forum can compete with Nuremberg". In January 1937 Hitler and his chief architect Albert Speer started designing the new Berlin, sometimes called Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germania, similarly to the idea of Roma Caput Mundi). Hitler and Speer worked on a colossal scale, Piacentini would later go on to say: "the German meter is made of 1000 centimeters". In September 1937 Mussolini visited Hitler in Munich, among other things the two dictators also talked about architecture. That same month, Hitler laid the first stone of the Deutsches Stadion in Nuremberg, which was never completed. Hitler and Speer also visited Rome, Naples and Florence in Italy in 1938. Like the E42, the new Berlin was designed to last hundreds if not thousands of years, and took inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome, Egypt, Babylon, and was meant to surpass Paris and London and Washington D.C. with its monuments. Another proof of the rivalry between Germany and Italy at the time is the fact that, while the rest of the plans for the new Berlin were made public, and Piacentini even dedicated a number of the magazine Architettura to them, Hitler told Speer and Goebbels to not show the Grosse Halle to Mussolini, for fear that he might copy it. Doubts arose immediately about the stability of the terrain, the marshland which Berlin rests on. A test construction was built, consisting of a large and heavy block of concrete. The building sank by about 18 cm during the three years of testing, while the maximum acceptable value would have been 6 cm. This test demonstrated that the ground would hardly have supported the structures of Hitler's design without further preparations. At the end almost no building designed for the new Berlin was built. The 1941 regulation plan for Rome, "a project to leave people astonished" as Piacentini called it, is considered by some to be the response to Hitler and Speer's projects for the new Berlin, however very few pictures and documents about this project have survived. ==Style and purpose==

Fascist styles of architecture are a branch of modernist architecture which became popular in the early 20th century. The Italian Fascist style was also greatly influenced by the Rationalist movement in Italy in the 1920s. Rationalist architecture, with the help of Italian government support, celebrated the new fascist age of culture and government in Italy. Some today consider it a second Italian Renaissance. The goal of Rationalism initially was to build according to the necessity, according to the function of the buildings, and rejected unnecessary things such as decorations. Later it evolved to reflect the ideal continuity with the Roman Empire and to celebrate Fascist achievements. Statues and high-reliefs also adorned Fascist buildings. In Nazi Germany, the extremely large and spacious architecture was one way envisioned by Hitler to unify Germany for what he described as "mass experiences", in which thousands of citizens could gather and take part in the patriotism of community events, and listen to speeches made by Hitler and other Nazi party leaders. Some of the buildings purposefully conveyed a sense of awe and intimidation through their size, and were made of limestone, travertino, marble and other durable stones in order to last for centuries and to create impressive ruins. Hitler and Mussolini used this architecture as a source of propaganda to display to the world the strength, pride and power their regimes had but also to break ties with the liberal past; in some cases the buildings were part of the modernization process of the country or followed the need dictated by the economic models. In particular in Italy the idea of the corporatist city arose. In other cases the buildings served the welfare programs of the respective regimes: in Italy, Fascism built public buildings such as thousands of Case del Fascio in every major town and city, which were the local Nationalist Fascist Party house and served various purposes including offering services to the population. There were also Case del Mutilato (houses of the mutilated soldier, to provide assistance to disabled veterans), Case della madre e del bambino (houses of the mother and the child, operated by the Opera Nazionale Maternità created in 1925 to assist the mothers in need), and more such buildings. They also built theatres, cinemas, both for propaganda and cultural purposes, sports buildings and large summer camps called "summer colonies", on the seaside and sometimes in the mountains, these were usually operated by the Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro and were used by the workers and children in their free time or holidays. Thousands of workers and children could thus afford vacations or to go to the cinema. Some of these summer camps remained operational after the war but most have been abandoned. Something similar was done in Germany by the Strength Through Joy (KdF) organization. == Architects ==

Some prominent architects of the fascist period were: • Marcello Piacentini – Piacentini was Mussolini's chief architect, he ended up being responsible for around half of the total architectural projects of Fascist Italy, and for coordinating most other architects. He notably worked on the EUR district, the Palazzo delle Corporazioni (Palace of the Corporations), Via della Conciliazione, the rectorate of the City of the Sapienza University, Victory Square in Brescia, Victory Square and Dante Square in Genoa with the 2 skyscrapers, one of which was the tallest in Europe for many years. • Giuseppe Terragni – The most famous works of Terragni are the Casa del Fascio of Como and the Novocomum apartment building, examples of Italian Rationalism. • Adalberto Libera – The most famous work of Libera is the Palazzo dei Congressi in the EUR district (Congress Palace). • Luigi Moretti – His notable works include the Casa delle Armi (an academy for fencing and other sports) in the Foro Mussolini, and the unbuilt Arengario delle Nazioni rally ground. His style is strikingly modern and Rationalist. • Enrico Del Debbio – His most famous works are the Stadio dei Marmi and other buildings in the Foro Mussolini, he also co-designed the Palazzo Littorio (now Palazzo della Farnesina). • Vittorio Morpurgo – Notable works include the buildings around Emperor Augustus square, including the old museum of the Ara Pacis, the Museum of the Roman Ships of Lake Nemi, and more. • Ettore Rossi – Notable works include the Post Office of Palermo, (1934-1935), functional public building with a large monumental presence, and the E42 Official Restaurant building, inspired by classic temples. • Gio Ponti – famous Italian architect and designer • Arnaldo Dell'Ira – Italian architect and designer • Albert Speer – Speer was Hitler's chief architect, his notable works include the German Pavilion for the 1937 Paris Expo and for the E42 Rome Expo, the Zeppelinfeld, the New Reich Chancellery which suffered severe damage during WW2 and was later demolished, the Deutsches Stadion that was never completed, and the plans for the new Berlin, Welthauptstadt Germania, that were also never built. • Hermann Giesler – he was commissioned to build Hitler's house in Munich, later he became General Building Inspector for the city of Munich and then Linz. Throughout the war, Giesler and Speer had several heated arguments about architectural styles. • Paul Troost – he was also one of Hitler's favorite architects, he designed the House of German Art in Munich. • Ludwig and Franz Ruff – they worked on the Nuremberg rally grounds, most notably on the Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) • Pedro Muguruza – Spanish architect, notable work includes the Valle de los Caídos. • Julián Otamendi – Spanish architect, notable works include the skyscrapers of Plaza de España, Madrid. • Luis Moya Blanco – Spanish architect • Porfírio Pardal Monteiro – biggest Portuguese modernist architect who designed public buildings and industrial buildings during the Estado Novo period ==Structures==

A few of the notable fascist architectural projects of the 20th century include • EUR, Rome (Esposizione Universale Roma) – Construction of the EUR began in 1936 in anticipation for Mussolini's World Fair in 1942 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Italian fascist era, the most important buildings were completed but the project was interrupted due to the war and the Expo never took place. Later it was also featured in the 1960 Rome Olympic games, which made the EUR district known to the whole world, and started a process of modernization of the EUR district which continues to this day • Foro Mussolini - sports complex in Rome, also featured in the 1960s Rome Olympic games • Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – A famous edifice of the EUR • , Milan • The City of the La Sapienza University of Rome • Piacentini Tower, skyscraper in Genoa that was the tallest skyscraper in Europe for many years • Palazzo delle Poste, Palermo • Roma-Termini railway station (unfinished, later modified after WW2) • Olympia-Stadion in Berlin • House of German Art in Munich • Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg (unfinished) • Berlin-Tempelhof airport • Deutsches Stadion – (unbuilt) the component of the Nazi party rally grounds Albert Speer designed and Hitler envisioned would host all the future Olympic games during the Third Reich • Welthauptstadt Germania – (unbuilt) the plans to rebuild Berlin in a monumental stripped-classicist style ==See also==