Who lives in the 'Raspberry Palace'?
After the end of the Second World War, Siemens was looking for new industrial sites in undamaged West German cities, as its Berlin headquarters were located in the middle of the Soviet occupation zone. Erlangen offered superior preconditions. Over an area of around 20,000 m² on Sieboldstraße, a unique level of construction activity developed from 1948 onwards. Within a few years, office buildings, factory halls and living quarters had been erected there and in other locations. As their centrepiece served an extensive administrative building which, on account of its pale red colour, became known as the 'Raspberry Palace'.
In 2020, an era came to a close for Siemens in Erlangen: after almost 70 years, the industrial conglomerate left its administrative headquarters in the 'Raspberry Palace', which will be used by the university in the future. Before Siemens handed over the keys, the 'palace inventory' went under the hammer. Among the inventory was this upholstered chair by well-known furniture manufacturer Thonet. Like the building itself, it dates from the early 1950s and goes perfectly with the Raspberry Palace's colour palette.
Upholstered chair from the 'Raspberry Palace'
Manufacturer: Thonet
ca. 1953
This striking administrative building was designed by the Siemens Group's long-standing 'in-house architect', Hans Hertlein. He combined the pared-back style of the 1920s with elements of post-war modernism. As an outstanding architectural icon, the Himbeerpalast (Raspberry Palace) was in 1991 the first post-war building in Erlangen to be heritage listed. This chair was last used on the stage of the Raspberry Palace's lecture hall.
A world apart?
It was a world apart and yet unmissable – more often than not impossible to overhear either – as part of Erlangen's townscape: the US garrison. Around 67,000 US soldiers were stationed here over the course of almost half a century, until 1955, as an occupying force, then as NATO allies during the Cold War. The area between Hartmannstraße, Artilleriestraße and Kurt-Schumacher-Straße housed not only military installations. The GIs and their relatives had access to a wide range of infrastructure covering almost all areas of life. In 1949, the military complex was named 'Ferris Barracks' in memory of US Lieutenant Geoffrey Ferris, who had died in Tunisia in 1943.
For various reasons, the US garrison came under increasing criticism. The convoys of tanks traversing the town centre, the large shooting range in the Reichswald forest, and the installation of ammunition depots were perceived as particularly burdensome. Many therefore welcomed the abandonment of the base after the end of the Cold War with a sense of relief. In a solemn ritual, this US flag was lowered during the official farewell in January 1994. Accurately folded into its triangular shape and stored in a wooden frame, it was then presented to Lord Mayor Dietmar Hahlweg. Parts of the former military site became Erlangen's new Röthelheimpark district.
Sign for the US-garrison's Elementary School
Sheet metal
before 1994
The Elementary School was located on the corner Artilleriestraße/Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. Today, these premises are used by Erlangen's Municipal Business School. The blue and white striped emblem on the sign stands for the 3rd Infantry Division stationed in Erlangen.
US flag from Ferris Barracks
1957 / wooden frame from 1994
For the storage of US flags in the military, a triangular shape called 'tricorne' has become established custom. The 'Star-Spangled Banner' is folded 13 times according to a precisely defined pattern – a reference to the 13 British colonies in North America that declared independence in 1776.
Any news?
Novelty on a grand scale was on display in Erlangen on 6th October 1971. After only three years of construction, the new Town Hall with municipal offices and multipurpose hall were inaugurated in the southern part of town. Erlangen's rapid growth after 1945 had required a new administrative and commercial centre.
The angular design with exposed concrete in the Brutalist style and the 61-metre-high Town Hall towering above all other buildings are examples of the utilitarian architecture of the early 1970s. These buildings were a visible expression of a new self-image. By moving out of the old Town Hall at the Stutterheim Palais, the municipal administration left the borders of the former Huguenot town behind, and not just geographically. The move to this modern building was also intended to mark the departure towards a 'new Erlangen', which increasingly shed its small-town character and came to see itself as more progressive and urban. In 1974, a few years after the inauguration of the Town Hall, Erlangen for the first time passed the threshold of 100,000 inhabitants, including through municipal mergers, and thus became a Großstadt (large town/city) by definition, too.
Drinking glasses for the inauguration of the new Town Hall
1971
These custom-made glasses were presented to guests at the inauguration ceremony.
Is demolition a local tradition?
Demolition by tradition? – a question that still begs to be asked today every time another of Erlangen's Baroque-era buildings is forced to make way for a 'block of concrete'. Where this was all heading became clear with the 1960s emergence of the new administrative, business and congress centre in the southern part of town. ‘Modern and progressive’ was the desired appearance for Erlangen’s streetscape. Becoming as 'car-friendly' as possible was another goal. Many an old house stood in the way of this ambition.
This unusual work by self-taught artist Cilly Voßwinkel approaches the topic from an artistic perspective. A drawing of houses during the demolition phase is fitted into an arrangement of fragments from the very same buildings and thus renders their loss not only visible, but tangible as well.
Since 1971, a grassroots initiative has been pushing back against the demolition of historic buildings such as the Thalerei. In collaboration with other forces, it became possible to gradually bring about a change in attitude, which contributed to the historic building stock being handled more carefully.
Abbruch aus Tradition (Demolition by Tradition) poster, 1988
StAE
With this reinterpretation of Erlangen's town motto Offen aus Tradition (Open by Tradition) and the well-known 'Tafelmaier’ town logo, the Grüne Liste ('green list' voting block), the grassroots initiative Nördliche Innenstadt (northern town centre) and the Bund Naturschutz (Nature Conservation Federation) drew attention to the imminent loss of historic building stock.
Cilly Voßwinkel
'Erlangen Nostalgia'
1974
This work commemorates the demolition of the Baroque-era houses on the corner of Neue Straße and Harfenstraße. The two-part wooden panelling as well as the cast iron doorknob and the house number originate from the portico of 38 Neue Straße.
A few months before the artwork's creation, the Bavarian Heritage Protection Act of 1973 had come into force, on the basis of which Erlangen's entire Old and New Town districts were finally placed under collective protection as an "outstanding and largely unified monument of Baroque urban architecture".
Chair from the 'Thalerei' building
Walnut
probably 19th century
In 1964, the Municipality of Erlangen acquired an 18th-century house with historic interiors on Innere Brucker Straße. For several years, a group of artists had formed a studio community in the Baroque building called 'Thalerei' after a former owner. Contrary to the Council's vociferous promises to demonstrate 'how heritage protection can be practiced meaningfully', the Thalerei was sold in 1969 despite protests. It was demolished one year later to make way for the construction of a new medical centre in the contemporary style.
A two-part cabinet and four chairs from the building entered the Museum's collection. The photo shows a room in the Thalerei with original wood panelling and two chairs like the one on display here in the foreground.
La dolce vita in Erlangen?
From the 1950s onwards, the Federal Republic of Germany negotiated recruitment agreements with other states in order to bring so-called Gastarbeiter (guest workers) into the country. The first of these agreements was concluded with Italy in 1955. Hundreds of thousands came to Germany as migrant workers, especially from the economically weak south.
Around 1975, ca. 700 Italians lived in Erlangen, including Sicilian Antonino 'Nino' Puma, who initially worked at the Siemens company. At the end of the 1960s, he opened one of the town's first Italian restaurants, where many locals would discover their love for pizza and spaghetti – la dolce vita in Erlangen!
For the 'guest workers', however, life abroad was not always 'sweet': In addition to homesickness, many suffered from loneliness, social exclusion and the feeling of merely being tolerated as 'guests'. Most ended up leaving Germany again. Nino Puma also eventually returned to Italy. His restaurant's hand-painted billboard was salvaged from hard rubbish collection in 2020.
Advertising panel for 'Nino's restaurant'
Painted particle board
1970s
Whose right of way?
Parts of Erlangen's town centre offer visitors an unimpeded stroll. Those travelling on foot have 'right of way' here.
This is despite the fact that, for a long time, driving your car into town was considered a matter of course. Comfortable parking was available on roadsides and squares. However, as car traffic increased, the number of free parking spaces decreased. An invention from the USA was supposed to provide relief. As early as 1935, the 'coin-controlled parking meter' had been introduced there – a clock that, after inserting a coin, only released the parking space for a certain period.
In Germany, Duisburg followed suit with its first Parkograph in 1954. Although motorists even went to court against this 'highway robbery', the Groschengrab (penny pit) quickly took over. Erlangen's first example was installed on Hauptstraße in 1957. However, cars kept rolling right through the middle of town for a long time to come. It was not until the 1970s that some areas of the town centre were designated as pedestrian zones.
Erlangen parking meter
ca. 1957
Did Erlangen come full 'cycle'?
Inspired by family holidays in the bicycle-friendly Netherlands, Lord Mayor Dietmar Hahlweg initiated the development of a bicycle mobility plan during his first year in office in 1972, which soon came to be regarded as exemplary throughout Germany. The plan recommended, for example, connecting existing cycle paths and lowering curbs. By 1985, a network of hundreds of kilometres of cycle paths had been created, and the share of bicycles in urban traffic doubled.
Long before Erlangen prided itself on its 'Cycling City' epithet, the first cycling clubs had existed since the end of the 19th century, offering bicycle riding courses and contributing to the spread of this still novel means of transport. The term Fahrrad (bicycle, lit. 'driving wheel') only gradually gained acceptance. Until the early 20th century, foreign-language terms such as Veloziped (from the French vélocipède – swift foot) or the English 'bicycle' (two-wheeler) were used. This is why Erlangen's 'Bicycle Club', founded in 1886, did not use the German, but the English word in its name.
Erlangen 'Bicycle Club' flag
Silk
1898
In 1886, the founding year of the 'Bicycle Club', the most common type of bicycle was still the penny-farthing, with the rider's seat about one meter above the ground. It was not until the 1890s that the so-called 'safety bicycle', the direct forerunner of the modern bicycle, prevailed.
Bicycle of Mencke-Blaesing's bookstore
Triumph-Werke Nürnberg
probably 1930s
There have always been many students among Erlangen's regular pedal pushers: a bicycle is inexpensive, space-saving, and ideally suited to covering the distance between two lecture theatres in record time. This service bike belonging to university bookstore Mencke-Blaesing, which was used for deliveries, proves that the two-wheeler was appreciated throughout the university milieu.
As green as green gets?
Drastic events such as the 1973 oil crisis and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster gave the environmental movement a large boost in the 1970s and 1980s – including in Erlangen. As early as two years before the founding of the Germany’s federal Greens party, Erlangen's Grüne Liste (Green List) voting bloc was formed in 1977. It called for a car-free town centre and 'no houses taller than trees'. Meanwhile, the municipal administration developed concepts for 'more humane urban planning', such as the introduction of pedestrian zones and protected 'green corridors'. Erlangen Municipality has since received several awards for its efforts to protect the environment.
As green as green gets? In times of an intensifying climate crisis, the measures taken to date do not go far enough for many. 'Fridays for Future' has been organising regular 'climate strikes' in Erlangen since January 2019. These demonstrations contributed to Erlangen becoming the first Bavarian town to declare a climate emergency in May 2019.
Protest banner from Erlangen's 'Climate Camp'
2021
In June 2021, a protest camp was set up on Beşiktaş Square within view of Erlangen's Town Hall – and initially remained there for four months. As in other cities, the activists tried to raise public awareness of the climate crisis and to put pressure on politicians by occupying public spaces.
Open Sesame?
What to do with adolescents? This question exercised the new Federal Republic in the first post-war decades as the rapidly growing 'teenager' segment of the population demanded its own spaces for leisure activities.
In Erlangen, this need was met with a nationally recognised pilot project: in 1963, the Frankenhof (Franconia Court) youth centre opened at the edge of the town centre, combining event location, youth hostel, cafeteria, apprentice residence, recording studio and indoor pool under one roof. In the early 1970s, the Sesam (Sesame) youth and Pupille (The pupil – in the sense of the central opening in the iris of the eye) jazz clubs were added, two forerunners of the later E-Werk (Power Plant) cultural centre. Many of Erlangen's clubs and associations, as well as the youth art school, also found accommodation at the Frankenhof. This made the institution a model for comparable youth centres throughout Germany.
The Frankenhof, having influenced generations of Erlangers, is currently being converted into the 'kubic' culture and education campus.
Membership card for the Sesam youth club
1981
Life finds historic centre?
Erlangen regularly occupies a top position in Germany-wide rankings for income, quality of life and other 'location factors'. But not everything is trending up: commercial vacancies along Hauptstraße are increasing, many long-standing businesses were forced to close, and the Old Town is at risk of becoming 'desolate'.
There are multiple reasons: in addition to the parking situation criticised by business owners, rising rents, real estate speculation and a change in shopping behaviour play decisive roles. With the opening of the Arcaden (Arcades) shopping mall, some of the footfall shifted south, and booming online shopping intensified the competition.
In 2015, traders responded by joining forces through the Leben findet Altstadt (Life finds Old Town) association with the aim to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the Old Town through creative campaigns. For example, passers-by were offered free rickshaw rides through Erlangen.
Allen Shaw
Poster of the Leben findet Altstadt initiative
2016
This poster – with a design referencing Erlangen's association with comics culture – shows a bronze by sculptor Heinrich Kirchner coming to life while strolling through Erlangen's Old Town. The Leben findet Altstadt (Life finds Old Town) initiative's logo, which can be seen in the last image, shows a portrait of Margravine Wilhelmine, who is credited with contributing to Erlangen's cultural life during the 18th century.
What goes into a time capsule?
What do we remember? What is important to us? What do we collect and keep? What do we pass on? What remains of us? These questions not only confront us at here the Town Museum – they are questions that have moved people since time immemorial.
Time capsules are a way to leave a mark on history: a container is filled with 'testimonies of the time' and hidden in a safe place where it will eventually, perhaps in the distant future, be found again – a 'message in a bottle' through time.
Every now and then, time capsules are incorporated in the foundation stones of buildings. They usually stay there as long as the building is upstanding – just like the 1969 time capsule on display here, which belonged to Erlangen's Main Post Office. Its content, including stamps and a model of a post box, gives us a hint. When the post office had to make way for the construction of a new shopping centre in 2005, the time capsule was retrieved. It is not only testimony to Erlangen's postal history, it also represents the constant change at work in our city.
Time capsule from the Main Post Office's foundation stone
sealed 1969 / retrieved 2006
In addition to items referring to the building's architecture and function, the Main Post Office's foundation stone box contains Erlangen's daily newspapers from 19th July 1969, whose front pages are all dominated by the imminent moon landing. After the demolition of the building, this time capsule was retrieved on the initiative of Manfred Simon, who had contributed to the planning of the Main Post Office as an architect at the Oberpostdirektion (General Mail Directorate).
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