3d Model Thingstätte on a plane with renderings


3d model Thingstätte on a slope with renderings

Project by Daniel Hinz, Archaeology, History and 3d Artist

Architecture and Typology of the Thingstätten

Recurring elements can be found in the architecture of the Thingstätten. Their task was to make the idea of the “German national community” tangible through architecture. The amphitheater itself was often combined with a war memorial and a parade ground. The parade ground was used for political rallies or formation before entering into the venue.

The space of the stage and of the audience were intended to flow smoothly into one another. There was no separation by a curtain or hidden exits and entrances of the performers. In contrast to the ancient greek or contemporary urban theater, the audience and performance spaces were connected by ramps and stairs.

The stage was divided into three levels. The front stage created the connection to the performance space and offered enough room for the numerous extras of the chorus play. Behind it rose the center stage. The top level was partly attached to the outside of the entire circle or oval and was reminiscent of the church sanctuary; in other plans it was included in the overall circle, but retained its “consecrated” character.

The architecture was integrated into the surrounding landscape and topography. Plans were developed for the “Thingstätte on a slope” or the “Thingstätte on a plane” of which typical elements were used repeatedly.

Art Project about Thingstätten Architecture by Simon Schubert

There were no added backdrops. The architecture itself was the stage, with its defiant natural stone it did not look modern. Rather, it conveyed an instant historicity. The appropriation and propagandistic alienation of history in the Nazi state was made clear by appropriating the term “Thingstätte” (actually a historical meeting place).

Katharina Bosse

Text: Gerwin Strobl

The Thingstätten—the Thing sites or arenas—dotted over much of Germany (and lands formerly German), are the colossal remnants of a failed experiment in twentiethcentury mass culture. Dating from the early years of Nazi rule, they constitute what was perhaps the most visible cultural investment made by the Third Reich. While the ideas underpinning the so-called Thing(spiel)—the Thing play—did not actually originate inside the Nazi Party, their emergence coincided with the fall of the Weimar Republic. That synchronicity gave the Thing(spiel)bewegung [Thing movement] crucial right-wing credentials,and the new regime a ready means to make its mark in the cultural sphere. Grassroots enthusiasm andofficial encouragement complemented each other. ——

Thing mania promptly ensued.

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Copyright by Gerwin Strobl