Schwerbelastungskörper

Schwerbelastungskörper, Berlin (Historic sites) — Fig. 01Schwerbelastungskörper© Dieter Brügmann · CC BY-SA 3.0

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About Schwerbelastungskörper

The Schwerbelastungskörper (heavy load-bearing body), popularly nicknamed the "Nazi block," is an imposing cylinder of unreinforced and reinforced concrete in Berlin's Tempelhof district. Built between 1941 and 1942, the structure originally served a scientific purpose as part of the Nazi plan to remake Berlin into the world capital "Germania." General Building Inspector Albert Speer planned a gigantic triumphal arch on this site, which was to bear the names of soldiers killed in World War I. To test whether the ground could support the enormous weight of the planned structure, this test-load body was erected. The measurements later showed that the soil would not have been stable enough without prior compaction. During the war, the interior of the cylinder also served as an improvised air-raid shelter for local residents, and steel hatches and doors still bear witness to this today.

Today the structure is a protected monument and a place for historical reflection. It recalls the ambitious but never realized building projects of National Socialism and the destruction that came with them. Since 2009, the area around the cylinder has been designed as an information site. There, you can visit an information pavilion and a tower with an observation platform, which offer an overview of the history and the technical workings of the structure. The Schwerbelastungskörper stands on General-Pape-Straße near the Kolonnenbrücke and is therefore easy to reach. As part of Berlin's landscape of historic monuments, it invites you to engage with the city's architectural history and the consequences of the Nazi dictatorship, while the visible traces of the measuring instruments and the wartime use make the material dimension of that era tangible.

Based on the article “Schwerbelastungskörper” from the German Wikipedia, summarized and rephrased by a language modelLicense CC BY-SA 4.0

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At a glance

Category: Sight › Historic sites
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Address: General-Pape-Straße 100
12101 Berlin, Germany
District: Tempelhof
Phone: +493049910517
Website: www.schwerbelastungskoerper.de
Email: —
Coordinates: 52.48409° N · 13.37169° E
Data quality: confidence 0.98
Identifier: ID 74eda18a-e55…

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Location & surroundings

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FAQ about Schwerbelastungskörper

quick answers

What is the Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin?

The Schwerbelastungskörper (heavy load-bearing body) is a large cylinder of unreinforced concrete and reinforced concrete in Berlin's Tempelhof district, popularly known as the "Nazi chunk" ("Naziklotz"). It was built between 1941 and 1942 and is now a protected landmark. The structure is a reminder of the Nazis' never-realized building projects in Berlin and the destruction they entailed.

Why was the Schwerbelastungskörper built in Berlin-Tempelhof?

The Schwerbelastungskörper was meant to test whether Berlin's subsoil could support the enormous weight of a planned triumphal arch. Albert Speer, the Nazi regime's General Building Inspector, designed this arch as part of the redesign of Berlin into "World Capital Germania"; it was to bear the names of the soldiers killed in World War I. The measurements later showed that the ground would not have been stable enough without prior consolidation.

What can you see at the Schwerbelastungskörper?

Since 2009, the Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin has had an information site with an information pavilion and a tower with an observation platform. There you can learn more about the history and the technical workings of the concrete cylinder. On the structure itself, you can still see traces of the original measuring instruments, along with steel hatches and doors that recall its use as an improvised air-raid shelter during the war.

Where is the Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin?

The Schwerbelastungskörper is located at General-Pape-Straße 100 in Berlin-Tempelhof, near the Kolonnenbrücke. This location makes the monument easy to reach. travelguide195 lists around 14 restaurants within 500 meters.

What can you see around the Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin?

Around the Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin-Tempelhof, you'll find several museums and monuments within about a kilometer. travelguide195 lists, among others, the Monument Hall of the German Museum of Technology (about 400 m), the National Monument for the Liberation Wars (about 770 m), the Airlift Memorial (about 930 m), and the Museum of Unheard Things (about 940 m). Also nearby is the former SA prison on Papestraße (about 960 m), another site tied to the history of the Nazi era.

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Travel tip from Wikivoyagewritten by travelers
From 1941, 12,000 tons of concrete in a 15-m-high and 20-m-diameter cylinder were built to test the load-bearing capacity of the Berlin soils (turns out glacial sands are no good basis for gargantuan architecture) for Albert Speer's Germania buildings. Too massive for later blasting, this is one of the more bizarre remains of the Third Reich.
Source: Wikivoyage, „Berlin/Tempelhof and Neukölln“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0
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