“Under the sign of the Eagle”. German war memorials and cemeteries (1911-1945)

Abstract

Wilhelm Kreis (1873-1955) was a prominent architect and prestigious professor. He directed and conditioned choices while being ambiguously on the margins of political activity, he dominated the architectural scene for almost five decades. Kreis took part in and to a certain extent directed, as architect and master, part of major events in architectural and urban planning that involved the biggest German cities up to the fall of the Third Reich. Together with Bonatz, Behrens, Tessenow, Kreis can be considered one of the most influential and unparalleled leaders in German architectural culture - prophet of spirituality and watchman of values from Deutschtum, initially embodied by the Prussian Reich, and subsequently by the Third Reich. His contribution – combining themes and shapes taken from historical tradition – only partially qualifies him as a figure still linked to the ideological cornerstones of the second half of the 19th century.