Mar 05, 2025
Hans Poelzig's architectural visions for Dresden
Hans Poelzig, untitled (no. 19); sketches of façades and roofs (undated), whose design is reminiscent of the town house in Dresden's Theaterstraße, which was based on a Poelzig design.
Tiny Desk Lecture with architectural historian Tanja Scheffler at the Archive of the Avant-Garde Dresden
The architect and building historian Tanja Scheffler, who works at the TUD, has been researching the work of the well-known architect Hans Poelzig (1869 - 1936) for more than twenty years. Poelzig was a city planning officer in Dresden from 1916-20 and during this time also an honorary professor for "impromptu design from all areas of architecture" at the then Dresden University of Technology (today's TUD). Poelzig developed a whole series of spectacular designs during this time, but was able to realize almost none of them. Only a few of his works - such as the mosaic fountain in the Great Garden and the Lingner Mausoleum located in the vineyard below the former Villa Stockhausen (the "Lingner Castle") - are still preserved in the city on the Elbe.
Some of his visionary-utopian, sometimes almost gigantic architectural projects for Dresden - including a town house in the old town, a fire station in the Wilsdruffer Vorstadt district and a hotel complex at the main railway station (see Dresdner Uni-Journal 20/2016) - were published time and again due to their impressive presentation drawings and other illustrations, most of which were lost during the war, and thus influenced not only local urban planning history but also international architectural historiography. At the same time, Poelzig also designed theater sets and film sets.
The Archive of the Avant-Garde (ADA) in Dresden possesses interesting design sketches that impressively illustrate his graphic signature, as well as vintage prints of construction-era photographs of his best-known buildings realized in other locations during this period and contemporary group photos of the avant-garde of the 1920s and early 1930s, some of which show him - together with his second wife Marlene Poelzig - in the company of other well-known architects and artists.
Building historian Tanja Scheffler will give a talk on Wednesday, March 5 at 18:30 as part of the program of the current special exhibition "Building Worlds. Visionary Architecture in the 20th Century", Tanja Scheffler will present Poelzig's architectural visions and projects for Dresden in a lecture. She will also briefly discuss his film set and stage designs and take a closer look at the specific collaboration with his wife Marlene using the examples presented. At the same time, contemporary photographs and selected original drawings by Hans Poelzig from the ADA's collection will be presented in a display case.
Tanja Scheffler studied architecture at the TU Dresden, but has long worked primarily as a building historian, specialist author and architectural journalist. She taught for many years at the TUD Chair of Building History (Prof. Lippert) in the Faculty of Architecture and now works in research at the Chair of Structural Design (Prof. Beckh).
Further information:
Tanja Scheffler: Hans Poelzig's architectural visions for Dresden
Tiny Desk Lecture on March 5, 2025 - Lecture: 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Archive of the Avant-Garde - Egidio Marzona
Blockhaus | Große Meißner Straße 19 | 01097 Dresden
Admission and lecture are free of charge for students
Information at https://archiv-der-avantgarden.skd.museum/programm/
Contact:
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections ) | Media and Communication | Nina Schwarzenberger | Archive of the Avant-Garde - Egidio Marzona | Program and Public Relations | T +49 351 4914 2518 | nina.schwarzenberger(at)skd.museum
Further press photos:
Hans Poelzig, Entwurfszeichnung, Blatt 33 von 36, ohne Datum.
Hans Poelzig, ohne Titel (Ornament-Studie, ohne Datum)