Magdeburg Civic Hall

In 1927 the city of Magdeburg hosted the German Theatre Exhibition. To present a worthy welcome to spectators, artists and critics from around the world, the new Magdeburg Civic Hall was constructed. The ensemble of civic hall, entry gateway, observation tower and fountain is an important example of the New Architecture. The buildings rank among the main works of the architects Johannes Göderitz and Albin Müller.

During preparations for the theatre festival, Magdeburg’s mayor Hermann Beims proposed the idea of a “dignified, monumental building” that would help establish the city as an important location for conferences and other cultural events in Central Germany. As designed by Johannes Göderitz and Wilhelm Deffke, the new civic hall constructed on the city’s exhibition grounds in Rotehorn Park proved both elegant and highly functional. Thanks to its ingenious mechanics, the Great Hall inside could be utilised for a range of functions – a true innovation for theatres and festival halls of the time. The continuous wood panelling guaranteed optimal acoustics that were enthusiastically hailed by renowned guest conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwängler and Otto Klemperer.

To crown the ensemble, Albin Müller designed a tall tower with a glazed viewing platform, and a gateway to serve as entry to the exhibition grounds, the so-called Pferdetor, or Horse Gate. Müller took architectural inspiration from the Wedding Tower in Darmstadt and the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Moreover, the top of the tower, which as lit at night, exemplified the glass and illuminated architecture advocated by Bruno Taut, who was Magdeburg’s chief city planner at the time. Taut’s involvement played a decisive role in firmly anchoring modern architecture and social awareness in the building culture of Magdeburg in the 1920s.

Portions of the building complex were heavily damaged during the Second World War and later rebuilt, often with substantial alterations. Regardless, the ensemble on the bank opposite Magdeburg’s cathedral remains one of the most characteristic features of the city skyline. Plans call for the historical monument to be comprehensively and faithfully restored for the first time beginning in 2020. [DB/DK]