#Industrial and technical building #Potsdam #1920
Albert-Einstein-Straße
14473
Potsdam,
Germany
Public transport: Telegrafenberg
Access: After appointment
Today's use: observatory
Description
Erich Mendelsohn wanted to give Albert Einstein's theory of relativity an architectural expression. Concrete was to be the construction material of choice, but due to a lack of experience with concrete, the tower was masoned. The brickwork was covered with a special plaster that imitates concrete.
Even tough, this tower is not really part of our canon of modern architecture, because it is more expressive and has some details of art nouveau, we see it as building forming the process of early modernism in architecture.
Description
Erich Mendelsohn wanted to give Albert Einstein's theory of relativity an architectural expression. Concrete was to be the construction material of choice, but due to a lack of experience with concrete, the tower was masoned. The brickwork was covered with a special plaster that imitates concrete.
Even tough, this tower is not really part of our canon of modern architecture, because it is more expressive and has some details of art nouveau, we see it as building forming the process of early modernism in architecture.
History
This solar observatory was intended to provide experimental proof of Einstein's findings on the theory of relativity. Albert Einstein itself and the astrophysicist Erwin Finley Freundlich initiated the construction of the observatory. It is said, that the building was financed by the Federal State of Prussia the Albert Einstein Foundation. This foundation name is always written in inverted commas. This roughly means that this foundation was not a foundation in a strict sense. Most probably various branches of the industry supported the üroject. Einstein himself was a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, which provided additional support for the project.
The tower still fulfils its function as a solar observatory to this day. The originally planned concrete construction could not be realised as there was not enough knowledge in the area about concrete in 1920. The tower was therefore built in brick. Only the the roof, the terrace and the walls of the annex building are made of concrete. The different materials often resulted in damage to the building, as the materials react very differently to cold, for example. As a result, the building has often had to be repaired.
History
This solar observatory was intended to provide experimental proof of Einstein's findings on the theory of relativity. Albert Einstein itself and the astrophysicist Erwin Finley Freundlich initiated the construction of the observatory. It is said, that the building was financed by the Federal State of Prussia the Albert Einstein Foundation. This foundation name is always written in inverted commas. This roughly means that this foundation was not a foundation in a strict sense. Most probably various branches of the industry supported the üroject. Einstein himself was a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, which provided additional support for the project.
The tower still fulfils its function as a solar observatory to this day. The originally planned concrete construction could not be realised as there was not enough knowledge in the area about concrete in 1920. The tower was therefore built in brick. Only the the roof, the terrace and the walls of the annex building are made of concrete. The different materials often resulted in damage to the building, as the materials react very differently to cold, for example. As a result, the building has often had to be repaired.
Sources
