The German Autobahn 1920-1945

Beschreibung

The expressway network in Europe developed into an essential infrastructure of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century and provided means of commuting, as well as accommodated leisure travel and the cargo supply for the mass consumption society. This book discusses, how expressways were developed in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. It focuses on the various forerunner projects and the role of the Hafraba association, which has been significant in the Hessian region, with its actors in Kassel, Frankfurt and Darmstadt. It is shown, how the Autobahn concept developed, from the Italian expressways to the Bonn–Cologne Autobahn and to the design of the Nazi Autobahn project. The Bonn–Cologne Autobahn was the first Autobahn in Germany, opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer, later Chancellor of West-Germany. This Autobahn section is here explored for the first time. As part of the Nazi Mega Project various regional legs are explored and for the first time drawn to scholary attention: The leg Frankfurt–Kassel–Göttingen, the leg Frankfurt–Darmstadt–Heidelberg–Karlsruhe and the leg Munich–Salzburg. The goals of the Nazi mega project are evaluated. Further the book shows, how traffic on the Autobahn developed and which experiences were made by driving on the Autobahn. The book discusses various approaches towards a theory on infrastructure.
The expressway network in Europe developed into an essential infrastructure of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century and provided means of commuting, as well as accommodated leisure travel and the cargo supply for the mass consumption society. This book discusses, how expressways were developed in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. It focuses on the various forerunner projects and the role of the Hafraba association, which has been significant in the Hessian region, with its actors in Kassel, Frankfurt and Darmstadt. It is shown, how the Autobahn concept developed, from the Italian expressways to the Bonn–Cologne Autobahn and to the design of the Nazi Autobahn project. The Bonn–Cologne Autobahn was the first Autobahn in Germany, opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer, later Chancellor of West-Germany. This Autobahn section is here explored for the first time. As part of the Nazi Mega Project various regional legs are explored and for the first time drawn to scholary attention: The leg Frankfurt–Kassel–Göttingen, the leg Frankfurt–Darmstadt–Heidelberg–Karlsruhe and the leg Munich–Salzburg. The goals of the Nazi mega project are evaluated. Further the book shows, how traffic on the Autobahn developed and which experiences were made by driving on the Autobahn. The book discusses various approaches towards a theory on infrastructure.

Autor*in

Richard Vahrenkamp

Themen in »The German Autobahn 1920-1945«

Autobahn Expressways Geschichte 1920-1945 HaFraBa Infrastructure Infrastruktur

Stimmen zu »The German Autobahn 1920-1945«

"[.] Beachtenswert und allein deshalb für viele schon den Kauf wert, ist der Band aufgrund der regionalen, quellengesättigten Studien zum Autobahnbau in Hessen und Bayern, und darüber hinaus bringt der Autor einige bisher kaum beachtete Aspekte des Reichsautobahnbaus. […] Für nicht deutschsprachige Leserinnen und Leser allerdings stellt vorliegendes Werk zweifellos einen Meilenstein dar, fasst es doch die Forschung der letzten Jahre, wenn nicht Jahrzehnte, und zwar nicht nur Vahrenkamps, sondern darüber hinaus, an einer Stelle zusammen und reißt dabei auch bislang wenig beachtete, obschon kaum weniger interessante Themen an."Bernd Kreuzer, Blätter für Technikgeschichte - Chemie, Band 74/2012, Seiten 189-191"[.] One highlight of this study is the analysis of the first section of the autobahn between Cologne and Bonn, which was opened by the Konrad Adenauer in 1932. [.] Vahrenkamp´s study addresses a variety of topics an portrays numerous fascinating aspects that range from the emergence of the autobahn idea to the planning and construction of motorways. [.] Overall, this study should be of interest for anyone interested in the history of traffic in the Weimar Republic and National Socialist Germany."Christopher Neumaier, ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology, Band 17 (2011), Seiten 144-145
()

Details

Link teilen