From Stockholm to Munich. References from Denmark and Sweden in Munich's Post War Architecture

It is unclear which Scandinavian buildings were particularly relevant and which Munich structures were most strongly influenced by them. From this uncertainty arises the following research question: Which Scandinavian buildings from the first half of the 20th century had a significant influence on Munich’s post-war architects, and in which Munich buildings is this Scandinavian influence still recognizable today? This work is aiming to identify which Scandinavian buildings were published during this period and how they influenced post-war architects in Germany, particularly in Munich.

Ragnar Östberg and Arne Jacobsen, two Scandinavian architects from completely different generations, contributed key buildings to the chain of references for the post-war years with Stockholm City Hall and Aarhus City Hall. However, when considering links in a continuous architectural tradition, Erik Gunnar Asplund made a particularly significant contribution in the early 20th century. In this study, Asplund’s work dominates the presented references. The Villa Snellman, the Skandia Theater, the Stockholm Public Library, the Gothenburg City Hall, and the crematorium at the Woodland Cemetery are pivotal buildings that influenced the architecture of the post-war period.The post-war architecture in Munich was significantly shaped by these buildings, characterized by simplicity, material consciousness, and a functional aesthetic. Asplund’s understanding of a moderate, functionally adapted modernism provided an alternative to the more radical currents of classical modernism. The eight comparisons examined in this study reveal a shared architectural language, particularly in three key pairs: Stockholm City Hall and the Allianz Headquarters, Gothenburg City Hall and the extension of the Dresdner Bank, as well as the crematorium and funeral hall. Furthermore, the origins of these references in Munich’s buildings were not always exclusively in Sweden or Denmark, but rather in shared architectural precedents. For instance, the Allianz Headquarters not only exhibits direct influences from Stockholm City Hall but also invites a comparison with the Doge’s Palace in Venice. The buildings in both forest cemeteries share a common inspiration in Greek temple architecture, such as the Temple of Poseidon in Paestum, which Asplund photographed during his trip to Italy in 1914.