Locations #1

Unexpectedly, there are hidden traces of Modern expressionism in Görlitz' old town. Of all things, it is the oldest church in Görlitz that harbours the influences the Weimar Republic milieu had on architecture. The architect Martin Elsaesser reshaped its interior in 1926. The parish wanted to express remembrance of the fallen of World War I. Elsaesser used guidelines with ornamental bands on the wall of the church which carry the names of more than 2,000 fallen soldiers. The architect was a member of the Deutscher Werkbund (Association of German Craftsmen) and was the senior director at the Arts and Crafts School in Cologne (Kunstgewerbeschule Köln) - a position that was appointed to him by Konrad Adenauer himself. From 1925 on, Elsaesser used his position as the art director in the Construction Department in Frankfurt/Main to plan several large-scale projects, such as the Großmarkthalle or the Gustav-Adolf-Church in Niederursel, to name but a few. Using his skill and position, in co-operation with Ernst May, he had a major influence on the development of the »New Frankfurt«.