– The paradoxical relationship between Rudolf Herrnstadt and Hermann Henselmann
The editor-in-chief of *Neues Deutschland*, Rudolf Herrnstadt, and the architect Hermann Henselmann are often seen as adversaries in a bitter struggle over architectural style in the fledgling GDR.
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«Über den Baustil, den politischen Stil und den Genossen Henselmann»
This view appears to be corroborated by Herrnstadt’s article ‘On Architectural Style, Political Style and Comrade Henselmann’, published in *Neues Deutschland* on 29 July 1951. In it, Herrnstadt calls for a ‘progressive architectural style’ in the vein of Socialist Realism and sharply criticises leading architects, particularly Henselmann, for their ‘formalist’ designs and attitudes.
The article was widely read throughout the republic at the time and is still frequently cited today; after all, it is regarded as the spectacular climax of the so-called ‘formalism dispute’. But was the relationship really as tense as the article suggests? Or was the public confrontation rather a skilful manoeuvre for mutual benefit?
Florentine Anders, author of the novel *Die Allee*, and the architectural theorist and artist Clemens Helmke discuss this. Drawing on specific episodes, they shed light on the complex relationship between Herrnstadt and Henselmann.
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Dates
October 2026
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