Space

nsdoku munich, Stele

A place of remembrance and communication. Educating through clarity.

The Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism is a central place of learning and remembrance for the history of National Socialism. The bright new building stands on the historic site of the former ‘Brown House’, the headquarters of the NSDAP. Surrounded by buildings and squares that once staged power and exaltation, the architecture deliberately sets a sign of distance: open, clear, transparent. Visual references to the interior and exterior make the building itself part of the debate.

This approach has been consistently continued in the visual appearance. The design is understood here as a factual, unexcited form of communication. It avoids historical references and any allusion to the formal or colour codes of the Nazi regime. Stereotypical harshness is countered by clarity, lightness and argumentative precision. The centre appears as a place of information, dialogue and critical reflection.

An information stele in the outdoor area situates the building in its historical context. In the format of a window opening, in the materiality of the building structure, it becomes part of the building and thus part of the discourse. It provides information about the location, the surrounding former ‘party district’ and its buildings, some of which are still preserved.

It creates a consistent overall appearance in which architecture, communication and spatial installation form a unity – restrained, clear and responsible in terms of content.