Architect megalomania

Albert Speer was the architect of the footsteps of his grandfather and father. Albert would have preferred to study mathematics, but had to yield to the wishes of their parents. Early was fascinated by the speeches and ideas of Hitler. Albert Speer was born on 19 March 1905 in Mannheim. He studied architecture in Karlsruhe, Munich and Berlin. During his studies, he heard the speeches of Hitler in Berlin and was enthusiastic about his ideas. In 1931 he joined the party and led a year later, the renovations of buildings of the Nazi party to the party. Soon after she met Adolf Hitler to be known, quickly became a close confidant and, eventually, its main architect. Hitler was very impressed architecture for the construction of huge and equipment were able to express their ideas of size and the supposed superiority as well. The imposing, the buildings were, the smaller is the individual came before - as a member of the party still had the feeling of being in the right side and be part of something big.

The "world capital Germania"

Albert Speer was commissioned to completely redesign Berlin. Large buildings should be the supposed superiority of Germany. Speer way to build the "New Reich Chancellery where the bunker was. It was a huge building with a side length of 400 meters. Berlin should be the"world capital Germania. The Nazis even offset the Victory Column in Berlin from its original location in front of the Reichstag to its current location. Even a gigantic dome was planned, the "Hall of the People." The plans are reminiscent of the Basilica, but the dome must be 320 meters tall and has a diameter of 250 meters - more than twice the cathedral of Cologne. Nearly 200,000 people are well!

Forced labor and war crimes
In other cities planned launches the construction of Nazi-style buildings. He was responsible for planning meetings and organizing parties Champs Party Rally in Nuremberg. In the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1937, Speer was honored with the "Grand Prix", the "Grand Prix ". The largest sports stadium in the world, "German Stadium" should be created in Nuremberg, with a capacity of 400,000. However, only the well was dug, filled with water now and in Nuremberg as "Silver Lake" is known. All these huge, scattered throughout the German construction projects requires the use of many workers and large quantities of building materials. Slave labor from concentration camps had to work in quarries in terrible conditions or were employed in construction.

Speer was able to organize everything without problems, and in 1942 became minister of armaments and ammunition, as well as Inspector General of Highways, fortifications, water and energy. 1943 Hitler appointed him also as Reich Minister for armaments and war production. Due to the use of forced labor and their participation in the construction and operation of concentration camps, Speer was sentenced after the war ended in 1946 in Nuremberg for war crimes to 20 years in prison. He was accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 1966 he was released from Spandau prison in Berlin, the war and died in 1981. 

Many of the buildings were planned under the difficult conditions of war is not constructed or completed. Already been established or destroyed after the war. The remains of the New Reich Chancellery were used to build the Soviet war memorial in Treptow Park in Berlin. Iin the Berlin U-Bahn-Station Moor Street is still dark red marble of the Chancellery of the Reich to be seen as wall panels. Today, the son of Albert Speer, also named Albert, the family tradition in the 4 th generation away. He is an architect and built in such as Frankfurt and Shanghai building. Also in the planning of the Expo 2000 in Hanover, was involved.