Prager Straße und Wiener Platz in Dresden

摘要

Dresden in eastern Germany has a love-hate relationship with Prager Strasse, the road that passes the main railway station, since it possesses neither Baroque charms nor urban flair. Rather, the busy street, which was a popular promenade before it was badly damaged in 1945, was completely reconstructed in the sixties, and thus stands for post-war socialist architec-. ture. It is now in need modernisation, but all changes should take its significance as a piece of East German history into consideration. The open space planning performed for the site in the sixties resulted in a generous pedestrian precinct, which is to be retained in its basic form; nevertheless, the elements urgently need to be renewed. Since various departments are responsible for the open space planning aspect, confusion reigns. The only concrete planning ideals are to return the street to its historical width and narrow side roads leading into the street to give it more the character of a square. In view of the tall buildings that line it, this would result in a narrow, chasm-like space, and the solution of road and pavement in accordance with some arbitrary past would not fill the open space functions that are to be retained. A competition has nevertheless been held, and while the winning entry provides possibilities of integrating existing open space elements, it remains unclear why existing pavilion buildings and rows of trees should be sacrificed for similar design elements.%Die Prager Straße und der Wiener Platz an der Nordflanke des Dresdner Bahnhofs gelten als wichtiges Beispiel der Nachkriegsmoderne in der DDR. Der anstehende Umbau muß neben den funktionalen Aspekten besonders das ideelle Gewicht des Ensembles berücksichtigen.