Authoritarian townscapes and laissez-faire change: understanding central Potsdam's built form

Abstract

Townscapes created by authoritarian planning present particular challenges in subsequent periods of laissez-faire development. Largely the product of the visions of Prussian monarchs in the eighteenth century, what was to become the town centre of Potsdam was created according to internationally-fashionable baroque precepts. In the later nineteenth century and early twentieth century its buildings were subjected to pressures for piecemeal change to accommodate new commercial functions and a rapidly growing population. As the grip of royal control slackened, the primary initiators of change were owner-occupiers employing local builders. By the time legislation protecting the appearance of the town centre had been passed in 1923, practically all the houses had been modified, and a less harmonious townscape had been created. Consideration of changing attitudes over time contributes to an understanding of changes to historic townscapes, and can inform their future management.