Julius Posener
Encyclopedia
Julius Posener was a German architectural historian, author and higher education teacher.
Coming from a bourgeois-Jewish background, son of the painter Moritz Posener and a daughter of the real estate employer Oppenhim, Julius Posener grew up in the middle-class environment in the architecturally stimulating Berlin villa colony Lichterfelde-West. His parents had built themselves a villa
in the English country home style there as founders of progressive architecture. This environment had lastingly formed him from his own statement:
Posener's way of life and activity would be formed strongly through the break of the felt ideal and the succeeding Third Reich. He studied Architecture from 1923 to 1929, under among others Hans Poelzig
, at the Technischen Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenberg
.After his studies, he was active among others in the office of Erich Mendelsohn
in Berlin and lived temporarily also already in Paris
. He fled there after the 1933 power struggle of the Nazis. Posener emigrated to Palestine in 1935, he registered voluntarily for the British Army and would be naturalized in 1946. After the war, he taught in London
and in Kuala Lampur from 1956. He followed the call for the teaching position for Building history at the Berlin Higher Education for Building Arts (modern Berlin University of the Arts
) and taught there until 1971.
Julius Posener was chairman of the Deutscher Werkbund
from 1973 to 1976 and was an important Mentor of the periodical Arch+.
His closeness with the political German Chaos interlaced the life style of Posener detailed in his memoir.
Coming from a bourgeois-Jewish background, son of the painter Moritz Posener and a daughter of the real estate employer Oppenhim, Julius Posener grew up in the middle-class environment in the architecturally stimulating Berlin villa colony Lichterfelde-West. His parents had built themselves a villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
in the English country home style there as founders of progressive architecture. This environment had lastingly formed him from his own statement:
- "I lived in Germany, the best country that there is, the best villa suburb, in the best house with the most beautiful garden wide and far ... When I recited to myself in the evenings before going to bed, I was content with the world and loved God so gratefully" (from the Autobiography Heimliche Erinnerungen (Homely Memories))
Posener's way of life and activity would be formed strongly through the break of the felt ideal and the succeeding Third Reich. He studied Architecture from 1923 to 1929, under among others Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig was a German architect, painter and set designer.-Life:Poelzig was born in Berlin in 1869 to the countess Clara Henrietta Maria Poelzig while she was married to George Acland Ames, an Englishman...
, at the Technischen Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenberg
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
.After his studies, he was active among others in the office of Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn was a Jewish German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic functionalism in his projects for department stores and cinemas.-Early life:...
in Berlin and lived temporarily also already in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He fled there after the 1933 power struggle of the Nazis. Posener emigrated to Palestine in 1935, he registered voluntarily for the British Army and would be naturalized in 1946. After the war, he taught in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Kuala Lampur from 1956. He followed the call for the teaching position for Building history at the Berlin Higher Education for Building Arts (modern Berlin University of the Arts
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
) and taught there until 1971.
Julius Posener was chairman of the Deutscher Werkbund
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund was a German association of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists. The Werkbund was to become an important event in the development of modern architecture and industrial design, particularly in the later creation of the Bauhaus school of design...
from 1973 to 1976 and was an important Mentor of the periodical Arch+.
His closeness with the political German Chaos interlaced the life style of Posener detailed in his memoir.
Writings
- Anfänge des Funktionalismus. Von Arts and Crafts zum Deutschen Werkbund (Beginnings of Functionality. Of Arts and Crafts of the Deutscher Werkbund), 1964
- Der Architekt Arieh SharonArieh SharonArieh Sharon was an Israeli architect and winner of the Israel Prize for Architecture in 1962—the first in this discipline. Sharon was a critical contributor to the early architecture in Israel and the leader of the first master plan of the young state, reporting to then Prime Minister, David...
, Bauen und Wohnen, 12, 1969 - Hans Poelzig, 1970
- From Schinkel to the Bauhaus, 1972
- Berlin auf dem Weg zu einer neuen Architektur 1889-1918 (Berlin on the Way to a new Architecture 1889-1918), 1977
- Fast so alt wie das Jahrhundert. Eine Autobiographie als Epochengemälde. Vom späten Kaiserreich über die kurzen Jahre der Republik in die Zeit des wechselvollen Exils. Am Ende die Heimkehr in das neue Berlin (Almost as old as the Century. An Autobiography as a Painting of an Epoch. From the Late Empire over the Short Years of the Republic in the Time of the Eventful Exiles. At the End, the Homecoming in the New Berlin ), Siedler, Berlin 1990.
- In Deutschland 1945-1946, Berlin 2001
- Heimliche Erinnerungen. In Deutschland 1904-1933 (Homely Memories. In Germany 1904-1933), 2004
- Julius Posener Vorlesungen 1, Die moderne Architektur (1924-1933) (Lecture 1: The Modern Architecture 1924-1933) arch+ 48
- Julius Posener Vorlesungen 2, Die Architektur der Reform (1900-1924) (Lecture 2: The Architecture of the Reform 1900-1924) arch+ 53
- Julius Posener Vorlesungen 3, Das Zeitalter Wilhelms II. (Lecture 3: The of William II.) arch+ 59
- Julius Posener Vorlesungen 4, Die sozialen und bautechnischen Entwicklungen im 19. Jahrhundert (Lecture 4: The Social and Building Innovations of the 19th Century) arch+ 63/64
- Julius Posener Vorlesungen 5, Neue Tendenzen im 18. Jahrhundert (Lecture 5: New Tendencies in the 18th Century) arch+ 69/70
Literature
- Matthias Schirren, Sylvia Claus (Editor): Julius Posener. Ein Leben in Briefen. 1999 (Julius Posener. A Life in Letters)
External links
- Literature by and on Julius Posener in the Catalog of the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
- Museum of Objects: Biography of Julius Posener (German) (German)