History of the Architecture and Memorials of Collegiate Building I (Simple English)
History of the Architecture and Memorials of Collegiate Building I
Some of the buildings at the University of Freiburg are known as collegiate buildings. The word collegiate comes from the Latin collegium. It means community. People meet in collegiate buildings. They go there to listen to talks and learn.
Collegiate Building 1 is a very old building. It contains memorials and inscriptions. These tell the story of the university.
How the building was built
Shortly before 1900, there were many students at the University of Freiburg. The university was too small and needed new buildings. For instance, it built a new library in 1903. A library is a place where books are kept. Today, this library is known as Collegiate Building 4.
The university built Collegiate Building 1 in 1906. The architect was Friedrich Ratzel. He designed it in the historicist style. This style is modelled on the past. Ratzel died in 1907. The building was not yet finished. Hermann Billing then continued the work, building in the Jugendstil style. This style is very different from the historicist style. This is evident in the round shapes and decorative details.
The building opened on 28 October 1911. Grand Duke Frederick II of Baden attended the opening. A grand duke is a type of nobleman. He rules over a large area of land.
The University’s motto inscribed on the building
On the west side of the building is the sentence: The truth shall set you free. This phrase also appears in the Bible. The university adopted it as its motto in 1909. This demonstrates that the university considers truth and freedom to be important. People have been thinking about truth and freedom since ancient times. Back then, people believed that science could make people free.
There were also two statues on the building. They represented truth and freedom. However, the statues were lost in World War II. The university erected two new statues in 1921. One of them depicts Homer. The other is of Aristotle. Homer was an ancient poet. Aristotle was an ancient philosopher. Philosophers think about life. The word philosophy is a Greek word. It means love of wisdom.
The statues demonstrate that the university considers the sciences of antiquity to be important. There is a picture of Prometheus above the entrance to the assembly hall in Collegiate Building 1. Prometheus is a hero. He was invented by the people in antiquity. This is called mythology. In this mythology, Prometheus gave people fire. This made them freer.
Changes in the time of National Socialism
The building’s roof burned on 10 July 1934. The Nazis were in power at that time. They were also known as National Socialists. Their leader was Adolf Hitler. The Nazis committed many terrible crimes. They started World War II. They oppressed and murdered many people. Their symbol was the swastika. An eagle bearing a swastika was affixed to one corner of the building.
In 1936, the Nazis added a new inscription to the building. The inscription read: To eternal Germandom. It is carved into the stone above the main entrance. This means that all knowledge should serve Germany. The Nazis believed that Germans were superior to other peoples.
The Nazi signs are removed after World War 2
World War II ended in 1945. Germany lost the war. The victorious countries occupied Germany. The victorious countries were the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France. In Freiburg, French people removed Nazi symbols such as swastikas. The inscription To eternal Germandom is still there. However, it is no longer very visible. It is supposed to remind people of the Nazis’ crimes.
Not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Some people want the inscription to be removed. However, the university has decided that the inscription should remain. The inscription is intended to remind people of the university’s complicity in Nazi crimes.
Remembering those who died in the First and Second World Wars
Collegiate Building I has many memorials. They remind people of the First and Second World Wars. The First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918. World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945. There is a bust of Otto von Bismarck in the building. He was the Chancellor of the German Empire before 1900. The chancellor is responsible for politics. There is also a plaque in the building. It commemorates the soldiers who died in the First World War.
Outside the building is a tall pillar with a statue on top. This statue commemorates the fallen of the First World War. An inscription was added to the pillar after World War II. This inscription commemorates those who died in both World Wars. You can see holes in the building outside. These are where bullets hit the building. These holes are intended to remind people of the destruction caused by the wars.
Remembering the oppressed and murdered people from the University
The Nazis oppressed and killed many people. This happened at the University of Freiburg. The university wants to ensure that these people are not forgotten. To this end, the university commissioned artist Marcel Odenbach to create a memorial in 2005. A memorial means that terrible things must never be forgotten. The memorial is displayed on the wall in the entrance hall of the building.