Visions of Germania

In the cover story of our March issue, Roger Moorhouse writes an absorbing account of Welthauptstadt Germania, or 'World Capital Germania', Hitler's wildly ambitious plan for a postwar rebuilding of Berlin into the capital of a Greater German 'World Empire'.

Though never realised, the plan retains a certain fascination, as suggested by the number of models and computer renderings created in the decades since. Below are some examples. Together they give the sense of what it may have been like to stand in the capital city of a world-conquering Third Reich.

Firstly, here's a fly-through of the centre of Germania toward the Volkshalle, complete with suitably powerful music.

Here's another, less sophisticated tour, with a commentary track marking each building:

Next is an extract from an interview with architect Albert Speer, the architect of Germania. The interview was conducted in 1979; you can listen to other extracts on the BBC website.

Finally, here's the first part of a somewhat bombastic History Channel programme, Lost Cities, on Hitler's "supercity". It's particularly interesting as it combines sophisticated 3D renderings of the buildings, while also filming the remnants of things that were actually built -- often using slave labour. You can also watch parts two, three, four and five.

Roger Moorhouse's essay on Germania is in the March issue of History Today, out February 16th. Take advantage of our February subscription offer and ensure you don't miss it.