Relics of the Reich: The Buildings The Nazis Left Behind

Relics of the Reich is the story of what happened to the buildings the Nazis left behind. Hitler’s Reich may have been defeated in 1945 but many buildings, military installations and other sites remained. At the end of the War, some were obliterated by the victorious Allies but others survived. For almost fifty years, these were left crumbling and ignored with post-war and divided Germany unsure what to do with them, often fearful that they might become shrines for neo-Nazis. Since the early 1990’s, Germans have come to terms with these iconic sites and their uncomfortable part. Some sites are even listed buildings. Relics of the Reich visits many of the buildings and structures built or adapted by the Nazis and looks at what has happened since 1945 to try to discover what it tells us about Germany’s attitude to Nazism now. It also acts as a commemoration of mankind’s deliverance from a dark decade and serves as renewal of our commitment to ensure history does not repeat itself. AUTHOR: Colin Philpott has a long-standing interest in recent German history and in abandoned buildings and venues. His first book A Place in History, looking at the impact on places where news stories happened in twentieth century Britain, was published in 2012. His drama The Last Match about the last day of peace before World War Two, was first performed in 2014. He is a former Director of the National Media Museum and was a BBC programme-maker and journalist for 25 years. He also works as a non-executive director, a producer on creative and media projects and as a radio and event presenter. He lives in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.
120 b/w illustrations