Dec

29

Creation of Public Space in Europe 19th Century - part 2

Filed Under public space, research studies 

creation-of-public-space-in-europe-19th-century-part-2

Study Case 1

Popular - Hambacher Fest, Germanyhambacher fest

The Hambacher celebration was found in 1832 on 27th to 30th of May. It has taken place in the city of Hambach in the Pflaz. The occurrence it self was actually a marching procession of the 30,000 citizens, men and women from the town’s market place to the Hambach Schloss’ ruins. It was a crying of demands for Liberty, Civil rights and National Unity. The performers of this rally were traders, Frenchmen, Polish, members of parliament, farmers and students. They were carrying a flag with the combination of black-red-gold as what we see today as the German flag, and then it was its first public appearance. [1]

The initiatives were journalists, Siebenpfeifer and August, which organised the meeting as a non-political disguised long march, because at that time political gatherings were banned. This action was taken as a result to the control of Bavaria, where the local population suffered from high taxes and censorship. They called the day as the birth of German’s democracy.[2]

hombach

As the spaces that were used; the path from downtown to the castle’s ruin and the Shooting House. Although the qualities of those spaces were different, each speaks for it self the role it has taken. I will explain their qualities and characteristic as follow:

  • The pathway made the long march symbolised power; it made the course up hill a tremendous show of force. The red area shows the path that was taken by the participants. Although it was a ruin at that time, the Schloss symbolised the Prussians, by that it helped to understand the mean behind the march towards the place; it was a protest to their dominion and an expression of the public sovereignty.
  • The Shooting House as a closed environment to meet and to gather. This private owned space that has changed momentarily to a public space. Main character of the space has served the need of inclusion to the actors who participated in the action and exclusion to the outsiders.

 

[1] http://www.opendemocracy.net/arts-festival/article_542.jsp

 

[2] 2007 by Hambacher Schloß - Impressum- SpeyerNet AG

del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon

Comments

Leave a Reply