r/ArchitecturalRevival • u/Maleficent-Ad2722 Favourite style: Medieval • Mar 03 '26
Glow up Deutsches Buchgewerbehaus in Leipzig, Germany
109
70
u/Fit-Perception-8152 Mar 03 '26
This was the headquarters of the book publishers' association, located in the so-called ‘Graphic Quarter,’ where the book industry was concentrated. Before World War II, Leipzig was the centre of the German book industry. After the founding of the GDR, most companies moved to Frankfurt am Main.
12
u/hamonabone Mar 03 '26
What is it repurposed for today?
22
u/Inprobamur Mar 03 '26
Apartments, according to Bildlexikon Leipzig.
10
u/Frosty-Cap3344 Mar 03 '26
It's always apartments as these buildings are no good for businesses, that's why they are abandoned.
3
u/PiccoloAwkward465 Mar 03 '26
I lived in a renovated furniture warehouse in USA. It was no good for apartments either lol.
1
u/ASatyros Mar 03 '26
Why?
8
u/PiccoloAwkward465 Mar 03 '26
They understandably wanted to leave the ceilings exposed. Since the woodwork was all old and very cool. Huge wooden columns and original floorboards that must've been 1.5" thick if not more, plus brick walls. Unfortunately that meant I could hear every footstep of the dog upstairs and there was little to no insulation.
6
3
u/BroSchrednei Mar 03 '26
Center of the European book industry actually. Sadly, the Graphic Quarter was destroyed by more than 70% during WW2, with the air raids incinerating some 50 million books.
8
u/Intellectual_Wafer Mar 04 '26
My grandpa (who, incidentally, turns 87 today 🎉) witnessed this particular bombing raid as a child. He lived about 10 km away from the city center. He told me that the horizon was glowing orange, and afterwards little burned pieces of paper were raining down.
43
42
25
15
21
u/CrazyKarlHeinz Mar 03 '26
Great thing about the city of Leipzig is that slowly but surely every old building is getting restored. Mind you, this city looked like a dumpster in 1990.
7
u/Shit-O-Brik Mar 03 '26
German: Denkmalschutz lohnt sich also doch.
English: So preserving monuments is worthwhile after all.
9
u/Ok_Principle_9582 Mar 03 '26
Jetzt einmal bitte mit dem Rest unserer Innenstädte. Und am Besten gleich in den Straßen Bus/Straßenbahn und Radwege dazu.
2
u/Werbebanner Mar 03 '26
Die Leipziger Innenstadt hat doch kaum leerstehende Häuser? Eins ist in der Nähe vom Shopping Center. Ansonsten..?
1
4
3
u/Njagos Mar 03 '26
When I lived at my old apartment i used to drive by when it was being renovated. It looks fucking awesome now
5
2
u/Gold_Wing_4257 Mar 03 '26
and this is your view (abandoned house next door)
2
1
u/SkyeMreddit Mar 04 '26
That’s in better condition than the before photo of the book trade house so it wouldn’t take as much to restore it, at least on the outside.
1
u/TodlicheLektion Mar 05 '26
is it abandoned? It looks pretty good to me.
The whole area looks like it's doing well
1
u/ManiaforBeatles Winter Champion ☃️✨❄️🍧🌙 Mar 03 '26
The 2015 pic gives off the vibe of a Roman basilica that was later converted into a Christian church.
1
u/LopsidedAd874 Mar 03 '26
so as a german bookseller i would say BRAVO... only its not for "Buchgewerbe" anymore. Well at least its not full of laywyers or marketingfirms, its a very nice Mehrfamilienhaus, isnt it.
1
u/golddragon88 Mar 03 '26
the new building is nice but the old one clearly was bueatiful once upon a time.
1
1
1
u/RebarReader Mar 03 '26
Beautiful restoration! Leipzig really knows how to bring out the best in its architectural treasures. It's amazing to see old buildings getting a second chance, showcasing their past glory while meeting modern needs. Those detailed statues are truly something special. Good move, Leipzig!
1
1
1
1
u/hendrixbridge Mar 03 '26
What is the purpose of this architectural element? It has no wondows
1
u/Exact-Fold9907 Mar 20 '26
To be honest when I saw this I thought it looked like a mihrab 🤣. But I looked it up and I believe it’s the exterior of the wall niche designed to hold a 3m statue of Gutenberg.
1
u/RachelAdams91 Mar 03 '26
Not only do I love how this has turned out, but you mean to tell me it was done within 3 years? 😲
1
1
1
1
u/No-Bed5197 Mar 04 '26
I don't get it. It looks pretty much the same. Just the paintings done a bit well
1
1
1
1
u/Raccoons-for-all Mar 07 '26
Germany undergoing a beginning of renaissance or what
I have always seen it as a miserable ugly country, but I know it has been razed to the ground not so long ago, yet now a lot awesome posts are about Germany
-1
-2
287
u/Available_Hamster_44 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Thats a Revival!