MArch Dissertation (2016)

Submitted: April 2016. Grade achieved: Distinction.

For full dissertation follow the link.

‘Re-evaluation of the Architecture built during the 1920-1940 period in Meran/o, South Tyrol, Italy.’

Abstract.
The aim of this dissertation is to analyse and discuss the development of local architecture in Meran/o, South Tyrol, Italy, during the Fascist occupation (1920-1940) and its role within the current debate on preservation of Fascist monuments across South Tyrol.

The case study of Il Municipio di Merano/ Das Rathaus Meran will be used to illustrate how the generally accepted perception that Fascism imposed itself in the South-Tyrolean cities through avert Italianisation and Roman iconography is much more ambiguous and controversial than normally considered, in regards to the town of Meran/o.

Writing my dissertation was one of the most thought-provoking and enjoyable tasks of my Master degree. Thanks to it, I managed to look at the Architecture built in my home town during the Fascist regime and critically appraise it without bias towards the current debate. I thoroughly investigated the issue through the use of archival material and primary sources and managed to make numerous discoveries in the process.

Selected bibliography.
Ordine degli Architetti della Provincia di Bolzano (1993) Architettura in alto Adige: Dal 1900 ad oggi. Bolzano: Ed. Raetia
Paul, P. (1979) Architektur in Suedtirol ab 1900. Merano: Arunda 8+9.
Schlorhaufer, B. (2010) Theodor Fischer. Architekturtheorie Eins SS2010. Leopold-Franzens-Universitaet Innsbruck.
Steinacher, G. (2013) Fascist Legacies: The Controversy over Mussolini’s Monuments in South Tyrol. University of Nebraska
Zoeggeler, O. and Ippolito, L. (1992) Die Architektur für ein italienisches Bozen 1922-1942. Lana: Tappeiner.
Various Archival Material from ©Archivio di Merano/Meran Stadtarchiv.

All images taken by myself at the exhibition ‘Architectura 1920-1940 Meran/o’, by Walter Gadner and Magdalene Schimidt. Material obtained by ©Archivio Merano/Meran Stadtarchiv.