Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Listen and read as much as you want
  • Over 400 000+ titles
  • Bestsellers in 10+ Indian languages
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Albert Speer and Germania: The History of Nazi Germany’s Lead Architect and His Plans for a Future German Capital

6 Ratings

3

Duration
1H 24min
Language
English
Format
Category

History

In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party took absolute control of Germany, and his new regime was known as the Third Reich (Third Empire). The first Germanic empire had been the Holy Roman Empire (800-1806), and the second was the German Empire (1871-1918). Hitler was determined the new Reich be more impressive and longer-lasting than any that had gone before, and the Nazis soon began referring to the Tausendjähriges Reich (“Thousand-Year Reich”).

Naturally, the party’s leaders believed the new empire would require a suitably impressive new capital. Hitler dreamed of building Welthauptstadt Germania (“World Capital Germania”), a super-sized city that would dwarf everything that had come before it. The new metropolis would be built in the same location as Berlin, but it was expressly designed to be the most impressive city in the world. Its heart would be the seven-kilometer long Prachtstrasse, or Boulevard of Splendors, and the buildings there and elsewhere would not just be large but gargantuan. At one end of the boulevard would be a triumphal arch so large that six of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe could fit beneath it. At the opposite end would be the domed Grand Hall, containing the largest enclosed space in the world, capable of holding a staggering 180,000 people. So vast was the dome that there were concerns it might generate its own internal weather system, where clouds would form from the breath of the vast crowds below. Some predicted that rain might even fall.

While Hitler may not have been an architect, there were people around who could implement his vision and put the plans to fruition. The most famous was Albert Speer, a real architect who became Hitler’s friend and confidante and rose to power within the Nazi hierarchy. Speer played several roles during the war, only one of which was the project that would enlarge Berlin.

© 2021 Charles River Editors (Audiobook): 9781667013459

Release date

Audiobook: 24 July 2021

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Zeppelins of World War I: The History and Legacy of Zeppelin Air Raids during the Great War Charles River Editors
  2. HITLER: The Man Who Fought the World Paul MacNally
  3. Operation Fortitude: The History of the Deception Campaign that Confused the Nazis Ahead of the Normandy Landings Charles River Editors
  4. MacArthur Richard B. Frank
  5. The Western Allies’ Procurement of Nazi Germany’s Technology: The History of British and American Operations to Capture Nazi Scientists and Equipment Charles River Editors
  6. Midway Submerged: American and Japanese Submarine Operations at the Battle of Midway, May–June 1942 Mark W. Allen
  7. The Second World War: A Captivating Guide to World War II and D-Day Captivating History
  8. Theatre of War: The Pacific Campaign Liam Dale
  9. The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower Michel Paradis
  10. Life Under Nazi Occupation: The Struggle to Survive During World War II Paul Roland
  11. But Not in Shame: The Six Months After Pearl Harbor John Toland
  12. Understanding the Holocaust David Engel
  13. Russian History: An Enthralling Overview of the History of Russia and the Romanovs Billy Wellman
  14. Otto von Bismarck: The Politician Who Built a Powerful State Kelly Mass
  15. "If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania": The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg: Volume 2: June 22-30, 1863 Eric J. Wittenberg
  16. Hitler and the Holocaust Robert S. Wistrich
  17. Operation Typhoon: Hitler's March on Moscow, October 1941 David Stahel
  18. The Last Warrior: Andrew Marshall and the Shaping of Modern American Defense Strategy Barry Watts
  19. Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged Robert L. O'Connell
  20. Mao Zedong: A Captivating Guide to the Life of a Chairman of the Communist Party of China, the Cultural Revolution and the Political Theory of Maoism Captivating History
  21. Sherman: A Biography Steven E. Woodworth
  22. Grant: A Biography John Mosier
  23. Cold War: A Captivating Guide to the Korean War and Vietnam War Captivating History
  24. Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941 Stanley Weintraub
  25. Unintended Consequences: How War in Iraq Strengthened America's Enemies Peter W. Galbraith
  26. A Lie Too Big to Fail: The Real History of the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Lisa Pease
  27. Countdown to Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind "Luck" that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963 Paul Brandus
  28. Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee Michael Korda
  29. Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia Carolyn Woods Eisenberg
  30. Vladimir Putin's Dictatorship And The Inamous KGB: 2 Books In 1: KGB Assassinations, Secret Police Operations And Russian War Crimes HISTORY FOREVER
  31. The Rise of the Soviet Union: A Captivating Guide to the Russian Revolution and the Rise of the Soviet Union. Led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks. History Retold
  32. Watchman at the Gates: A Soldier's Journey from Berlin to Bosnia General George Joulwan
  33. An Audio Bundle H.G. Wells
  34. In the Mind of Stalin James Greensmith
  35. History Of Russia And The Soviet Union: 4 Books In 1: The Rise And Fall Of Soviet Union, Russian War Crimes And Putin's Invasion Of Ukraine HISTORY FOREVER
  36. The War on Terror the Speech Resource Company
  37. Lenin on the Train Catherine Merridale
  38. Operation Crossbow: The History of the Allied Bombing Missions against Nazi Germany’s V-2 Rocket Program during World War II Charles River Editors
  39. The Banana Wars: A Captivating Guide to the Interventions of the United States in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean Captivating History
  40. Lord Haw-Haw: The Life and Legacy of the Notorious Nazi Propaganda Broadcaster during World War II Charles River Editors