Before and after: German cities in transition

This photo of the plaza near Bonn's central station is one of 14 photo couplings in the travelling exhibition, "Places in Germany 1950 and today," presented by the Technical University of Dortmund. The exhibition is currently in Freiburg. Vintage photos of public plazas, railways stations and road crossings are juxtaposed against their modern realities. The results are sobering.

The surrounding area of Bonn's central train station in 2011. The tree-lined boulevard with neoclassical buildings has given way to 1970s constructs and an empty space, resulting in the so-called, "Bonn Hole." The vacant space, which was considered desirable at the time, does not make the cityscape appear more open or welcoming, after all.

The exhibition was conceptualized by German architecht Christoph Mäckler to show the adverse effects urban city planners had on post-war Germany. This picture shows a section of Stau Street in the city of Oldenburg. The maritime ambience could inspire a painting.

In 2013 the idyll fell victim to a multi-laned road. The exhibition demonstrates how many picturesque places have been sacrificed to accommodate the ever-increasing amount of traffic. The cities were not only altered through the destruction of World War Two but through architectural politics in post-war Germany, when cultural and memorial protection played no role.

Before WWII, the plaza surrounding Cologne's cathedral was a lively square, once framed by neoclassical buildings, with the world-famous cathedral in the middle. Plazas have always played an important role in cities as a trading spot, meeting point or representative center of the city.

After nearly all the buildings surrounding the cathedral were destroyed in WWII, the plaza was completely revamped. Many cities had already begun drafting modernization plans in the1920s. The driving force behind these plans was to architecturally put an end to the Kaiserreich. Only after the war, however, could the plans be implemented.

Disastrous results after a redesign are especially poignant in the photos of the city Halle an der Saale. In 1950 Francke Square was dominated by the House of the Francke Foundations.

Overpasses and cars now dominate Francke Square, obstructing the view of the historical building. Between 1950 and 1970 the mission to create "traffic-friendly cities" resulted in the extreme interference in the structure of many German spaces: railway stations, highways and bridges now monopolize today's cityscapes.

Already in 1955 many plazas, such as Frankfurt's Hauptwache, permitted through-traffic. Nevertheless, they were still a central gathering point for city-dwellers, with cafes, small stores and newspaper stands. This aspect was lost in the economic and functional reorganization of cities.

The cafe and small stores in the middle of the square have since vanished. Instead, there's the entrance to the subway. Another new feature is the skyline in the background. The small square now looks like a relic of past.

Even in 1950 Heidelberg's transportation hub was far from idyllic, but it was centrally located by the main railway station in the city center. In the middle of the 1950s, however, the station was relocated to the edge of the city. The opportunity to remodel this space was not fully realized.

Today the traffic and the bulky 1970s architecture command Heidelberg's Bismarck Plaza. These, along with other impressive photographs, can be seen in the travelling exhibition, which will be featured in various German cities until the summer.