Hitler’s Plans for Berlin as the World’s Capital - Welthauptstadt Germania

In the Girl in the Glass, the Clypeate travels to Berlin, looking for the Siegessäule, a German victory column. When it’s not where they expect it, there’s momentary panic. After a brief investigation, Bruce announces:

“Wir sind gut! Our map is just a little outdated. Some very pleasant Berliners told us the Siegessäule was moved this year, part of Adolf's master plan to realign his Reich’s capital city.”

Bruce is referencing Adolf Hitler’s plan to transform Berlin into the grand capital of his envisioned global Third Reich, and moving the Siegessäule to its new location was an early step. Hitler meticulously planned a monumental reconstruction of the city, intending for it to surpass all modern and ancient capitals. The restructured Berlin would be known as Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germany), shifting its focus from a habitable city to a display of Nazi power and ideology. 

The redesign involved building a colossal boulevard along a north-south axis, 4.3 miles long and 400 feet wide, designed as a parade ground and intended to be flanked by imposing buildings. The most aspirational piece of this plan meant building a Great Hall, or Volkshalle, a domed structure capable of holding 180,000 people. It was meant to be a "place of worship" for the Nazi cult, and was going to be the largest enclosed space ever built. Due to the immense size, it was predicted that the heat and moisture trapped inside would come down as indoor rain. There was also going to be a triumphal arch, like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, except much larger.

Despite Hitler's determination to complete the project by 1950, construction was largely halted in 1943 due to World War II, and most of the grandiose plans never materialized beyond drawings and a few completed structures.

Berlin transformed into the Nazi’s Welthauptstadt. The domed Great Hall marks the north end of the boulevard, the triumphal arch denotes the south end.

Hitler and the Great Hall

The Great Hall compared with the Eiffel Tower