Hefte zur Baukunst is a new series of publications launched
by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung. It presents monuments that are of
historic importance, traces their origins, and records their expert
restoration.



The first volume in this series is
devoted to Berlin’s Tieranatomisches Theater. Situated close to the
Charité hospital, this lecture theatre for the demonstration of
veterinary anatomy is the oldest remaining academic building in the
German capital. It was designed in 1789 by the architect Carl Gotthard
Langhans who also created the Brandenburg Gate. The building was
conceived as the main structure of the new veterinary school. It ranks
as the most important work of early classicism in Berlin and is an
impressive testimony to the Enlightenment and the Prussian spirit of
innovation. At the time, the public dissection of human corpses and
animal carcasses was increasingly considered a basic discipline
essential to understanding the anatomy of both humans and animals, as
well as to the study of diseases. Langhans designed a two-story
centralised plan that combines cubic and cylindrical shapes. At the
heart of his composition lies the striking round lecture theatre laid
out to seat 150 people. With its dome, it creates a contrast to the
cubic structure of the adjacent rooms.



The “old
anatomy”, which survived all wars and destruction, was carefully
extended twice in its history. In the years 2003 to 2019, the building
underwent restoration work and was adapted for use by Berlin’s
Humboldt-Universität.



Text in English and German.