The technological awakening of the 19th century, the Cold War, the intellectual freedom of the 1960s and today’s quest for sustainability. These aspects of contemporary history are reflected in the FHWS buildings – and are worth preserving.
On 8 November 1895, a physicist in Würzburg made a discovery which has helped countless people to this day or even saved their lives: he conducted an experiment with cathode rays late in the evening in his laboratory at Pleicherring 8. As he did so, he noticed that crystals nearby fluoresced. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen called the rays responsible for this phenomenon X-rays. Pleicherring no longer exists in Würzburg today because the street, like the rays, now bears Röntgen's name. At that time, what is now Röntgenring 8 was still home to the university's physics institute. The building has been used by FHWS since 1978. Today, the Röntgenring campus offers degree programmes in plastics and rubber engineering, surveying and geoinformatics, architecture and civil engineering.
Since the building was largely spared from the bombardments of the Second World War, the majority of the historic architecture has been preserved. Even Röntgen's old lecture room, where he gave his lectures in a whisper, is still used by FHWS today. However, the old building also has drawbacks, says Prof. Dr. Normen Langner, Vice President of Construction at the FHWS: "The age of some of the buildings is a big challenge. Even everyday alterations like demolishing a non-supporting wall can quickly become costly and require significant amounts of planning as a result." But despite the sometimes arduous maintenance, preservation of the building is important to FHWS. The last renovation of the Röntgenring campus took place in 2017, and there are firm plans for the site in the future: "We are planning a proper campus with three new buildings at Röntgenring. The plans are not yet final, but the budget has already been secured," says Langner.
Residential building, spy quarter and university location
Another architectural witness is located in the Sanderau district of Würzburg. By now, the Hella Waltenberger campus at Randersackerer Str. 15 can look back on 158 years of history. Today, events organised by the Campus for Professional Development and Language Proficiency take place here, but that wasn't always the case: the villa was built in 1863 in the classicist style as a residence for the Würzburg merchant Philipp Treutlein. It then became the home of the Corps Makaria fraternity in 1908. Where there is a parking lot today, the Makars could still enjoy a tennis court and a large garden in the early 20th century. But this joy did not last: the National Socialists forced the dissolution of all student fraternities in 1936. The property therefore had to be sold – and was acquired by Ludwig and Anna Höret, who moved in with their two children. Their daughter Hella Waltenberger, née Höret, later remembered this time with pleasure: "I was lucky enough to spend my childhood in that big, pristine garden." And the house's sturdy cellar vault saved the lives of her and her family on the night of bombing on 16 March 1945.
In 1978, the Military Counter Intelligence Agency (MAD) moved in and used the building until 1994. Exactly what the secret service employees did behind the historic walls remains a secret – the press office only refers to tasks in the field of counter-espionage and counter-sabotage as well as counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. The villa was then rented to FHWS from 1995, and the university has owned the property since 2017 thanks to the donation from Hella Waltenberger. "I hold FHWS and the type of education in very high regard and want to do my part for future generations," the previous owner, who died in 2017, commented on her legacy.
Timeless architecture chafes against modern regulations
Schweinfurt is also home to a historic building, albeit in a modern guise: engineering students have been trained in the former Balthasar Neumann Polytechnic, now Building 1 on the Ignaz Schön campus, since 1963.
The central element of the building is the roof construction by architect Fred Angerer, under which the so-called Warema-Renkhoff-Aula, a large lecture room, is located. The saddle roof is a double curved surface containing hyperbolas and parabolas as well as straight lines. Today, such forms, also called hypar roofs, are hardly ever used due to their complexity. In the 1960s, however, they stood for the revolutionary spirit of the times, as Prof. Martin Naumann, Professor of Architecture at FHWS, explains: "The building embodies architecture that sees itself as a departure and seems to be breaking away from the past into a brightly shining future." And Building 1 has not lost its impact to this day: "The proportions are just right. The finely drawn lines, its three-dimensional facade and the depth it has despite its volume are remarkable," says Naumann.
Preserving these clear lines is a challenge though, because the requirements in terms of energy and fire protection have increased significantly nowadays. "The entrance has clearly lost depth due to its new 'glass skin', the lines are partially broken and the striking roof is less prominent," Naumann sums up. Nevertheless, the overall picture is coherent: "The additions are based on the existing building without pandering and stay true to their respective times. This creates a dialogue between the sections," explains Naumann.
A contemporary interpretation of history
Unlike other universities, FHWS did not come into being with a central campus on a greenfield site. Rather, it has grown together with the cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt and runs through their respective cityscapes. This decentralised nature with new and old buildings makes the maintenance of the buildings extremely challenging. At the Ignaz Schön campus alone, around 66 million euros have been invested in renovation work since 2014. "Nevertheless, FHWS should make the existing buildings fit for the future," Prof. Naumann stresses. “More than just financial aspects must be taken into account here. We owe this to the buildings, their history and even more so to the following generations" Vice President Prof. Dr. Langner adds the aspect of sustainability to this responsibility: "Demolishing old buildings would be a waste of resources that we can't afford."
