‘Palatinate Expressive’: Expressionism in the Palatinate

Ludwig Waldschmidt, born in Kaiserslautern in 1886, is a prime example of the Palatinate representatives of moderate expressionism. Throughout his life, Waldschmidt focused on the reality of people’s working lives. The fact that German Expressionism also had an impact on the following generation is evident in the early works of the artist Hannah Forster. Forster completed her training in Kaiserslautern and translated several of her atmospheric motifs into small-format woodcuts before she moved on to working as an illustrator in later years.

Kaiserslautern’s cityscape has retained significant examples of Expressionist architecture as well: Several buildings by the architect Hermann Hussong can be found here. In the 1920s, he shaped the cityscape with his buildings, such as the residential complex on Fischerstraße and Bismarckstraße built in 1919, which was originally planned for French officers. To this day, the expressive elements of the architecture are clearly visible on the façades: zigzag lines, asymmetrical window shapes, strong, vibrant colours. Thanks to Hermann Hussong’s buildings, the Expressionist era is still a living part of our world today.