It seemed as if the town hall had been secretly directing the event. When Mayor Georg Dietrich personally switched the traffic lights on Mathildenplatz to green on November 11, 1971, 50 years ago, the midday ringing began in the tower of St. Mary's next door. According to the mayor, the bells were "appropriate for the historic event". Despite the champagne glasses in his hands: The "historic" was not for the upcoming carnival season, the start of which the jesters traditionally celebrate on this day, but for the opening of Berliner Strasse. After eleven years of construction, a new lane up to forty meters wide was open to traffic right through Offenbach.
Church congregations often interpret the ringing of the bell as a liturgical reference to the tension between transience and eternity. None of the numerous guests of honor from politics and society could have imagined that barely a quarter of a century later, the oversized structure with four lanes would be superfluous. On November 15, 1996, 25 years ago, Gerhard Grandke, Dietrich's successor in the fourth generation of mayors, opened an avenue-like boulevard, reduced to two lanes, with a modest ceremony. In November 2021, Berliner Straße will celebrate a double anniversary: 50 years since its construction and 25 years since its redesign.
"Breakthrough road" for the time of the economic miracle
In 1954, the city planning office issued a memorandum that provided the impetus for the through road across Offenbach. It was the time of the economic miracle. Cars from the district and Hanau struggled across Marktplatz and Frankfurter Straße on their way to the center of the region. The new route was supposed to bring relief and pave the way for a car-friendly city. People were prepared to sacrifice parts of the old town, which had been destroyed in the war or was simply dilapidated, for the "Durchbruchstraße", its working title.
The number of car registrations doubled every ten years at that time. By 1985, it was predicted that one in three Offenbach residents would own a car. The city wanted to be prepared for this growth. There was enough space between Kaiserlei and Kaiserstraße for the forty-metre-wide expressway with generously dimensioned turning lanes and a central reservation for over a thousand parking spaces. Until 1955, the tracks of the local railroad that once connected Sachsenhausen and Offenbach city center were located here.
In future, pedestrians would be able to stroll between stores and cafés on a second level in the heart of the city, one floor higher, so to speak. According to the protagonists, the plans were modeled on those of other major cities. Even New York was mentioned. The Offenbach project attracted nationwide attention. Representatives from many town halls visited the site to find out more. The head of the German Association of Cities traveled by special train to acknowledge the project at a press conference.
In 1959, the city council gave the go-ahead. "Breakthrough for the breakthrough road" was the headline of a local newspaper. Work began on April 5, 1961 between Herrnstrasse and Glockengasse. The state helped the then already cash-strapped city with the financing. Without further ado, it declared the breakthrough road a federal highway, the B 43, and generously covered the costs. Mockers suspected that Wiesbaden was using this move to dissuade the people of Offenbach from the idea of an S-Bahn city route. To increase the pressure, the state threatened to build the road on stilts. Offenbach nevertheless used the state funds with commercial prudence. 13 million euros were budgeted for Berliner Strasse, but in the end it only cost 7 million euros.
From village to big city
Where the Vhs building and the City Tower stand today, the demolition of the old town for the Durchbruchstraße began in 1963. This is where Offenbach once developed its identity on the way from village to city. But no one seemed to mourn the tradition. What the war had left of the crooked walls was neglected and in danger of falling into disrepair. The former director of the Offenbach City Museum, Gerd Vollmer, portrayed the neighborhood the day before it was demolished. A melancholy film. When it was shown again in 2014, the long-time editor-in-chief of the Offenbach-Post, Lothar R Braun, wrote: "A condemned neighborhood from the early days of the city's history, where no one wants to live today... Wooden stairs lead to the upper floor of the house. Dilapidation, neglect, bizarre sanitary facilities, plaster with scars and cracks". A new home had to be found for around 400 families and nine businesses in the 1960s. Old names such as Wasserhofstrasse were erased forever.
Named "Berliner Strasse" after Willy Brandt's visit
In 1962, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Willy Brandt, visited Offenbach. Since then, Durchbruchstraße has been called "Berliner Straße". Out of solidarity with the divided city, the city council placed the heraldic bear on a pedestal at the junction with Kaiserstraße. Today it adorns the foyer of the town hall.
With each new section of Berliner Strasse, through traffic increased. The southern bypass via the Odenwaldring was still a torso. Every day, up to 40,000 vehicles on Berliner Strasse caused noise, exhaust fumes and the displeasure of local residents. Many complained that the expressway separated the city center from its river, the Main. The route to important facilities such as Büsingpark, Parkbad, Isenburger Schloss or the Hochschule für Gestaltung required time and sometimes courage.
In 1985, the Offenbach city parliament clearly called for the Durchbruchstraße to be reduced to two lanes. This initiative was supported by the "Stadtforum", a non-party initiative led by Marplan boss Klaus Stumpf. Prominent advocates: former Lord Mayors Walter Buckpesch and Walter Suermann.
S-Bahn construction as an opportunity for dismantling
When the federal and state governments and Deutsche Bahn gave up their opposition to the S-Bahn city line in the mid-1980s, thanks in part to the efforts of city councillor Ferdinand Walther, Offenbach seized its chance. The entire length of Berliner Strasse was to be dug up for the tunnel and then resurfaced. "Even if the coalitions in Offenbach changed at that time, even if the majority and opposition had different views on details," says today's Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke in retrospect, "there was a basic consensus across party lines to correct the mistake of the century. An example of what we can achieve by acting together across party lines".
Offenbach put pressure on Bonn and Wiesbaden to use the restoration of Berliner Strasse for a real upgrade of the cityscape. But the financing was a close call. Paul-Gerhard Weiß, the current head of the construction and planning department, remembers: "Offenbach accused Deutsche Bahn of favoring a cheap solution, a kind of makeshift carriageway, with a dose of exaggeration." Project manager Eckart Venzke countered on behalf of the railroad in the construction committee: if you want luxury, you have to pay the additional costs yourself. After a tough poker game, the federal and state governments agreed to pay 87.5 percent of the estimated costs of 16.5 million euros for the elaborate redesign. A framework that was not exceeded by the Offenbach construction administration after all services had been settled.
Traffic turnaround and farewell to the "car-friendly city"
In 1994, the city council published the final plans for the "new" Berliner Strasse. The citizens were able to vote on three variants. Three department heads were involved in the drafting of the proposal, each with their own ideas, during different periods of office and from different political backgrounds: Head of Planning Thomas Schaller and city planning councillors Wilfried Kaib and Klaus Bodensohn. "Despite the variety of political colors, the concept was all of a piece," says Paul-Gerhard Weiß: "The construction of the S-Bahn and the subsequent redesign of Berliner Strasse marked the beginning of the traffic turnaround in Offenbach and the final farewell to the concept of the car-friendly city."
According to Gregor Fröhlich, deputy head of the city planning office at the time, Offenbach now wanted "instead of the dominance of the car, a coexistence of all road users". Mayor Schwenke: "The concept of the 1990s ended the absolute dominance of the car and was a strong signal against the growing through traffic. The new Berliner Strasse made room for the railroad, bicycles and pedestrians, but without completely depriving motorists of an important inner-city east-west crossing. The redesign also set standards for enhancing the cityscape." Sealed surfaces were reclaimed. Wide, harmoniously paved sidewalks alternating with rows of trees and strips of grass as well as two small traffic circles created a gentle transition between the pedestrian zone, Nordend and Kulturkarree. Chic furniture and striking street lamps dominated the streetscape. The wounds of the 1960s have been healed.
Today, there are only around 18,800 vehicles a day on Berliner Strasse at peak times. 13 traffic lights control the flow of traffic. There is less through traffic and more space for cyclists, pedestrians and skaters.
Sabine Groß, Head of the Environment and Mobility Department, emphasizes: "Berliner Strasse is a role model for making bold decisions to improve the quality of life in the city and limit climate change." 399 trees now line the roadside of Berliner Strasse. Around two kilometers of cycle paths run to the left and right of the road, separated from car traffic. "They are the backbone of a cycle path network that we are completing across the city. But people can now also reach the city center in a climate-neutral way by public transport: 17,000 passengers get off the S-Bahn station Marktplatz every day, 5,000 passengers leave the Offenbacher Verkehrsbetriebe buses at Marktplatz. Currently, 36 out of 87 city buses have already been converted to electromobility and are therefore climate-friendly in our city."
Investment boost after redesign of Berliner Strasse
After 1971, investment in housing and work along Berliner Strasse remained rather modest, with many ruined properties remaining. Mostly only public facilities were built, such as the town hall and the district administration in the town hall. In addition, there were the hastily erected properties of a speculator named Reese on the market square. Buildings that disappeared again barely 40 years later. It was not until the redesigned Berliner Strasse and the S-Bahn, which lies beneath it, that private capital was mobilized for sustainable developments. At the end of the 1990s, former mayor Gerhard Grandke cited a sum of one billion euros that was spent immediately after the inauguration.
Today, almost all the gaps between buildings have been closed. The list of companies that have invested in living and working here is long. Examples include 61 new residential units for 14 million euros at the so-called "Spitzen Eck", the Bug at the eastern entrance to the city, the Goethequartier as a residential and commercial building with more than 300 apartments, the residential building "Mitte 166", for which a dilapidated parking deck gave way, or the demolition and upgrading of the buildings around the Marktplatz S-Bahn station - the most prominent of which are the former Toys'R'Us building and the City-Center. Urban development projects, such as the tree planting on Kaiserstrasse and Frankfurter Strasse and the renovation and upgrading of inner-city squares, complement the private projects.
Positive developments thanks to city center future concept and market square conversion
"The heart of the city is undergoing a huge transformation," says Mayor Schwenke. "Where for decades traffic, wasteland and construction sins shaped the face of the city, apartments, commercial buildings, cycle paths and more greenery are being built - a development that combines both: the desire of many people to live in the city and today's demands for a modern, liveable and sustainable city for living, working and living." With the city center future concept, the city also wants to initiate a new positive development of the city center in the coming years: "The central goal of our future concept is to ensure that people continue to enjoy coming to the city center. We want to give them additional and new reasons to do so." The current renovation of the market square and the traffic calming measures around Wilhelmsplatz are further building blocks for a lively city center with space to live, work, shop and enjoy. "We are improving accessibility by bike, creating more space for pedestrians and barrier-free bus platforms. But the parking lots in the city centre will also remain easily accessible for cars," says Paul-Gerhard Weiß, head of the building department, summarizing the goals of today's transport policy.
For Lord Mayor Schwenke, Berliner Strasse documents the changing spirit of the times over the decades like hardly any other place in Offenbach: "Offenbach lay in ruins after the Second World War. Living, working, traffic: the pressure of problems was enormous. At the same time, there was a lack of awareness of the negative consequences of growth at the time. We shouldn't be beating about the bush about that today. In the 1960s, everyone acted to the best of their knowledge and belief when deciding on the Durchbruchstrasse. With its redevelopment, Berliner Strasse has become an attractive gateway and driving force for urban development."