Manfred Prasser
"There is no architecture without the courage to swim against the current."
Prasser's first assignment in Berlin was the construction management for Alexanderplatz, where he also contributed several designs of his own — including the open-space arrangement between the TV Tower and the River Spree.
After reunification, Prasser's architectural practice designed projects such as the Hotel am See in Sommerfeld.
Manfred Prasser was one of the most influential architects of the GDR. He was born on 12 July 1932 in Chemnitz and spent his childhood in Kuhschnappel, a small village near Hohenstein-Ernstthal. After an apprenticeship as a carpenter and studies in civil engineering in Chemnitz and Görlitz, he made his way to Berlin in 1957 to join VEB Berlinprojekt, later known as Ingenieurhochbau Berlin. His first assignment — together with Ulrich Schmidt and Dieter Bankert — was the construction management for the new Alexanderplatz, to which he also contributed several of his own designs, including the layout of the open space between the TV Tower and the River Spree. He was also involved in the reconstruction of the Nikolaiviertel, the new Komische Oper, and designed the government hospital in Buch as well as other civic buildings in Berlin.
One of his best-known projects was the Great Hall of the Palace of the Republic, for which he devised innovative features such as rotating parquet floors, height-adjustable ceilings and moveable walls. This work earned him the National Prize of the GDR. In the reconstruction of the Berlin Konzerthaus, too, Prasser prevailed with his vision — choosing a classicist interior against the original plans.
For the new Friedrichstadtpalast, Prasser produced a design and stage concept; the construction itself was ultimately carried out by Dieter Bankert, Jürgen Ledderboge and Walter Schwarz. During the 1980s he was also involved in hotel projects in Berlin, including the Grand Hotel on Friedrichstrasse and the Domhotel on Platz der Akademie.
After reunification, Prasser opened his own architectural practice and lived in Zehlendorf near Oranienburg. Projects from this period include the Hotel "Grüner Turm" in Hohen Neuendorf, the "Hotel am See" in Sommerfeld and a series of private houses. And how many people know that numerous master plans — such as the one for Leipzig-Schkeuditz Airport — were the work of Prasser?
Manfred Prasser spent his final years in the house in Zehlendorf that he had built himself. He passed away on 20 March 2018.