Rimpl, Herbert

Architect, town planner

Born: 25.01.1902 in Mallmitz (Silesia; today Małomice, Poland)

died: 02.06.1978 in Wiesbaden

Rimpl began studying architecture in Munich in 1922 and worked in the private office of his teacher Theodor Fischer during his studies. His first jobs followed in 1926, until Rimpl became head of the branch office of the Cologne church architect Dominikus Böhm in Hindenburg, Upper Silesia, in 1929.

In 1932, he went into business for himself and became the most important industrial architect of the "Third Reich" in the following years. From 1937, Rimpl built the Hermann Göring steelworks, including factory housing estates in what is now Salzgitter. From 1940, as a result of the German military campaign, Rimpl designed industrial and residential complexes throughout Europe and was also awarded a lucrative major contract to develop the tunnels of the Mittelbau Dora concentration camp. In 1940, he received his doctorate with a thesis on the urban development of the town of Eger, and three years later Hitler awarded him the title of professor. From 1942, he was also involved in Albert Speer's scale-breaking plans for Berlin, including designs for the Berlin Südbahnhof. Although Rimpl was involved in some of the most important armaments projects until the end of the Second World War, he was denazified in March 1948 as a "non-affected person". To this day, the (increasingly critical) legend of Nazi opponents taking refuge in industrial construction persists, as he preferred to take on modern, sometimes politically left-wing colleagues in his office.

Rimpl soon established himself in Wiesbaden after the war and became the most important Wiesbaden architect of the post-war period alongside Paul Schaeffer-Heyrothsberge and Horst Niessen. Rimpl's best-known works here include the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Berlinische Lebensversicherung building on Schillerplatz and the Heilig-Geist-Kirche on Adolfshöhe. He enlivened the strict grid facades of the administrative buildings with sculptural roof designs - also known as the "Rimpl wave". He also designed buildings that are less relevant in terms of architectural history, such as the "crest view" airlift estate, the Amelia Earhart Hotel (with Niessen) and the Hainerberg estate. Rimpl was a member of Wiesbden's architectural advisory board for many years and also worked as an author. His book "Verwaltungsbauten" (1959) is one of the standard works of specialist literature.