The Alte Pinakothek of Munich. Creation of new architecture over existing architecture

After World War II, many German cities took reconstruction as a necessary response to the serious damage their buildings had suffered. In this context, different restoration criteria that had been formulated in the past were frequently employed causing debates regarding the best way to recover a severely damaged architectural heritage. The Alte Pinakothek in Munich is one example for which different architects raised different solutions, such as the reconstruction of the building in its old shape, therefore erasing the damage caused by war, or its demolition to create a new building according to that moment's needs. The adopted proposal was the one from the architect Hans Dollgast, with a solution that gave response to its functional needs while respecting the building vaules. This article analyses Dollgast's reconstruction, pointing out the keys of his creative process and his use of a contemporary language in this architectural restoration, with which he achieved a new architectural addition that coexists with the past architecture. The values contained in the existing building, designed by Leo von Klenze, are deciphered for this purpose, verifying their state of conservation after Dollgast's intervention.