Occupation Architect Name Herman Sorgel | Role Architect Education Bauhaus | |
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Died December 25, 1952, Munich, Germany | ||
The Bizarre Plan to Drain the Mediterranean: Atlantropa
Herman Sörgel (2 April 1885— 25 December 1952) was a German/ Bavarian architect from the early to mid 1900's. He was known for pioneering the Atlantropa project which was initially conceived as a solution to the economic and political turmoil gripping Europe in the early 20th century. Atlantropa called for dams built across the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, and between Sicily and Tunisia. The dams would provide hydroelectric power and would be overseen by a newly formed independent body with the authority to discontinue energy to any country posing a threat to peace. Sörgel actively promoted his ideas until his death in 1952.
Contents
- The Bizarre Plan to Drain the Mediterranean Atlantropa
- Atlantropa Una follia daltri tempi
- Early life
- Written publications
- Atlantropa
- Death
- References
Atlantropa. Una follia d'altri tempi.
Early life
Herman Sörgel was born in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany in 1885 to Bavarian parents. From 1904 to 1908 Sörgel studied architecture at The Technical University in Munich.
Written publications
Some of his publications included:
Atlantropa
Sörgel was the originator of the idea of Atlantropa—a utopian continent created by damming the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, and the Congo river. His idea called for the damming, and thus lowering, of the Mediterranean Sea level and then making use of the difference between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic sea levels to generate hydro-electric power. Sorgel's idea to lower sea levels would increase the dry land areas around the Mediterranean and provide overland access to Africa. Damming the Congo river would refill the basin surrounding Lake Chad providing fresh water to irrigate the Sahara and shipping access to the African interior. Besides creating new bodies of land, the mass amounts of hydro-eclectic energy that would be generating, could account for 50% of Europe's energy needs at the time. While Sörgel was dreaming up the idea, he never took into consideration how other countries would react or change. Israel and Palestine's land mass, for example, would increase by 50% due to the water levels dropping. Sörgel would also have to go through multiple Middle Eastern countries to get to Africa where most of the major changes would take place.
Death
Sörgel died at the age of 67 shortly after having been struck by a car while on his bicycle en route to a lecture at a German university in Munich. The accident happened on a road "as straight as a die" and the driver of the car was never found.
