HBM156: Heavy Load-Bearing Body

November 9, 2022·19 min·1 clip

In a peaceful Alpine valley, the bombed-out wreckage of an experimental Nazi helicopter lies hidden among the rocks.

The host Jeff Emtmann visits the Schwerbelastungskörper, a massive concrete cylinder in Berlin built by the Nazis to test ground stability. This episode explores physical remnants of history and the complex feelings they evoke. Emtmann examines how sites of past atrocities are repurposed in the present. The Schwerbelastungskörper weighs roughly 25 million pounds and was constructed in 1941 using prisoner-of-war labor. It was an engineering test for a planned, never-built Nazi triumphal arch. Emtmann records acoustic impulse responses inside the structure using popping balloons. He travels to Tempelhofer Feld, a vast public park that was once Tempelhof Airport. The airport's terminal, shaped like an eagle, was built in the 1930s under architect Albert Speer using forced labor. A British contemporary called Tempelhof the "mother of all airports." Emtmann recalls a childhood nightmare involving Ursula the sea witch from Disney. He describes hiking in the Tyrol region of Austria, an area heavily bombed during World War II. In a valley there, he learns the wreckage of an experimental Nazi helicopter lies hidden. During the hike, he dreams of two silent, kind-looking ghosts in a lodge. The Nazi plans for Berlin are described on signs as "megalomaniacal" and "inhuman urban planning." Emtmann reflects on watching the German-dubbed version of *The Lord of the Rings*. He analyzes how orcs are depicted as aesthetically crude to signify their inherent evil. He contrasts this with the gleaming swords of men and the refined artistry of elves and dwarves. After World War II, Tempelhof Airport became crucial during the Berlin Airlift of 1948, supplying West Berlin. The airport was later decommissioned and saved from redevelopment to become a public park. The main terminal building now houses thousands of refugees from Syria. The Schwerbelastungskörper remains because demolishing it was deemed unsafe for nearby apartments. At the site, Emtmann finds beehives at the base of the concrete monolith, with bees pollinating flowers in its shadow. Graffiti on a bench near the structure reads "Fuck Nazis." The tone is reflective, personal, and atmospheric, blending historical documentary with intimate memoir. The style is narrative and sensory, emphasizing place, sound, and the host's internal conflicts. Listeners interested in the layered history of Berlin, memory, and the ethics of appreciating architecture will find this compelling. Those seeking a straightforward historical account or a lighthearted story might find its contemplative, meandering pace less engaging.

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