"Raumkunst" an Bord der Lloydschiffe: das Kinderspielzimmer 1. Klasse auf der Bremen IV, gestalten von Walter Trier

Abstract

With its two turbine-driven express steamers BREMEN and EUROPA, launched in 1929 and 1930 respectively, the Norddeutscher Lloyd set new standards in terms of both external appearance and interior furnishings. Six architects were commissioned to provide artistic drafts for the firstclass- section interior of the BREMEN. The main rooms in First Class were designed by Düsseldorf architect Fritz August Breuhaus. Breuhaus was also the designer of the children's playroom. He commissioned the artist Walter Trier, a caricaturist and illustrator of children's books, to decorate the playroom with frescoes. The year 1929 also marked the publication of the first edition of Erich Kästner's famous children’s book Emil and the Detectives, containing the illustrations by Walter Trier; they can still be found in today’s editions of the work, which continues to delight young and old alike. Walter Trier avoided persecution by the Nazis by emigrating to Canada via England. Kästner personally witnessed the burning of his books in May 1933. Even though he stayed on in Germany he was forbidden to publish any more of his work. Neither the children’s playroom nor the BREMEN itself survived the war: The ship was destroyed by fire in 1941.