This is a fascinating and unfamiliar history of Nazi Berlin, viewed through the lens of its energy and water services. It’s adapted from a new book by scholar Tim Moss, the result of a career spent studying the infrastructure of the city. In part it’s a story — one documented before — about Hitler’s deranged idea to “restructure” Berlin into a world capital, to be called Germania; in part it’s one about his idiotic plan to cleanse the "degenerate" city by diverting water from mountain springs, and his unusual interest in the city’s water supply. It’s a rigorous but insightful piece, with some interesting images to boot.
Disclosure: I work on the MIT Press Reader. What I’ve read of Tim’s book is brilliant, but it’s a scholarly work and not the best introduction to Berlin for a “general reader” interested in learning more about its history. It’s a meticulous study of one city’s urban infrastructure, after all.