Berlin Modernism Housing Estates

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
The "Berlin Modernism Housing Estates" represent low income housing architecture from the early 20th century. Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner and Walter Gropius were among the leading architects of these projects which exercised considerable influence on the development of housing around the world.

The six included estates are:
- Tuschkastensiedlung Falkenberg, 1913-16, by Bruno Taut
- Wohnstadt Carl Legien in Prenzlauer Berg, 1928-30, by Bruno Taut
- Ringsiedlung in Siemensstadt,1929-34, by Hans Scharoun and Martin Wagner
- Hufeisensiedlung Britz, 1925-30, by Bruno Taut
- Siedlung Schillerpark im Wedding, 1924-30, by Bruno Taut
- Weiße Stadt in Reinickendorf, 1929-31, by Otto Rudolf Salivsberg and Martin Wagner

Year Decision Comments
2008 Inscribed Reasons for inscription



Visit May 2009

My drive back from Poland, where I had visited Wroclaw and the Churches of Peace, brought me on the Berlin Ring Road. I knew that one of the Housing Estates is located close to the Schönefeld Airport, so I looked up its exact location and decided to just stop by. This site is the Gartenstadt Falkenberg, the earliest of the modernist estates (1913). It is nicknamed Tuschkastensiedlung ("Paintbox Estate").

Like the reviewers below have stated about other parts of this serial nomination, this also is ‘just’ a residential area with ordinary people going about their daily business. The main street is the Gartenstadtweg. Here several types of housing can be seen, all in full colour: apartment blocks, free standing villas and rows of town houses. All have their own gardens to grow vegetables and flowers. The streets are lined with trees. I'm not sure which of the houses in this street are original, but there are 93 of them according to the nomination dossier.

A sign at the side of the road advertised ‘Do you want to live in a Unesco World Heritage Site? Now for rent: apartments in the 2003 extension of the Gartenstadt. Only 639 EUR per month!’ Obviously not the real thing, but the area in general has a very peaceful feel to it due to the abundance of greenery. I wouldn’t mind living there… (maybe ought to look up the local crime rate first).

More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery

Reviews

Jim Hudson (Germany):
I moved to Berlin a couple of years ago and am gradually working my way around the estates, and have written in particular about the Britz estate here:

architectureinberlin.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/the-britz-horseshoe-estate-bruno-taut-martin-wagner/

I agree with Ian Cade's comment, that the estates can be a little underwhelming. I also feel that they wouldn't be my first choice of a place to live - not because of the quality of design, which is very high - but because they feel rather suburban and far from the centre of things.
Of course this is probably missing the point; it's the terrible slum conditions that these estates sought to replace which need to be considered. It's perhaps ironic that so many younger/wealthier Berliners choose to live in the high density older apartments of Prenzlauerberg, and more increasingly in areas such as Kreuzberg, many of which were built as working class Mietskeserne accomodation.
Date posted: June 2009
Paul Heath (UK):
I first visited Berlin's housing estates in 2006,and was very pleased to find how many survived the war,and how well they had been maintained and restored by the enlightened Berlin authorities.I did not have an exhaustive list of sites at the time,and discovered my hotel was only yards from the Weisse Stadt,which I did not previously know.
I have visited many famous modernist sites -Villa Savoye,Barcelona Pavilion,Quartiers Fruges,Weissenhofsiedlung,Karl Marx Hof,and so on,but the sheer number,scale and setting of the Berlin estates and their lesser-known ,later copies overwhelmed me. The suburbs of Berlin truly show what progressive architecture and landscaping can do to transform the urban environment -I think Berlin is more beautiful than Sienna or Rome,taken as a whole.
Date posted: August 2008
Frederik Dawson (Netherlands):
After read Ian’s review, his comment is exactly what I think about Berlin’s new and the third world heritage site. I was not a fan of modernism, but after many good trips seeing lovely modern buildings such as Bauhaus in Weimar, Chilehaus in Hamburg, Rietveld Schorderhuis in Utrecht and Villa Savoye in Poissy, I developed to enjoy this kind of architecture, but Berlin was not my cup of tea.

In 2005, I chose to see Schiller Park Housing Estate, the first apartment where sunlight, air and nature were the main elements for this utopia designed by Bruno Taut. However, the building I saw was exactly what I could see around my hometown neighborhood, red brick apartment with large windows and located next to the park. At first I even thought this was a wrong place and I really shocked to discover my map and information were correct and this typical building was the place I intended to visit.

I spend only 10 minutes to walk around the place; there was nothing to see since all of them were private houses and the best thing I could do was strolling in nearby Schiller Park. As I mentioned I totally agreed with Ian’s review, these groups of housing estate are very important and undeniable for its effect throughout the world, but to be honest this maybe one of the least inspiring world heritage sites I’ve seen.
Date posted: July 2008
Ian Cade (England):
I am still not too sure what to make of this inscription. On the one hand, I support it, these new housing estates were a key feature in redefining low-income/ social housing which has had a massive effect on peoples lives across the world. In counterbalance to this is the fact that they just weren’t that interesting when I paid them a visit. I know that this is a very subjective thing and preserving Heritage shouldn’t rely on just enjoyment, but the estate I visited just didn’t have the fission of visiting other sites with a similar background (Bauhaus, Mies’ Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the early Skyscrapers in Chicago).

Admittedly I did only visit 1 and spied another from the S-Bahn, perhaps had I spent more time going to some of the other Estates I could give a more glowing recommendation but the time I spent in them did not encourage me to forego Berlin’s numerous other attractions.

I managed to visit Wohnstadt Carl Legien on a cold Saturday morning in November 2007, needless to say I was the only ‘tourist’ here, and the residents were looking some what bemusingly at the guy taking endless photos of the blocks of flats. It was a reasonably rewarding visit for me, mostly as I have an interest in the architecture of this period. The blocks were well planned and spacious and there was a good use of colour (they have recently been restored). But on the whole they felt very familiar and nothing really that outstanding.
I suppose though this is their real value, these were pioneers of so much that effects every day life for millions across the world. That they seem unique is a testament to their success.

The Berlin into which they were built was one of the leading centres of liberal thought and activity, being at the centre of artistic and social progression. This was a great time of change in German and European history before the sudden change of direction that came in the 1930’s. The Berlin of today is once again a progressive and libertarian city with much to merit a visit. The area of Prenzlaur Berg where this particular estate can be found was a real delight to wander around and do some shopping and drinking.

Probably the Britz estate would be the most rewarding to visit as this one has a slightly more distinctive character, however the estates are spread out across Berlin, none particularly close to a major attraction though. The earliest Gardenstadt Falkenburg is located next to the S-Bahn track one stop on from Schönefeld airport so you could in theory visit if you had a slight gap in connecting flights there.

All in all these are pretty important testimonies not only to a change in living conditions for the less privileged but also a lasting testament to a progressive society which unfortunately was very short lived. They may not be the most exciting places to visit but their familiarity to many can be viewed as a sign of their success.
Date posted: July 2008


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