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The Week in Germany: Culture July 11, 2008 Modern Heritage: 20th Century Berlin Apartments Added to UNESCO World Heritage List
The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO added a group of six Berlin housing developments to its World Heritage list on July 7, signaling a trend toward cultural recognition of modern landmarks. The developments, which include some of the first modern apartments with kitchens, balconies and plentiful windows, were all built from 1913 to 1934 with an eye toward offering affordable housing for working class Berliners. The decision brings Germany's total to 33 sites on the prestigious list, including three in Berlin.
Built according to plans by the leading modernist architects of the day, including Bruno Taut, Hans Scharoun and Walter Gropius, the six different complexes had a massive influence on residential building for the rest of the twentieth century and even today. They offered relative luxury for Berlin's booming population, with bathrooms and kitchens in each apartment. Unlike Berlin's classic tenements, which filled entire lots with rear annexes and side buildings, these apartment complexes were surrounded by plenty of green space. According to UNESCO, architecture that mixed avant garde aesthetics with progressive social policy was able to flourish due to the unique political circumstances of Germany's Weimar republic. The right to decent housing had been enshrined in Germany's new constitution following World War I. UNESCO representatives told the German press agency dpa that the decision to confer the special status on the Berlin apartment buildings had been an easy one, because they filled a gap in the World Heritage list. Source: TWIG / dpa Links: |
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