When it comes to the Bauhaus, there is no getting around the ideas that were conceived and tested here for a new and healthy way of living. As a counter-model to the dark and unhygienic tenement towns, pioneering housing estates were built in Berlin in the 1920s for their time. The question of New Housing was answered with the help of nationwide political support. The Siemensstadt ring estate is an outstanding example of the multifaceted nature of modern architecture in the 1920s. The architect Hans Scharoun created a consistently modern composition of rows of buildings with curved structures. This shows that the modern architecture of the 1920s had many facets. Next to it are straight lines by Walter Gropius, the expressive houses with the round balconies by Hugo Häring and the "Lange Jammer" by Otto Bartning. Under the motto "Light, air and sun", this tour offers a cross-section of the history of Berlin housing construction from 1927 to 1960.

The tour starts and ends in the ring housing estate. It includes an exclusive visit to Hans Scharoun's studio apartment.

Project selection

Siemensstadt housing estate Hans Scharoun I Walter Gropius I Otto Bartning I Hugo Häring I Fred Forbat and Paul-Rudolf Henning
UNESCO Infostation Siemensstadt I Fred Forbat
Studio apartment Hans Scharoun