Karl-Marx-Allee

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  View of Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin.

• Renowned GDR buildings and the northern of the two similar high-rise buildings at the "Frankfurter Tor" at the end of Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin.

• The historic candelabra on Karl-Marx-Allee.

• The "Marx" lettering of the Karl Marx bookshop in Karl-Marx-Allee.

• View of the Kino International in Karl-Marx-Allee.

• Former Kosmos cinema on Karl-Marx-Allee.

Karl-Marx-Allee (Karl Marx Avenue), with its monumental street development, was the showpiece street of East Berlin. Stalinallee, as it was known in GDR times, stretches between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor.

The GDR's showpiece street was built on rubble: Friedrichshain was one of the districts of Berlin that was particularly badly damaged in the Second World War. With the reconstruction, Stalinallee, as Karl-Marx-Allee was called until 1961, was to become the "first socialist street" on German soil.

Palaces for the workers

After the end of the Second World War, there was a housing shortage in Berlin. The almost two-kilometer stretch between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor resembled a desert of rubble. The SED government therefore had to and wanted to build new apartments. In the midst of the Cold War and the competition for the supposedly better system, the housing issue became a political issue. The government wanted to offer workers more than just a roof over their heads. The new apartments were to be palaces that demonstrated superiority over the capitalist West. Stalinallee thus became the GDR's first major prestige project.

Scharoun's Laubenganghäuser

Hans Scharoun's Laubenganghäuser (arcade houses) were built before the start of the "National Reconstruction Program". They were the first post-war designs to be realized in East Berlin. However, the functional and functionalist style of the 1920s was soon considered outdated. The modernist architectural style lost political support. People preferred to orient themselves towards the Socialist Realism and Socialist Classicism of the Soviet Union.

Luxurious apartments with high construction costs

To give the Stalinallee a special, monumental character, the street was widened. The street, now 90 meters wide, was to serve as a venue for military parades in the future. The first showpiece building on Stalinallee was built in 1951/52 on Weberwiese. The high-rise building by architect Hermann Henselmann met the expectations of the GDR regime. The apartments were luxuriously furnished, with central heating, hot water, stucco ceilings and elevators. The living space was also large by the standards of the time. The decorative façades were inspired by classicism. They were intended to show the wealth to the outside world. Stores and restaurants were located on the lower one or two floors. The construction costs for the apartments were high. Henselmann also designed the landmarks of Karl-Marx-Allee: the tower buildings at Frankfurter Tor.

Hansaviertel - counter-design of the West

At the same time, work began on the reconstruction of the Hansaviertel in the west of Berlin. As part of the International Building Exhibition, not only new, modern living space was created next to the Tiergarten. The Hansaviertel was also intended to convey the idea of the city of tomorrow. It was a counter-design to the first buildings on Stalinallee. Here, socialist classicism quickly became derisively known as the Zuckerbäckerstil (wedding cake style).

Prefabricated buildings instead of decorative facades

The high costs and the old-fashioned-looking façades prompted the SED government to rethink. In the following years, more modern residential buildings were built in Stalinallee. Architects Josef Kaiser, Werner Dutschke and Edmund Collein were responsible for the next construction phase and laid the foundation stone for the new residential buildings in October 1959. These were built as prefabricated buildings. Now the entertainment facilities and stores were no longer located on the first two floors of the buildings. Independent buildings such as the Café Moskau, the Kino Kosmos and the Kino International were built.

For a better quality of life: reconstruction of Karl-Marx-Allee

Sections of Karl-Marx-Allee were rebuilt from 2018 to 2020. The aim was to create a better quality of life for residents and users. A wide cycle path was created and the sidewalks were better equipped for the blind and visually impaired. A green central reservation was also created between the lanes. All of the redesign measures are All redesign measures are in accordance with monument protection regulations.

Information

• Address:
  Karl-Marx-Allee 103
  10178 Berlin
  City map

Karl-Marx-Allee: Veranstaltungen, Touren und Führungen