Style change I 1945–1953

Planning History

High-rise at Weberwiese with workers on the rooftop terrace

Rebuilding by restructuring

Under the leadership of Hans Scharoun, the Head of Municipal Planning appointed in 1945 by the occupying Soviet forces, the reconstruction of Greater Berlin was initially dominated by functionalist modernism. The city’s first construction project involved the balcony access buildings and terraced buildings built in 1949 at Weberwiese, a residential ensemble known as Wohnzelle Friedrichshain.

In the same year, Germany was divided into two German states: The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. A new style of building was to visually represent the political divide. Based on the Soviet model, GDR architects began developing the National Traditions building style from 1950 on. The high-rise at Weberwiese was the first residential building in the new style. The balcony access buildings had to be hidden behind a row of poplar trees.

Discover more about this topic in the following short films, the web stories:

A plan for Berlin as a whole: Hans Scharoun’s collective plan

A plan for Berlin as a whole: Hans Scharoun’s collective plan

Rebuilding Friedrichshain with momentum!

Rebuilding Friedrichshain with momentum!

First trip to Moscow – in December 1949

First trip to Moscow – in December 1949