Gropiusstadt

The Gropius city is one of Berlin's Neukölln district. It was built from 1962 to 1975 as a large housing estate between the old settlements Britz, Rudow and Buckow.

Since 2002, Gropius City is next to Neukölln Britz, Rudow Buckow and a separate hamlet in the district of Neukölln. The decision on this met the relevant District Office on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the settlement.

The approximately 18,500 homes planned by Walter Gropius satellite town were built as social housing to 90 percent. Since the 1980s, the city Gropius regarded as a social focal point. Become known about Berlin, it is above all by the book We Children from Bahnhof Zoo and the film Christiane F. - We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, whose protagonist Christiane Felscherinow here grew up.

Planning

The mid-1950s began first considerations for the creation of a large housing estate in the south of Neukölln. The work of reconstruction after the Second World War gained momentum, and the motto of the Athens Charter should be " light, air and sun " move in the densely built-up growth quarter. But need to create new housing for the residents of this torn off rear and side houses.

From considerations that extend in Britz Located Hufeisensiedlung by Bruno Taut to the south, the idea of ​​using the location on the southern outskirts of Berlin, arable land for housing projects arose. In May In 1958 the first land acquisitions for the large housing estate in Berlin - Britz Buckow - Rudow (BBR ) as the planning name by the participating districts was. Starting in 1962, the Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius in charge in charge to plan with his office The Architects Collaborative (TAC). He wanted to join the " diverse elements of traditional city life " with the then modern methods of urban development.

The concept saw as reminiscent of the Hufeisensiedlung circular structure with intermediate, manageable neighborhoods and housing estates before, in which central business centers and links to the to be extended subway line 7 were embedded. Large green areas between the buildings should be rearranged and serve the residents for recreation.

With the construction of the Wall on August 13, 1961, abruptly changed the conditions in West Berlin: no growth areas there were more available to the outside, the building project now had to be significantly compressed. Instead of the originally planned 14,500 homes, the plans were modified, the final plan version looked up 264 acres of almost 19,000 residential units for more than 50,000 people before. As a result of the higher density and more land for infrastructure ( schools, shopping centers, etc. ) and parking spaces were needed now, so that the buildings had to grow significantly for the remaining areas in the air. Instead of the expected Gropius maximum of five storeys the tallest standing here building ( residential tower Ideal, Fritz -Erler -Allee 120) has 30 residential floors and is 89 meters high, one of the highest German residential building after the Cologne Colonia -Hochhaus ( AXA- house ) Cologne Uni-Center, Hamburg Mundsburg Tower, Mannheim Collini - Center and the Neckar River North building. The green areas were significantly reduced.

Construction phase

On 7 November 1962, the then- mayor Willy Brandt put in the presence of Walter Gropius solemnly laid the foundation for the first phase. The building was completely in directing the municipal housing companies GEHAG and DEGEWO, private investors were not practical to train. As of 1965, the Underground from Britz-Süd started parallel to the settlements extend to Rudow. Along the subway stations created district centers along the route originated above ground is a green corridor. 1969 died Gropius, 1972, the settlement was, though yet to be named in the construction phase, after the famous Bauhaus architect. In 1975, Gropius City was completed. After completion of construction 18,500 residential units, together with transport infrastructure development and civic amenities were created for 1.74 billion marks.

Further development

Featured Gropius city in the early years is an attractive district, the quality of life offered, which it often was not in the city center, so it developed from the late 1970s through the 90 percent Sozialbauwohnungsanteil to the problem area. The Le Corbusier embossed, strong ideological urban planning of the 1950s and 1960s did not lead to the desired results in many cases and brought previously unimagined problems. The Senate of Berlin carried out against the will of Gropius plan changes contributed their part to the situation.

The not too heavily vegetated open spaces had little amenity value, dark corners and stairwells developed to anxiety rooms. The residents stayed in their apartments rather among themselves and despite many social institutions, the social life did not develop as expected. The residents complained about the loss of inner-city urban life through the wide open spaces, the neighborhood problems by high -density housing and the loss of local neighborhood feeling. The tenant turnover increased, as well as the vacancy rate. She grew up in the city Gropius Christiane Felscherinow in her book We Children from Bahnhof Zoo is a representation of social problems.

In 1986 living environment improvements have been made with large investments. The public park was upgraded accordingly Gropius ' original ideas, redesigned seats and they tried with targeted measures additional services (such as youth clubs, neighborhood management ) to provide for the residents.

After the turn, the situation changed significantly. The generous federal subsidy for the Berlin urban development accounted for, the demand for housing fell because the Berlin can also drag the surroundings area, and newcomers from eastern Europe could increase the proportion of foreigners. Since 2001, no more Wohnberechtigungsschein for occupancy of the units is required, whereby the attractiveness of Gropius city has increased again. The vacancy rate, according to the housing association degewo, which is one of the principal owners, in the single digits. Since 2004, the housing association GEHAG gradually sold homes to international investors. Since August 2006, is a part of Gropius City neighborhood management area with prevention intention.

The shopping center on Locust Chaussee has developed through the canopy, and several extensions of a district center to a shopping center of national importance. The Gropius passages are today with over 85,000 m² of retail space and 170 stores among the largest shopping centers in Germany.

Traffic

The centrally located to downtown areas via the U -Bahn line U7. In the city the stations Gropius Johannisthaler Chaussee, Lipschitzallee, Wutzkyallee and Zwickau dam lie. To all four stations around the central supply facilities for the residents were built. The extension of the metro line C (today U7) and their line below the green corridor Britz Buckow - Rudow was associated with the planning of the satellite town and has been planned since the late 1950s and implemented in the early 1960s.

Parishes

In the city Gropius created in the construction phase and afterwards a number of new churches.

• St. Dominicus ( Catholic)
• Martin Luther King ( Protestant)
• Gropius -Süd ( Protestant)

Train

• Hugo Heimann primary school
• Janusz Korczak primary school
• Catholic Primary School St Mary's
• Martin Lichtenstein primary school
• Walt Disney Elementary School
• Primary school on rainy pond
• Liebig Secondary School (affiliated elementary and secondary school)
• Walter Gropius (Gesamtschule )
• Hermann-von -Helmholtz - secondary school ( Gesamtschule without Upper Secondary School )
• Lise Meitner School (Vocational School )

Sports clubs

In the following Gropius city sports clubs have their quarters:

• NSF Gropius City
• TuS Neukölln 1865
• TSV Rudow 1888

Attractions

Attractions in the city are the Gropius received in the Berlin monument list Virgin Mill and the Trinity Church. Among the numerous residential high-rises the residential tower Ideal has a special importance because it is the tallest residential building in the city of Berlin and one of the tallest residential building in Germany.

With the development of previous agricultural land, the idea of a green city was implemented, this is what the forest in the district of Rudow.

The Rudow Park ( position ) is performed on the official list as a park with the road number 8041. It covers an area of ​​600 meters in length and is partially 100 meters wide. 1872 was planted on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm I of Wildmeister Hugo Luther and since 1959, the nature reserve " bird sanctuary on Wildmeister dam in Rudow " and was due to its location near the Berlin Wall, a " no man's land ". Since 2006, here is a section of the Berlin Wall Trail along the former course of the border. However, went back through the construction of the Gropius City of game and wild birds. Metro Station Lipschitzallee ( west ) and Wutzkyallee ( east ) are close to both ungeführ 350 meters from the grove, which ends in the north at Wildmeister dam. The Wildmeister dam is here in the route of the Buckower Bahnhofstrasse still a walk in the area of ​​" Teltower villages path " No. 15 of 20 green main paths of Berlin ". Planning in the state of Brandenburg see a continuation of the greening of the land boundary after Großziethen before into it.