Waldsiedlung

52.73422222222213.48645555555670Koordinaten: 52 ° 44 '3 " N, 13 ° 29 ' 11 " O

Main entrance to the former " inner ring " of the forest settlement (Record: July 2004)

The forest settlement Bernau bei Berlin, mistakenly referred to mostly by the nearby village as Wandlitz Wandlitz, is a half -square-mile residential area. It was created in 1958 for the members and candidates of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED, was the range of activities in Berlin. The guarded area was opened after the turn, redesigned and redeveloped in large parts. It is located on the territory of the town of Bernau and since 2001 an official district of Bernau.

• 2.1 Health and Commercial
• 2.2 Living Area

History

Construction and occupation

The settlement was built from 1958 to 1960 by decision of the SED Politburo, surrounded by forest, which was known to the locals as shooting ranges. The final settlement, in the first 23 politicians moved in with their families, was under the Department of Personal Protection of the Ministry of State Security ( Stasi). The members of the Politburo could be secured there better than in their villas on Majakowskiring in Berlin- Niederschoenhausen. To take the place of residence in the forest settlement was mandatory with the appointment to the Politburo for its members.

Fuse

The shield was not immediately obvious from the outside. The outer ring was surrounded by a chain link fence which hung signs with the indication of a wild area of ​​research. The inner ring, which was only partially enclosed by the outer ring was surrounded by a two meter high and about five kilometers long green -painted concrete security wall and could only be entered with special pass. The four gates were guarded by soldiers of the Stasi and the guard regiment Feliks Dzerzhinsky. In addition, the PS- guard was ( Department of protection of persons) employed. Overall, the security area included 33 post areas, including postal areas 32 ( Bathe Liepnitzsee ) and 33 ( Haus am See - summer home of the Soviet embassy ). Two items were housed in upstream watchtowers. The watch was called the " military- operational backup service " under serving with " MOS".

The security guards had a mushroom-shaped shelter with a known from mining explosion-proof phone. The gates were also monitored for the items also on video. The green wall was lit up at night about every 30 meters with a fluorescent lamp. In fog, a second shining upwards was connected to. In some sections of signal systems were mounted on the wall. The items each had over 24 hours service and have been performed in this period four times.

Life in the settlement

The forest settlement existed in the inner ring of 23 one and two-storey detached houses with part 7 and part 15 rooms, the latter with 180 square meters of floor space, a clubhouse with a doctor's office, swimming pool, sauna, cinema and restaurant, a small arms firing range and a sports court with tennis court. In the outer ring ( the two rings were actually next to each other ), there was, among others, a nursery, a health clinic and residential and social buildings for employees and security personnel. In the settlement, the officials lived at a very high level for DDR ratios. About one designated as a shop Combine sales facility residents arrived in the enjoyment of excellent GDR and Western products and an exceptional offer of fresh fruit and vegetables. Almost every shopping desire, and possibly also by catalog ordering, could be met. As during the turn of the shipment Eleven 99 on GDR television showed the relative luxury of Wandlitz, this contributed to the indignation of the population over the regime.

A staff of over 60 domestic workers worried about all aspects of daily life. The members of the party and state leaders allowed themselves in the forest settlement a lifestyle that was far above the normal GDR. This and the foreclosure of its own people contributed to the estrangement between the leadership and the people, and were during the turn, but even before then, repeatedly criticized. Compared with the leadership of other countries, however, the standard of living was modest in the forest settlement.

Former residents of the forest settlement

• Erich Apel - 1963 to 1965 Chairman of the State Planning Commission (2)
• Hermann Axen (16, later 21)
• Edith Baumann ( 15)
• Horst Dohlus (9 )
• Friedrich Ebert - 1948 bis1967 mayor of East Berlin (9; later 23)
• Georg Ewald - 1963-1973 Minister for Agriculture, forestry and food industry (16 )
• Werner Felfe (23 )
• Grotewohl - 1949-1964 Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1, later 21)
• Gerhard Green Mountain ( 19)
• Herbert Haber (17 )
• Kurt Hager ( 18)
• Walter Halbritter (20 )
• Joachim Herrmann ( 12)
• Erich Honecker - 1976 to 1989 Chairman of the State Council (11 )
• Margot Honecker - wife of Erich Honecker, 1963-1989 Minister of Education (11 )
• Werner Jarowinsky (15 )
• Günther Kleiber ( 5)
• Egon Krenz - 1989 Chairman of the State Council ( 4)
• Werner Krolikowski ( 8)
• Alfred Kurella ( 5)

• Werner Lamberz ( 4)
• Inge Burg Lange ( 20)
• Bruno Leuschner - 1952 to 1961 Chairman of the State Planning Commission ( 4)
• Hermann Matern ( 3)
• Karl Mewis - 1961 to 1963 Chairman of the State Planning Commission ( 20)
• Erich Mielke - 1957-1989 Minister of State Security (14 )
• Günter Mittag (6 )
• Erich Mückenberger ( 2)
• Konrad Naumann ( 16)
• Alfred Neumann - 1968-1989 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (10 )
• Albert North ( 17)
• Heinrich Rau - 1955-1961 Minister of Foreign and Intra- German Trade ( 5)
• Schabowski ( 19)
• Gerhard Schurer - 1965-1989 Chairman of the State Planning Commission ( 7)
• Horst Sindermann - 1976-1989 President of the People's Chamber ( 3)
• Willi Stoph - 1976-1989 Chairman of the Council of Ministers (6, later 1)
• Harry Tisch - 1975-1989 Chairman of the fdgb (22 )
• Paul Verner (13 )
• Walter Ulbricht - 1960-1973 Chairman of the State Council ( 7)
• Herbert Warnke - 1948-1975 Chairman of the fdgb (12 )

Resolution of politicians settlement and re-use

1989 the inhabitants had left the settlement on the resolution of the GDR government under Prime Minister Hans Modrow. In 1990 the Brandenburg Bernau clinic was the first major rehabilitation center in the new federal states built on the site of the forest settlement. On the day of reunification on 3 October 1990 began an extensive building and renovation program.

In addition to rehabilitation clinics and other newly built facilities, the former residential buildings were rented. A variety of new housing has been added. A full -scale enhanced way system with the principal axes of Brandenburg Avenue ( west-east direction) and Kurallee ( North-South direction) opens up the Bernauer district.

News lives in the forest settlement

Health and Commercial

As of 1990, the gradual transformation of the houses of the forest settlement in medical and care facilities under the direction of former Deputy Minister of Health of the GDR, Ulrich Schneidewind. As of December 2011, available on the site:

• The company Michels clinics with the complex Brandenburg Clinic (Brandenburg Allee 1 ). This clinic is home to departments of neurology in the treatment phase B (75 acute care beds in the hospital requirement plan of the country), C and D, psychosomatic medicine and orthopedics and cardiology. With a capacity of 700 hospitalized patients, the Brandenburg Klinikdas largest house clinics within the Group of Michels. The individual departments are spread over several houses as follows: Clinic I Brandenburg, Barnim house Clinic II, Clinic IV House Havel country clinic VI Haus Berlin, Department V Park clinic.
• Children Aftercare Clinic Berlin -Brandenburg is a non-profit family-oriented rehabilitation clinic for heart and cancer-stricken children and adolescents with 100 beds. It is run by " Carpe diem", a Foundation for children with cancer.
• The vegetative state in the center Regine Hildebrandt House
• The senior center Birkenhof for 99 residents ( Johann-Strauß-Str. 2)
• The senior residence Lindenhof ( opened in 2003; Offenbachstr 150. ), a residential complex of 65 two-or three -room apartments

Moreover, in some existing or newly constructed buildings sited in the park such as furniture - Wolf (storage, shipping, factory sales ), a food chain or a nursery.

Living area

A network of eleven streets in east-west and three streets in north-south direction opens up the terrain. For residents, there are service providers such as hairdressing, cosmetics, tailors, doctors' offices, restaurants, food. A special school for the mentally disabled and a Montessori school complete the offer.

Art in the settlement

On the site of numerous works of art were erected after the completion of construction. In addition there was a commission that met a selection of existing sculptures. About 13 bronze figures were then placed in front of community facilities such as the swimming pool, the sports field or the sales facility and in home gardens, for example Resting Dancers by Waldemar Grzimek at the home of Schabowski, Standing Nude by Lore Plietzsch in the Garden of Werner Krolikowski. More figures and art, also of sandstone, by famous artists such as Walter Arnold and Gerhard Geyer, a terracotta image and a mosaic of the sculptor Ingeborg Hunzinger, plaster ceramic Heidi Manthey and ironwork fences and gates also adorned the spacious grounds.

Some of the artworks were stolen after 1990 or converted in the conversion of the land to a clinic to new locations. In spring 2010, disappeared more sculptures, which was explained by the managers of the hospital and by the Cultural Department of the City Bernau with secure and appropriate remediation. In the fall of 2011 are from the sculptures only the boar by Waldemar Grzimek and the Fritz Kühn attributed wrought iron main gate in the field.

Meanwhile, could the 5 missing sculptures are recovered, they appeared in private gardens and the art market, even in a landfill was found one. The Bernauer Cultural Office in mid- June 2013 opened in a larger hall on the grounds, an exhibition in which all existing and restored works of art can be seen. The interest of visitors is large, which is why in August the opening times are extended to four days per week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10-18 clock, Saturday 10-16 clock; July: only Wednesday and Saturday). Admission is free.

Transport links

In the construction phase, the forest area was accessible only by unpaved dirt roads. After the settlement was granted by laying off highway 273 (now Federal Highway 273 ) from the Wandlitzer town center in a local bypass a four-lane highway access. The earlier route between Bernau and Wandlitz was partly included in the new connection. Today your remaining southern portion forms the road L 304 The present inhabitants of the settlement as well as the patients and visitors of the hospital facilities can use an early 2000s set up new bus service ( line 894 ) of the Barnim Bus Company (BBG ). It enables connections to the S -Bahn in Bernau or the Heidekrautbahn in Wandlitz.