Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

Hansaviertel

In the summer of 1957, a massive architectural exhibition showed off the future of urban living in this German neighborhood. 

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This quiet neighborhood was once considered the future of urban living. The district of Hansaviertel was a rich urban neighborhood, and quite desirable thanks to its proximity to the city center while being right next to Tiergarten Park. But after the Second World War, it was almost completely leveled.

East Berlin had been rebuilding over the 50s, courtesy of its new socialist government and the West didn’t want to be left behind. To show that they were a new free and capitalist society, they also decided to rebuild, and the destroyed district of Hansaviertel proved to be an ideal location.

More than 50 architects were invited to work on the project, German and international alike. There were some famous names in the group, including Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, the designer of the new Brazilian capital. Each presented their own future vision of housing.

The district contains a school, a kindergarten, a shopping center with a library and a theatre, and even an academy of arts. Additionally, every house has some special spin. They usually have descriptions on the ground floor somewhere, though a guide can be bought at the shopping center at a club made for this district

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