Modernist Hansaviertel

Take a quiet, green stroll through a Berlin neighborhood completely rebuilt in 1957 as a utopian showcase of modernist residential architecture.

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1. Eternithaus

The Eternithaus is a fifty-five-meter-long structure characterized by a glass-walled ground floor topped by seven two-level residential units. Built in nineteen fifty-seven as part of the International Building Exhibition, known as…

2. Interbau Apartment House / Oscar Niemeyer

The Interbau Apartment House is an eight-story residential building that stands on a series of chunky, V-shaped concrete pillars. This structure stretches seventy-two meters in length and features a detached, polka-dotted elevator tower…

3. Evangelische Kaiser-Friedrich Gedächtnis Kirche

The Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche is defined by a sixty-eight-meter-tall, open-work concrete bell tower that locals once dubbed the Seelenbohrer, or soul-driller. This slender, filigree spire stands as a signature of the postwar…

4. Hansabibliothek

The Hansabibliothek is a low-slung, square building defined by its floor-to-ceiling glass walls that frame a quiet, planted central courtyard. Built in nineteen fifty-seven as part of the International Building Exhibition, the library was…

5. 22 Zeilenbau von Alvar-Aalto-Haus

The Alvar Aalto House is an eight-story residential building located at Klopstockstraße thirty through thirty-two. Its most striking feature is its white, staggered facade, marked by a series of deep, protruding loggias that catch the…

6. Kath. Kirche St. Ansgar

The Katholische Kirche St. Ansgar is recognizable by its distinct parabolic floor plan and a detached, three-legged concrete campanile that rises above the street. Designed by architect Willy Kreuer, this modernist structure was completed…

7. 23 Scheibenhochhaus von Pierre-Vago-Haus

The Scheibenhochhaus at Klopstockstraße fourteen through eighteen is identifiable by its distinctive eastern facade, where balconies are arranged at varying heights and depths. Designed by the architect Pierre Vago, this nine-story…

8. Walter-Gropius-Haus

The Walter-Gropius-Haus is a nine-story residential building located at Händelallee one through nine. You can identify it by its long, concave southern facade, which is broken up by a graphic, checkerboard pattern of balconies. Each…

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