Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Such lax regulations led to the uncontrolled spread of sprawling working-class tenements
called Mietskasernen (literally 'rental barracks') in newly created peripheral districts such as
Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, Wedding and Friedrichshain. Each was designed to squeeze the
maximum number of people into the smallest possible space. Entire families crammed into
tiny, lightless flats reached via internal staircases that also provided access to shared toilets.
Many flats doubled as workshops or sewing studios. Only those facing the street offered
light, space and balconies - and they were reserved for the bourgeoisie.
Reiterdenkmal Friedrich der Grosse monument on Unter den Linden
TRAVELSTOCK44/GETTY IMAGES ©
Walking around Berlin, it's hard to visualise what the city looked like before WWII. Nick
Gay's book Berlin Then and Now,handily juxtaposes historical and recent images of ma-
jor landmarks, streets and squares.
 
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