Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
While Alexanderplatz and the Karl-Marx-Allee were prestige projects, they did not solve
the need for affordable modern housing. The government responded by building three
massive satellite cities on the periphery - Marzahn, Hohenschönhausen and Hellersdorf -
that leapt off the drawing board in the 1970s and '80s. Like a virtual Legoland for giants,
these huge housing developments largely consist of row upon row of rectangular high-rise
Plattenbauten,
ie buildings made from large, precast concrete slabs. Marzahn alone could
accommodate 165,000 people in 62,000 flats. Since they offered such mod cons as private
baths and lifts, this type of housing was very popular among East Germans, despite the
monotony of the design.
