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"Horseshoe Estate" in Berlin-Britz

Built in 1925-30, Bruno Taut’s "Hufeisensiedlung" is probably the most outstanding example of innovative German town planning. The estate in the south of Berlin enjoys international renown as a milestone of social building reforms and modern urban housing policy. It is fun to stroll through this mixture of carefully arranged townhouses and modernistic apartment blocks to experience the rural charm of the carefully woven fabrics of streets and public spaces.

In 2008 the "Horseshoe Estate" was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. The famous architects Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner built the Hufeisensiedlung as one of the first major settlements of the Weimar Republic. The distinctive character of the horseshoe layout gave the settlement its name

Since 31st of May 2012, a combination of café and exhibition to the Horseshoe Estate has opened that is located at the front end of the horseshoe. It shows also a typical apartment in the horseshoe and has been restored with original colors and furniture and gives the informative exhibition an authentic ambiance. The "Info-Station" is run by the association "Friends of the Berlin-Britz Horseshoe Estate" on Fridays from 1-5pm and Sundays from 3-7pm.

"The lens-shaped pond in the middle of the horseshoe was there even before the settlement was built. The building surrounds it now and creates an open, but also closed atmosphere to the idea of Taut." says the chairman of the friends` association Wolfgang Colwin. "The monument protection represents a special challenge, but it of particular importance to preserve the value and charm of the horseshoe settlement.”

Architecture lovers from all over the world could enjoy these qualities, i.e. the genuine interior colors and numerous originals in full. The "Tauts Home" is completely restored and furnished in the style of the 1930s. It shows a passion for historic details and vintage interior design, and includes a small reference library of modern architecture in Berlin,too. The row house can exclusively be rented.

Tours through the selltement are organized by the Friends of Horseshoe Development (E-mail: vorstand@hufeisensiedlung.info) and Ticket B, city tours by architects in Berlin.


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