UNESCO World Heritage „Siemensstadt“ & Maria Regina Martyrum

Two architectural highlights were on the program, attracting many interested WIB members despite the freezing cold.

Expertly and vividly, Ulf Meyer explained how renowned architects such as Hans Scharoun and Walter Gropius, guided by progressive housing concepts, created a bright residential area with open spaces and green strips in Siemensstadt in the 1920s. Unlike the dark tenement apartments of the Wilhelminian era, the motto of the new architectural movement was that "air, light, and sun" should flood every home. Residents even had access to a central laundry and heating house, celebrated as the "paradise of laundry."

We were then able to warm up in the Catholic church Maria Regina Martyrum, which, hidden behind a high wall, turned out to be a true gem. Located near the Plötzensee Memorial, it was built by Hans Schädel and Friedrich Ebert as a memorial church. On its white façade, clad in marble pebble panels, the five-meter-high gilded bronze sculpture"Apocalyptic Woman" stands out. Inside the church, which is accessed via a staircase, the colorful altarpiece captivates visitors, illuminated by two side window strips. The impression of this extraordinary church lingers long after the visit.