UNESCO World Heritage “Weiße Stadt”

An Architectural Journey Through the “Weiße Stadt”

Let Dr. Butter take you to an iconic location off the usual tourist paths. The “White City” housing estate in Berlin’s Reinickendorf district is one of the most impressive examples of Classical Modernism and showcases the visionary concepts of living and urban planning from the late Weimar Republic. On this walking excursion, including visits to two exemplary apartments, you will see how avant-garde architecture, social progress, and urban life merged here into a harmonious whole that can still be felt today.

Start: Welcome in a Historic Apartment

Your first in-depth experience takes place in the apartment of Dr. Butter’s wife, Beate Nowack, which belongs to the estate. While enjoying a cup of coffee or tea, you will receive an introduction to the history of the White City through historical documents. Exclusive visits to two exemplary apartments — one of them an artist’s studio — illustrate the functional, light-filled living concepts of the era and make the spirit of the 1920s tangible.

Next, Andreas Butter will guide you through the park-like housing estate.

Walking Through the Estate “Weiße Stadt”

You will discover the variety of architectural solutions, the advanced technical standards, and the consistently functional aesthetics of the buildings. The excursion also highlights the social ambitions of this architecture: a new, egalitarian way of living reflected in communal facilities and a reimagined approach to housing, work, and family life. The international dimension of modernism is also discussed, for example through the work of Jewish architects between the wars.

Next, the route leads to the Schillerpark housing estate, another example of the Neues Bauen movement of the 1920s.

Schillerpark Housing Estate

This Estate is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Designed by Bruno Taut, the “godfather” of social housing in the Weimar Republic, this estate presents a deliberately different architectural style: instead of bright white façades, red brick dominates. Dr. Butter explains how this estate became a model for numerous housing developments in the United States and the international impact of Taut’s social and design concepts. Comparing the two estates sharpens your understanding of the diversity and reach of Classical Modernism.

Lunch

You end the excursion with a leisurely lunch at Trattoria La Trinacria, where you can relax over characteristic Sicilian cuisine and reflect on the day’s insights in a welcoming atmosphere.