Wohnstadt Carl Legien
Wohnstadt Carl Legien was designed and built between 1929 and 1930 in the north of the densely occupied Prenzlauer Berg district, in keeping with the ideals of the "Neuen Bauen" architectural movement. The idea was to create an estate with plenty of green spaces and well-lit homes in the middle of an area with tenement buildings and obscure back yards. However, because of the high cost of the land, the site had to be effectively utilised.
Because of this the plan was to build high-rise multi-storey buildings as close to one another as possible. Nevertheless, the apartments, constructed with logias, balconies and large-scale green inner courtyards, were well lit and comfortable. By placing the buildings in a U-shape, it was possible to create large-scale open areas, the so-called living courtyards, within the groups of buildings which people looked out onto from their extended balconies.
The broad, green Erich-Weinert-Straße bisects the estate as a central avenue. The housing complexes line this avenue on either side. A total of 1149 homes with one-and-a half to four-and-a-half rooms (excluding kitchen and bathroom) were built, with most being two rooms and less (80%).
The infrastructure included a central laundry and shops for day-to-day requirements. These were concentrated on the Erich-Weinert-Straße as were the restaurants and cafés. Wohnstadt Carl Legien is currently owned by Pirelli RE.
