Address

Schwartzkopff-Siedlung Wildau
Karl-Marx-Straße
15745 Wildau

Schwartzkopff-Siedlung Wildau

Industrial culture

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Industrial culture

At the turn of the 20th century, it was quite common for factory owners to build homes for their workers. The standard to which they were built in Wildau, however, is rare.

Schwartzkopff Siedlung - Halle 5, Foto: Stadt Wildau, Lizenz: Stadt Wildau
Schwartzkopff Siedlung - Luftbild Siedlung mit Bahnhof, Foto: Helicolor Luftbild Ost GmbH, Lizenz: Stadt Wildau/Helicolor Luftbild Ost GmbH
Schwartzkopff-Siedlung, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
Schwartzkopff Siedlung - Halle 6, Foto: Stadt Wildau, Lizenz: Stadt Wildau
Schwartzkopff-Siedlung, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
At the market place - display, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
Schwartzkopff-Siedlung, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
Schwartzkopff-Siedlung, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
City hall and people's house Wildau, Foto: Petra Förster, Lizenz: Tourismusverband Dahme-Seenland e.V.
Schwartzkopff Siedlung - Luftbild Siedlung mit ehemaligem Werksgelände, Foto: Helicolor Luftbild Ost GmbH, Lizenz: Stadt Wildau/Helicolor Luftbild Ost GmbH

Escape from the cramped confines of Berlin's working-class districts and enjoy a comfortable and healthy life in the country: That was the tempting offer made by the 'Berliner Maschinenbau Aktien-Gesellschaft, formerly L. Schwartzkopff' (BMAG) to its employees with its new company-owned housing estate. The uniform factory premises and housing built in Wildau at the beginning of the 20th century are today a cultural and historical monument of the first order. The renovation work carried out since 2014 has brought this jewel back to life.

The homes of the BMAG tenants and workers in the new workers' colony in Wildau all had an indoor toilet and small garden. These by themselves were strong arguments for moving there, since both were usually missing in workers' housing in the capital. For BMAG, Imperial Germany's third-largest locomotive builder, the provision of attractive living space was a cornerstone of its personnel policy – and a straightforward necessity. Construction of the settlement began in 1897, at the same time as the relocation of the factories from the centre of Berlin to the surrounding area.

Workers' lives in Wildau were to be as comfortable as in the city, but as healthy as in the country. A housing estate was therefore created – first on the drawing board and then on a greenfield site – next to the factory premises, which still impresses today with its well thought-out complexity and solid and generous realisation, and whose architecture forms a unit with the neighbouring production halls.

From the basic worker apartments to the factory-owner's villa, each of the 950 residential units was built with the same legendary quality as the production halls and the locomotives produced in them. By 1918 the settlement was essentially complete. Ultimately, together with the factory premises a town in miniature had been created – with a school, gymnasium, shopping facilities, doctor's surgery, playing fields and fairground, boat house, public swimming pool, post office, church and even a cultural centre.

The complex of housing and industrial halls is not a museum, and is as full of life today as it was back then. With its direct S-Bahn connection to Berlin, it has long been part of the city's commuter belt. The industrial halls currently not only accommodate businesses, but also the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau and its almost 4000 students. As a total artwork, the complex thus forms a vital window to the past. In 2011, the careful redevelopment of the settlement was awarded the "Denkmalschutz im Wohnungsbau" (Monument Protection in Housing) special prize by the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz (German Foundation for Monument Protection). Stroll through a living piece of history in Wildau!

Tip: Guided tours through the Schwartzkopff-Siedlung are offered on request.

For cyclists:

The "Schwartzkopff-Siedlung" is situated on the "Dahme-Radweg" cycle path from Berlin - Altstadt Köpenick to Königs Wusterhausen.

At the turn of the 20th century, it was quite common for factory owners to build homes for their workers. The standard to which they were built in Wildau, however, is rare.