Showcase, lab and colorful icon of 1920s modernism
Built in 1925-30, Bruno Taut’s Hufeisensiedlung in the district of Neukölln-Britz is probably the most outstanding example of innovative German town planning. The estate was co-designed by city planning director Martin Wagner and garden architect Leberecht Migge. It is grouped around an iconic horseshoe-shaped building of 350 meters and was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008.
Image gallery
Luftbild des namengebenden "Hufeisens", 2014 © Foto: Ben Buschfeld
Blick ins Innere des Hufeisen © Foto: Ben Buschfeld
Türen und Eingänge in der Hufeisensiedlung © Foto: Ben Buschfeld
The ensemble in Neukölln-Britz 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 streets and public spaces. The tour takes you to the most iconic views and some hidden paths and reveals Bruno Taut´s unique mastership to add variety and cheerfulness despite using serial components to keep costs down.
In 1998 the whole ensemble became privatized, why the listed row houses are now owned by more than 600 individual private owners who are now responsible to preserve the World Heritage. This difficult situation gave birth to various preservation projects, in which the guide was deeply involved. After ca. 2 hours, at the end of the tour participants have the chance to visit the exhibition and/or have a coffee in the Infostation Hufeisensiedlung.
Fees: 15 € / per person, red. 10€ (registration requested, minimum number of participants: 10 people, cancellation due to not reaching the minimum number of participants or bad weather reserved – Note: A visit to the rentable museum TAUTs HOME, run by the tour guide is unfortunately not possible due to the booking situation.
TOUR I (IN GERMAN): Fri, 25 April 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Meeting Point: Subway station U7. "Blaschkoallee", Linie U7, Ausgang Fritz-Reuter-Allee
TOUR II (IN GERMAN): Sun, 1 June 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Meeting Point: Infostation Hufeisensiedlung, Fritz-Reuter-Allee 44, 12359 Berlin
NEXT ENGLISH TOUR: on request
Additional information
Possible end point with exhibition and café:
Infostation Hufeisensiedlung, Fritz-Reuter-Allee 44, 12359 Berlin
Notice:
Like the other World Heritage Estates, the Horseshoe Estate is inhabited. The settlement is far from "overtourism" and most residents are proud to live in the World Heritage Site. Nevertheless, we ask all participants for appropriate consideration, especially in the context of possible photo shoots or bottlenecks on the sidewalk.
Other tours by the same provider available on request:
- Falkenberg Garden City
- Large Housing Estate (Wohnstadt) Carl Legien,
- Weiße Stadt Reinickendorf and
- Zehlendorf Forest Estate (also known us "Uncle Tom's Cabin")
Details + Registration see
https://www.facebook.com/worldheritageestates ]
Please note that the museum-like holiday accommodation TAUTES HEIM (TAUTs HOME) will NOT be visited during the tour. The house is tributed to Bruno Taut and can host unto four overnight guests. For more information, booking conditions and free vacancies please see www.tautshome.com
Infostation Hufeisensiedlung, Fritz-Reuter-Allee 44, 12359 Berlin
Notice:
Like the other World Heritage Estates, the Horseshoe Estate is inhabited. The settlement is far from "overtourism" and most residents are proud to live in the World Heritage Site. Nevertheless, we ask all participants for appropriate consideration, especially in the context of possible photo shoots or bottlenecks on the sidewalk.
Other tours by the same provider available on request:
- Falkenberg Garden City
- Large Housing Estate (Wohnstadt) Carl Legien,
- Weiße Stadt Reinickendorf and
- Zehlendorf Forest Estate (also known us "Uncle Tom's Cabin")
Details + Registration see
https://www.facebook.com/worldheritageestates ]
Please note that the museum-like holiday accommodation TAUTES HEIM (TAUTs HOME) will NOT be visited during the tour. The house is tributed to Bruno Taut and can host unto four overnight guests. For more information, booking conditions and free vacancies please see www.tautshome.com
Accessibility
A medium-sized broad open-air staircase and several curbs are part of the tour, but a bypass of these barriers is basically possible, the exhibition in the information station, however, is unfortunately not barrier-free.
Participating artists
Bruno Taut
Martin Wagner
Leberecht Migge
