Day 14

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The Eastern German aesthetic has some key defining features. The cityscape is filled with large high-rise towers that are designed as apartments, there are buidings that have modern design and are embellished with art that coveys their new motivating message, and there are buildings that were thriving during the GDR, and that fell when the Germans became one people during reunification.

The large high-rise towers were a key feature of the cityscape. Especially due to the clean up effort, one of the first things they needed was housing. Large amounts of people without homes, therefore the easiest way to provide shelter is in these huge mass apartment buildings. Not all of these apartment buildings were built the same. Some were in less desirable parts of East Germany, and were at a greater distance from the central hubs. Others were in close proximity to all the hustle and bustle of the city life. These mass apartment buildings were of modern design, and used very simple forms and lots f windows. Some of the higher class apartments were decorated with ceramic tiles and ornamentation that followed the aesthetic of the older generation. Others had the same basic design, but were decorated with less ornamentation and often just a simple colored strip at the top of the building. These less ornamental buildings seemed more modern at the time and followed the new aesthetic that was building from the younger generations.

The buildings that were erected in places like Alexander Platz, had a new feature, the mural. These buildings were also very modern, that was not going anywhere. However, East Germany was determined to prove its independence and show its success. These murals that now were built into the design of these buildings, showed the socialist ideals that highlighted the working class and exposed the technological, scientific, and other great advancements. The bronze mural that is on the building in Alexander Platz is a prime example of this. Another is the mural that is on the Haus des Lehrers. This one is multifaceted that depicts many of the focuses and advancements of the GDR, like, art, agriculture, science, and more.

Along with these new buildings that popped up, there were others like the Café Moskau that was a hip and hopping place during the time of the GDR. It was used as an event center and a party building for the upper class youth. This building like many others that were built in the 1950’s to the late 1980’s became abandoned and lost their importance when the two Germanies unified.

In comparison to the West, the Eastern aesthetic is similar to the West. The East, likely because of their economic issues as well as their socialist ideals, were less interested in the capitalisms that the West was obsessed with. The East was more concerned with the building of homes, and then the building of structures that served a function as well as displayed their societal advancements and goals. It does seem at times that the East was in a sort of competition with the West, however, it also seems like the East was focused on being an independent and successful GDR.