Course Description

This course provides an overview of Berlin's architectural development during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Following an introduction to the urban development of the 19th century, the Neo-Classical period and the architectural tendencies of the 19th century will be surveyed with special reference to the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The subsequent classes will explore the architecture of the German Empire and its dynamically growing capital Berlin after 1871 including its modern and conservative tendencies. Manifold avantgarde movements during the time of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s such as Modernism, Bauhaus and the Housing Revolution will be covered. The architecture of the Nazi period will be examined, followed by the developments in the divided city in East and West Berlin after the Second World War. The course concludes with a detailed review of the city’s more recent and current architectural profiles, including a critical analysis of the conflicts concerning the re-design of Berlin after the Cold War and the German reunification and contemporary planning issues.

Seven walking tours to historically significant buildings, historic sites and museums are included (Unter den Linden, Gendarmenmarkt, New Housing Estates, Chancellory, Potsdamer Platz, Holocaust Memorial etc.). The course aims to offer a deeper understanding of the interdependence of Berlin’s architecture and the city’s social, economic and political structures. It considers Berlin as a model for the highways and by-ways of a European capital in modern times.

Download Syllabus (printable PDF incl. day-to-day schedule)

Recommended Course Combinations (Selection)

• Berlin: Music and Sound in the Digital Age
• History of European Art: Travelling Artists and Artworks
• Urban Imaginaries: Between Place and Space in Berlin
• Urban Economics: Key Drivers of City Development