Architecture, Politics, & Identity in Divided Berlin

摘要

Although the title of this volume accurately reflects its main themes, it is by no means exhaustive. Geographically, its scope extends beyond the city of Berlin, by, for example, including several references to and a photograph of the GDR new town of Hoyerswerda, whilst in the sphere of politics, the wider Cold War inevitably plays a role. In addition, a good deal of space is devoted to GDR film, and Brigitte Reimann's novel Franziska Linkerhand about the tribulations of a young GDR architect is also considered. None of this should be regarded as a criticism. In the absence of a Western-style public sphere in the GDR, art was one, if not the only, way to air social concerns, as the 1973 film Die Legende von Paul und Paula shows. This film depicts Paula's search for personal happiness in an old apartment block, which she decorates to her own personal taste, and the limitations of Paul's life in a newly built block, the boring orderliness of which represents the new socialist order. Pugh writes knowledgeably and incisively about this and other films that relate to the built environment which was so important for the identity of the GDR and its capital.