Spring has arrived in Berlin, and you’re looking for the perfect outing to enjoy the city’s most beautiful season ? It’s no coincidence that Berlin is also called the “Capital of Culture.” In addition to cafes, clubs, and concerts, there are also several UNESCO World Heritage sites just around the corner. So if you’re in the mood for some architecture that breaks with Berlin’s typical prefab buildings, the Falkenberg Garden City is just the place for you. This colorful World Heritage Site is located right in the heart of the Treptow-Köpenick district. Built between 1913 and 1916 based on designs by the visionary Bruno Taut, it is now part of the “Berlin Modernist Settlements.”
A walk-in painting in the city
Today, the 75-hectare site stands out above all for its colors. That’s why it’s also called the “Paintbox Settlement.” While architecture at the time of its creation was primarily conceived in shades of gray and beige, Bruno Taut opted for bold Prussian blue, wine red, and ochre yellow to convey a sense of individuality, pride, and joie de vivre to the residents.
Back then, the 7,000 residents were able to enjoy a splash of color in their everyday lives. And today, you can discover it on a stroll. Here you can see how Taut interpreted the concept of the English garden city: Every house has its own garden for self-sufficiency, and the facades are designed so that light, air, and sun penetrate every apartment. The complex feels almost like a walk-in painting, where the colors of the houses change their effect depending on the position of the sun.
The unfinished housing estate on the hillside
However, this project was never fully completed. In the first construction phase, 34 apartments were completed around the Akazienhof; shortly thereafter, 93 apartments on Gartenstadtweg were added. Economic problems and World War I halted construction.
By the way, it’s not just the vibrant colors that are worth seeing: the layout of streets and squares speaks for itself. The settlement was built on a slope—the Falkenberg. By Berlin standards, this makes it seem almost “mountainous” and allowed Taut to play with different levels and sightlines. One house, for example, is set back from the street. For visitors, the Falkenberg Garden City is a place of absolute tranquility, demonstrating that a World Heritage Site doesn’t always have to be a monumental cathedral, but can also be a colorful, people-friendly residential neighborhood .