Hufeisensiedlung (Britz Horseshoe Estate)
Hufeisensiedlung
A horseshoe-shaped social housing estate designed by Bruno Taut, a leading example of the Berlin Modernist Housing Estates World Heritage site.
The Hufeisensiedlung, or Horseshoe Estate, is in the Britz district of Berlin's Neukölln borough. It was built between 1925 and 1930 under the direction of architect Bruno Taut and city planner Martin Wagner, with landscape architect Leberecht Migge involved in the garden planning. Its centrepiece is a three-storey apartment block curved into a horseshoe around a pond. Terraced houses with private small gardens surround it, providing about 1,900 homes in total. The walls, windows and doors are painted in bright colours, reflecting the Weimar-era ideal of building light, air and green space for ordinary people. In 2008 the estate was inscribed as a World Heritage Site together with five other housing estates under the title "Berlin Modernist Housing Estates." It is still home to residents, so visitors may only look around from the streets and public green spaces and should not enter private courtyards. The information point at Fritz-Reuter-Allee 44 has a small exhibition and a café. Take the U7 to Parchimer Allee station. It is a few minutes' walk from the exit, and it can be combined with a visit to the nearby Britz Estate.
Opening hours
Open all day (exterior viewing); check official website for information center hours
Nearby sights
- East Side Gallery
- Tempelhofer Feld
- Jewish Museum Berlin
- Nikolaiviertel
- Berlin TV Tower & Alexanderplatz
- Humboldt Forum
- Checkpoint Charlie
- DDR Museum