Britz
Encyclopedia
Britz is a German
locality
(Ortsteil) within the Berlin
borough (Bezirk) of Neukölln
.
. It is known for being the site of the Hufeisensiedlung ("Horseshoe Estate"), part of the UNESCO Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
World Heritage Site since 2008.
and Martin Wagner
. The project was initiated by a housing cooperative
established to combat the shortage of affordable living space. Numerous blocks and terraced houses in New Objectivity
style with colorful facades include more than 1,000 apartments, situated in spacious gardens designed by landscape architect Leberecht Migge
.
- present-day Deutschlandradio
- was built on a site in Britz in 1946 by the American military administration. Several temporary structures were replaced in 1948 with the current, 100-metre high steel masts
. These were later extended to heights of 160 m and 144 m.
Short-wave transmissions were made from Britz starting in 1949. In 1978 a medium-wave transmission aerial was added to allow better reception across the whole of the GDR's territory, especially at night.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
locality
Boroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...
(Ortsteil) within the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
borough (Bezirk) of Neukölln
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
.
History
The village of Britzig was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin ActGreater Berlin Act
The Greater Berlin Act , in full the Law Regarding the Reconstruction of the New Local Authority of Berlin , was a law passed by the Prussian government in 1920 that greatly expanded the size of the German capital of Berlin.-History:...
. It is known for being the site of the Hufeisensiedlung ("Horseshoe Estate"), part of the UNESCO Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
Modernist Housing Estates
Berlin Modernism Housing Estates consists of six subsidized housing estates that testify to innovative housing policies from 1910 to 1933, especially during the Weimar Republic, when the city of Berlin was particularly progressive socially, politically and culturally...
World Heritage Site since 2008.
Sights
- Village church with foundation walls from the 13th century
- Schloss BritzSchloss BritzThe Schloss Britz is the former manor-house of the historical Rittergut and village Britz, now a district of Berlin-Neukölln. Today it is the domicile of the cultural foundation Kulturstiftung Schloss Britz and includes in his originally reconstructed rooms from around 1880 a museum for interiors...
(Britz Manor), rebuilt in 1883, former residence of Prussian statesman Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg - Britz windmillWindmillA windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
built in 1866 - Britzer GartenBritzer GartenThe Britzer Garten, a large park in the south of Berlin, was designated after the local part Britz of Berlin's borough Neukoelln. It was constructed for the Bundesgartenschau 1985, in order to provide a new landscape park to the citizens in the southeast of West-Berlin, who were at that time cut...
, site of the 1985 BundesgartenschauBundesgartenschauThe Bundesgartenschau is the biennial Federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle....
Hufeisensiedlung
The subsidized housing estate was built on the fields of Britz manor between 1925 and 1933 according to plans by Bruno TautBruno Taut
Bruno Julius Florian Taut , was a prolific German architect, urban planner and author active during the Weimar period....
and Martin Wagner
Martin Wagner (architect)
Martin Wagner was a German architect, city planner, and author, best known as the driving force behind the construction of modernist housing projects in interwar Berlin.- Germany :...
. The project was initiated by a housing cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
established to combat the shortage of affordable living space. Numerous blocks and terraced houses in New Objectivity
New Objectivity (architecture)
The New Objectivity is a name often given to the Modern architecture that emerged in Europe, primarily German-speaking Europe, in the 1920s and 30s. It is also frequently called Neues Bauen...
style with colorful facades include more than 1,000 apartments, situated in spacious gardens designed by landscape architect Leberecht Migge
Leberecht Migge
Leberecht Migge was a German landscape architect, regional planner and polemical writer, best known for the incorporation of social gardening principles in the Siedlungswesen movement during the Weimar Republic...
.
Transmission facility
The transmission facility of the newly-founded RIASRundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor
RIAS was a radio and television station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War. It was founded by the US occupational authorities after World War II in 1946 to provide the German population in and around Berlin with news and political reporting and was initially only broadcast on...
- present-day Deutschlandradio
Deutschlandradio
Deutschlandradio is a national German public broadcasting radio broadcaster. It operates four national networks, Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandradio Kultur, Dokumente und Debatten and DRadio Wissen....
- was built on a site in Britz in 1946 by the American military administration. Several temporary structures were replaced in 1948 with the current, 100-metre high steel masts
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
. These were later extended to heights of 160 m and 144 m.
Short-wave transmissions were made from Britz starting in 1949. In 1978 a medium-wave transmission aerial was added to allow better reception across the whole of the GDR's territory, especially at night.