September
14, 1950
Socialist
Architecture
in East Germany
East Germany enacted its
Reconstruction Law, setting out 16 principles of "socialist
architecture" to be followed on all new construction of buildings. Based
on Stalinist architecture, the concept would be abandoned after Stalin's fall.
As part of the Soviet policy
of rationalization of the country, all cities were built to a general
development plan. Each was divided into districts, with allotments based on the
city's geography. Projects would be designed for whole districts, visibly
transforming a city's architectural image.
The German Democratic
Republic was established in the Soviet Zone, while the Federal Republic was
established in the three western zones. The East was often described as a
satellite state of the Soviet Union. Soviet occupation authorities began
transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948,
and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949. Soviet forces,
however, remained in the country throughout the Cold War.
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