On October 21, the Fachschaftsinitiative Osteuropastudien organized a guided tour through the monument ensemble Karl-Marx-Allee.

There is little evidence of gigantomania in the former Stalinallee. The guided tour with the “Stalinbauten” association put the emphasis on the intentions of the housing construction on today's Karl-Marx-Allee, which was supposed to contrast with the dark tenement buildings of the pre-war period. Air and light and greenery are indeed abundant, making the settlement a gem with a high quality of life. The exemplary character also radiated over there: The Hansaviertel is the Western answer to the socialist prestige project. After an initial construction phase in which the international style of the Bauhaus can still be seen, Stalinallee was built in the neoclassical confectionery style of late Stalinism. Not much of the former concept has been preserved: Real estate investors encroached on the listed interior architecture after the fall of the Wall, rents rose, and the intended supply of shopping facilities also suffered. Today, paradoxically enough, Berlin's Stalin buildings stand for human scale and social housing, which the capital so sorely lacks today.

Currently, the avenue forms a popular place for filming, also on this day we watched with fascination the construction of a snow-covered backdrop of the Second World War.

We would like to thank the Dean's Office of the Institute for Eastern Europe for covering the costs of the excursion and Achim Bahr for the engaging three-hour guided tour.

Further offers of the FSI will follow next year. All students of the Institute are invited to get involved with the FSI and bring their own ideas for extracurricular education and political work! Feel free to contact us at: fsi.osteuropastudien@gmail.com.