Zehlendorf Garden City Becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The residential estate in southwest Berlin is celebrating not only its centennial in 2026, but also its recent inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The development was designed by architects Otto Rudolf Salvisberg, Bruno Taut, and Hugo Häring.
UNESCO’s World Heritage List recognizes cultural and natural sites considered to be of outstanding value to humanity and worthy of protection. Maria Böhmer, President of the German Commission for UNESCO, emphasizes: “Berlin’s modernist housing estates are far more than exceptional works of architecture. To this day, they demonstrate what good, affordable, and healthy housing should look like.”
Together with his partner Otto Brechbühl, Salvisberg was one of the founders of Itten+Brechbühl AG (IB). Between 1905 and 1930, he worked in Germany, where he designed and realized numerous projects. Particularly noteworthy are his housing developments, which trace the evolution of residential design from the garden city movement to modernism.
The Berlin housing estates were conceived as a response to the severe housing shortage that followed World War I. They offered affordable apartments with kitchens, bathrooms, and balconies, designed to provide ample daylight and fresh air.
Between 1926 and 1932, the Gemeinnützige Heimstätten-, Spar- und Bau-Aktiengesellschaft (GEHAG) developed a large residential estate on the edge of the Grunewald forest under the construction management of Ludmilla Herzenstein. Architects Taut, Salvisberg, and Häring designed approximately 1,100 apartment units and 800 single-family homes.
The site was divided among the three architects: Taut designed the northern section, Salvisberg the southern section, and Häring the eastern section. Distinctive features include the colorful facades, which earned the neighborhood the nickname “Parrot Estate,” and the close integration of housing with generous green open spaces.
Photo: UNESCO World Heritage Site “Zehlendorf Garden City: Apartment Building on Riemeisterstrasse”
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