Monday, June 23, 2003

10.00 am - 2.30 pm

 

Talk II

 

City Tour/Boat Trip (Werner Sewing)

 

We will cruise some of the city’s waterways to introduce you to Berlin. Architectural critic Werner Sewing will discuss the development projects of the last 13 years.

One objective since the wall came down was to merge West and East into actually one city. The government/parliament district exemplifies this effort. The master plan by Axel Schulte envisioned the government buildings as a brooch connecting East and West. Since he did not take into account that real estate ownership structure is/was unclear in the East, the brooch silts up today at the river spree - exactly where the wall used to be. A weird looking FRG-residential buildings blocks the way for the brooch because the residents fight their re-location successfully.

But this tour will not be limited to the government districts. It will criss-cross its way along the former wall, delve into immigrant districts, provides ample views into de-industrialized areas and the like.