The joy of building was twofold

The architect Prof. Dr. Wolf R. Eisentraut (BDA) celebrates his 80th birthday on December 1st. To mark this occasion, the new exhibition at the Marzahn-Hellersdorf District Museum is dedicated to his life and work. His “twofold” life as an architect, in the GDR and in unified Germany, is consistently characterized by his commitment to building and building culture. Whether on the North Sea or on Usedom, on the Brocken or in Saxony, but especially in Berlin, you can come across his architectural evidence. But Eisentraut particularly shaped the face of Marzahn with buildings that were highly recognizable.

The building historian Dr. Oleg Peter's curated exhibition provides insights into Eisentraut's creative processes in three thematically designed rooms, shows how architecture is created, and considers the role of individual and collective creativity. While the first room focuses on his biography and presents three of his major works, the second room highlights his contributions to architecture and urban development for Marzahn. It was precisely here that Eisentraut proved that his creativity did not fail because of the constraints of the construction industry, but was actually challenged by them. In the third room, the focus is on housing construction, a theme that runs through Eisentraut's fifty-year professional life. It also shows that Eisentraut is one of the architects who had to witness how important components of the work were demolished after 1990. The foray through an architecture of possibilities is exciting, because Eisentraut was not spared from having a number of his designs disappear into a drawer.

Texts, photographs, documents, video and audio stations are supplemented by numerous objects. Architectural models, design sketches, construction documentation, newspaper articles, theater posters, stage design designs and much more can be discovered as you tour the show. This is also thanks to the Berlinische Galerie, the German Broadcasting Archives and the Association of German Architects (BDA) Berlin, but above all to the celebrant himself, who opened his extensive archive for the exhibition.

Opening: 4 December 2024, 4 p.m.