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Neo-historical East Berlin – Architecture and Urban Design in the German Democratic Republic 1970-1990

Based on my doctoral dissertation at MIT (2006), the book traces the long-neglected history of neo-historical architecture in East Berlin during the 1970s and 1980s, which was connected with new ideas about historic preservation. In the book, I investigated how a socialist regime developed and constructed the “historic city” according to conceptions that were surprisingly similar to those found in other European and North American countries at the time. I argue that architectural design before and after the German reunification has to be seen as a continuous development rather than a break. Despite the different political and economic system in the German Democratic Republic, East Berlin design politics during the 1970s and 1980s paralleled the approaches in Western countries, where real and imagined urban history was increasingly commodified and marketed to local elites and tourists.

Primary sources mainly from Berlin archives, including minutes of Politburo meetings and other documents that at the time were classified "top secret." Interviews with former architects, city officials, politicians and scholars.

Ashgate is one of the most significant publishers in the field. The book has been widely reviewed in journals and online platforms.