Reutersiedlung

Today, in the streets of Bonn, little remains of the distinctive atmosphere of the early years of West Germany’s existence. However, this does not hold true for the Reutersiedlung housing complex (1949 to 1952), which was built on a former allotment-gardens site near Venusberg. In the small apartments and terraced houses originally intended for federal civil servants, all those who unexpectedly ended up in the Rhineland become neighbours  – including members of parliament, government officials, secretaries and journalists.

Architect Max Taut even designed rows of shops, apartments, and a multi-storey block of flats especially for singles, in order to promote congeniality amongst such a heterogeneous group of people. Politicians like Ludwig Erhard, Walter Hallstein, Elisabeth Lüders, Carlo Schmid, Annemarie Renger, Erich Mende and Herbert Wehner all resided here for a time. “The residents of the Reutersiedlung,” wrote journalist Ernst Goyke, “knew a lot about each other, much of which would nowadays be protected by data privacy laws (...) genuine human relationships unfolded here.” The complex was privatised in 1986.