Visiting Eisenhüttenstadt, formerly known as Stalinstadt
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- What is left of the only newly created city in East Germany, once called Stalinstadt?
This video shows a city tour, showing the highlights.
Museums:
• Museum Utopie und Alltag - Dokumentationszentrum Alltagskultur der DDR: www.utopieunda...
• Städtisches Museum Eisenhüttenstadt: www.museum-eis...
City walk:
Tour description (only in German, but with helpful map): www.eisenhuett...
Signage for the most important buildings is available in German and English and contains a QR-code.
Info about Eisenhüttenstadt (German only):
www.eisenhuett...
Book I used:
Architekturführer Eisenhüttenstadt - Martin Maleschka: amzn.to/432f4BP
I'd like to thank the Museum Utopie und Alltag for allowing me to film their exposition!
Sources:
• Lindenallee: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-75141-0002 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikime...
• Rathaus: By A.Savin - Own work, FAL, commons.wikime...
• Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1990-1108-001 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikime...
• Blast Furnace: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-10293-0004 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikime...
• Tom Hanks: By Eva Rinaldi from Abbotsford, Australia - Baz Luhrmann, Eva Rinaldi (2), Olivia Dejonge, Austin Butler,Tom Hanks, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikime...
As my job is building steel plants, I also worked some five years ago inside that steel plant. It's well maintained and run by qualified engineers. The company does invest into the plant and expand production. After 1990, it had to be upgraded to modern emission standards and the quality standards for the final products had to be improved. To me, it looks like it will be one of the few former East German plants that will stay in operation for many years to come.
That's interesting. Thanks!
I lived there for so many years. It's crazy to see these pictures. The hospital I was born in and the Bierstube my parents met in :,) I even got a glimpse of my primary school. When you are interested in this stuff it really is worth a visit. But I would never want to move back. Still, great to see.
Why wouldn't you want to move back where are you settled now?
@Mahalakshmi-Khan oh it's very small, and work is hard to find. My parents moved away, too. I myself live in a bigger city now but still in Eastern Germany.
A very well prepared documentary about this unique city, a special heritage site in East Germany (former GDR). Hopefully it will encourage some Berlin visitors to take the train a head for this special place.
All the best
Valentin
This city can provide inspiration for modeltrain layouts 🙂🙋♂️
@@railway187 So much ideas, absolutely true!
It reminds me of the Polish city of Nowa Huta (New Ironworks). It was founded in 1949. It also has Stalinist roots. Eisenhütte and huta means the same :)
*Neuhütten
What does 'Eisen' mean?
@@edlawrence5059 Iron
Iron @@edlawrence5059
Hutnik!
I grew up there, went to Juri-Gagarin-School from 85-89. Fond memories of a much more buzzing place back then but also scary encounters with Stasi folks.
Thanks for sharing. You must feel sad to see some parts of the city in its current state.
@@eastgermanyinvestigated Yeah it's a bit like that scene from Inception where the sea is eating away from the rotting city of "Limbo".. exactly that feeling I have now seeing these empty patches and abandoned places that once thrived. In my dreams Eisenhüttenstadt is still complete.
I accidentally came across your channel. I am delighted with it. Lots of interesting facts about the previous era.
I was born in 80s , I remember communism. Currently, many people in Poland return to the topic of architecture from this period. I'm glad that there are people in Germany who are interested in this.
Regards from Poland and England, where I currently live 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 🇬🇧
There never was communism, it was socialism which is a development stage before communism.
I'm surprised Bald and Bankrupt didn't visit this town just for the murals .
he didn't have the order from his elder intelligence officer to go there! ;)
I have the feeling that he has the tendency to show us mostly the ugly or obviously totalitarian looking parts of former communist countries. I don’t know if he does this consciously, but I doubt that he would make a video saying: „Look here, this town was actually quite nice“.
buntglas = stained glass window
What always makes me sad about these kinds of videos is the artists are always unknown, would be so interesting to understand the way these artworks were made and by whom!
The stained-glass windows were made by DAS VOLK.
_(My guess is a lot of skilled people worked in anonymity in the DDR.)_
Sadly, after reunification East German artists were often dismissed as socialist kitsch and did not receive much recognition.
Thank you so much for putting together this fascinating video! I really enjoyed it. I'm very grateful that you have made the effort to make the videos in English so they are more widely accessible. Thank you.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work in creating these videos. I think everyone who watches feels the same appreciation.
It looks like typical soviet city, or modern Russian city with lots of soviet buildings, especially those mosaics, almost all soviet buildings have those mosaics in my city, always love them. And the theater looks exactly like small local theaters in Russia.
so beautiful those soviet cities...😆😆😆
Amazing...
Probably much better constructed.
What is your city call?
Canadian here. I really love your East Germany videos. Thank you for educating us!
I have read of the city here before so well done to you for the upload here of course so too. Thank you as well!
I believe my town in southern England was being lined up to ‘twin’ with Eisenhuttenstadt in the 60s but I understand the plans fell through due to travel difficulties to/from the DDR. My town went onto twin with a town north of Essen called Dorsten. It was therefore interesting to watch this video. Thanks.
Best regards to Crawley 👋!
Ahh the irony now we in the UK have the travel difficulties.
@@Leberteich I couldn’t agree more.
@@Leberteich Not quite the same...
You are still a free man.
@@philwanadoo7435 The most truly enslaved are those who falsely believe to be free.
great cinematography in this video, i love your use of angles/foregrounds etc to make these shots super interesting
A few years ago at a German film festival in San Francisco I saw the movie “The Silent Revolution” which was set in Eisenhuttenstadt. “group of twelfth-grade pupils in East Germany decide to show their solidarity with the victims of the 1956 Hungarian uprising by staging two minutes of silence during lessons.” Good to see your video about the city.
Ah I've been so very close numerous times when travelling by car but I never went there. Didn't know it was so special. Next time I will go there for sure. Thank's!
Thanks a lot. I have decided to visit next week, only 3½ hours from my home in Prague
Great! 👍 I hope you'll find it interesting!
Fascinating. It looks well worth a visit. Thanks for the video and information.
Thank you so much for this video, my wife and I are in Eisenhüttenstadt right now (making an art-project about DDR-towns) and used your guide for things worth visiting, very nice:-) We’ll have a look in your “catalogue” to see if you have done something on Weisswasser, Hoyerswerda or Zeitz!
Thank you for a wonderful insight into the DDR, I am planning to go next time Im in Berlin, and soak up some atmosphere, sehr gut !
Glad to found your channel! Since started 2021 but It is first time U Tube feed this channel for me. I am myself studying the same topics of yours. Thank you very much!
Welcome! Happy you found it!
I had to do a case study on Eisenhüttenstadt in university. It is a very challenging situation for the people in charge of urban planning and housing. The city's population has shrunk to around 40% of the size that it had in the late 80s, so the government had to take drastic measure to dismantle many of the old soviet-style housing blocks and reshape it into a liveable city with a functioning and feasable infrastructure. It's a prime example of shrinking cities in eastern Germany. It sure is an oddly fascinating place.
Haben einige von denen hier. Hütte ist eigentlich nur deswegen "besonders" unter den Stadtplanern, weil die Stadt so jung ist und nicht nur aus alten Industrieruinen und Wohnbebauung aus Gründerzeit oder den 20ern besteht. Das Problem mit dem Schrumpfen ist allerdings nichts Besonderes. Hütte ist sogar noch gut dabei, weil die Industrie ja im Kern noch da ist. Städte wie Weißwasser oder Hoyerswerda haben ihren ganzen Kern verloren und sind deutlich stärker geschrumpft und haben noch deutlich mehr Probleme.
And nothing like that helped. Between 2010 and 2023 almost 1/3 of population vanished (30k vs 23k).
Fürstenberg and I think about beer! 😆😂
Excellent video!
On to the next one after it....
Many thanks for this again very excellent video!!
I am fascinated.
thank you!
Excellent video! Many thanks!!
I have to say I've only visited Germany once, and that was a day trip from Eindhoven! This is inspiring me to take a cheapo Ryanair flight to Berlin next month! Never thought I'd say that!
That’s great to hear! Don’t hesitate to share your experience after your visit.
Germany is nice but I would not start with Eisenhütten...
What a beautiful city! It's a pity it's underpopulated now.
and why is it underpopulated may I ask ?
@@philwanadoo7435Because East Germany was ripped apart, it’s economical basis sold off to the highest west german bidder and it’s young usually very well educated inhabitants had to move to the west to make a living. If there would have been the political will to avoid the depopulation of East Germany, it would have been possible.
Interesting vid. Thanks for posting.
Very good, thank you!
It's actually really pretty
I went here last month... absolutely crazy!
So interesting, what architecture hope it doesn't crumble.
Lovely, a lot of Dresden vibes (except the historical center), same feelings of well thought architecture and human scale buildings. Hope to visit.
Been there twice, absolutely love the architecture from the 50’s, unfortunately a lot of the later architecture in total decay, but understandable since population is less than half of the heyday’s. The Bierstube serves delicious food.
Wow! Ich studierte Deutsch wie eine kinder, but I have never heard of Stalin Stadt or Eisen Hütten Stadt.
I recently discovered your channel and in case you are a IM. I love it!! 😅
Great video
After watching this video, I regret never visiting the Eisenhüttenstadt the last time I was in Berlin. I could never imagine that a city built by communists could have such charm. But it will definitely be on my to-do list next time I'm in Germany!
lol well you must find Bodensee bland and depressing 😆😆😆
Ok, you have convinced me. I am going 🎉
Have a nice trip!
I'm surprised Bald and Bankrupt missed this place. He would love the mosaics.
When "freedom and democracy" comes to your town dying out starts. Same happened to my hometown. We had metalwork and building company that worked all around West and East Europe, Middle East and Africa. Democracy turned it from company of 16 000 workers to workshop of 400 workers. Same happened to woodwork and furniture company. Today we are town of slave workers in West Europe.
Yes well ask DDR Bürger if they want to go back...
8:07 they even have a mural for Elvis!
You should definitely come and visit 'NowaHuta' (Kraków) in Poland - or at least have an in-depth look at it : ) what I just saw here simply shouts for comparison : )
great vid
Where can you purchase the architectural guide?
Depending from where you live online (link in the description), or in Eisenhüttenstadt, e.g. in the museum Utopie & Alltag.
Brilliant video!! Really enjoyed it. Is there public access to the hospital you mention?
Thank you. Yes, you can visit the hospital if you want to see the art.
Very interesting! With the amount of destruction from WW2, did the communist authorities use similar planning and design elements on a smaller scale in other parts of the DDR? Did Soviet architects and designers assist in that or is this a German interpretation of Soviet ideas?
Good questions! Regarding planning and design in other parts of the GDR: you can definitely find it back in other cities as well. Example: Stalinallee (Karl Marx Allee) in Berlin.
I couldn't find anything about Soviet architects being involved in the design of Eisenhüttenstadt. However, the project was of course strongly monitored and managed by Berlin, where there were leaders with 'strong Soviet education'.
When East Berlin was rebuilt, they totally resigned the centre part (Stadtmitte). For example, Alexander Platz increased in size by about six times. And they built many of those 1950's/60's socialist panel housing buildings. They used many of the ideas of their socialist big brother from the USSR.
Towns that have run down areas are sad, but if the demand isn't their, then it would be a waste to rebuild.
Spookily empty streets. Having lived for a few years in an eastern German town with a shrinking population, I know that it can be depressing - whatever the architecture.
It was already very depressing in DDR times
That school! It's a pity!
I passed through there once. The place just felt absolutely dead and empty. There were two options to eat in the center - an ice cafe that did not serve any kind of lunch and a chain bakery. That's it.
Going there is just some special kind of disaster tourism.
Similar to Nowa Huta in Poland
Your command of English is commendable.
In werkelijkheid zijn er verschillende steden in Duitsland die na 1945 zijn gesticht en gebouwd. Eén daarvan is Espelkamp
New subscriber here! rat channel! For a modern planned city Eisenhüttenstadt looks quite attractive. Most are awful.... Such a shame the DDR was an awful police state. Question: the streets look deserted. Is that normal, or did you film earlybon sunday morning?
It was just a regular weekday. Indeed, it is very quiet on the streets.
Thank you.
The vacant houses would be nice if we send the homeless over there.
Great work👍
Hallo, ich werde für 3 Tage in Berlin sein. Welche Sehenswürdigkeiten der DDr empfiehlst du?
Eisenhüttenstadt & Nowa Huta
The name appears to translate to "Iron Hat City". Does this mean that a lot of people work in an industrial environment where they have to wear hard hats at work?
Steelmill city is the translation
Ok, thats weird, even as a german. Its the first time i hear the term Stalinstadt.
I was more familar with Karl Marx Stadt for Chemiz.
Mal wieder was dazugelernt
Check out also Stalowa Wola, and Nowa Huta (Cracow) in Poland
th-cam.com/video/NrwBN-pYhdY/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/WBD3Cp9d_dA/w-d-xo.html
I've been seeing a lot of East Germany towns population wise have been shrinking considerably.
Many could no longer find work in the East moved out to the West side of Germany in order to find work.
Not all East Germans could easily find work in the West due to discrimination by West German employers that still harbor a lot of hate and distrust towards East Germans. From what I've read, many in the West still view East Germans as traitors and distrusts them. Do these facts ring true?
is it also true many former East Germans moved out of Germany to find a better life elsewhere?
This could be a good subject to cover for your next video.
Thanks for bribing this up. I briefly touched on this subject in the Treuhand video, but It certainly is interesting enough to touch on a few more details in the future!
the discrimination Bit is true, but employers used to distrust east germans because they were perceived as lazy or complaining and sometimes simply as incompetent simpletons. Not really because they were "enemys".
men that married women from the east were told "oh well you couldnt get a proper girl from the West, huh".
some people are still ignorant and cant accept that we are one people, sadly those people pass on these stereotypes to their children who repeat this narrative over, thus the cycle continues. many people in the east feel powerless and overwhelmed by this "Domination" from the West and Vote right.... its sad but true, the reunification is still not complete, its our heads that we still have to reunite.
It wasn't just the GDR that collapsed in 1989. Everywhere in the former communist block people faced the same problem. The situation of the former GDR citizens was certainly not worse, but better than theirs.
Yes, it's true that lots of them found no work for a long time, but the most did find work sooner or later. And it's also true that they have a right to earn their money at home. Nevertheless, many East Germans emigrated to other countries. Many West Germans did that, too. Some will be happy with their decision, some others note that their personal problems follow them everywhere around the globe.
Now - traitors? The far right AfD is concentrated in former East Germany and even has its political base there. So, what kind of treason could it be? Oh yes, I distrust those people very much, they are a turn-off to me. Still, the AfD isn't congruent to former East Germany. There is just an annoyingly large intersection.
Greetings to all from Florida. @ottosaxo it just seems to me that history is repeating itself. I am very afraid for America and the free world in the coming years and next 2 decades.
Thanks this was very informative. I am continually learning about the DDR from you.
Like Ostrava - Poruba ( Czech Republic) and Nova Huta ( Poland).
I wish communist architecture were so well preserved in Russia as well...
Despite the politics, this seems like an attractive town, why do so few people live here? Is German government doing anything to promote economy there?
looks like n. korea.
For some strange reasons of their own, the 1950's/1960's Labour town council of Crawley New Town, in Sussex, England, twined the town with Eisenhuttenstadt.......
It is amazing to see how similar all these buildings are to architecture under the Nazi reign.
You sound very Dutch.
make more videos
I wonder why they built so many classically built building. builtedy builtedy buillllllldiiiiing
Communists were obsessed with mosaics.
Soviet aesthetic is the best thing humanity had in a past several hundred years
Great video. The whole place looks so sad, like a tribute to a failed ideology.
Lets ignore the fact that china is socalist and a superpower the ideology was not to blame you jast wanted to unite and we didn't stop you
Whole parts of America look far far worse. What does it say to that ideology
The tributes to the failure of capitalism look worse than Eisenhuettenstadt.
Compared to Detroit, I'd much rather live in Eisenhuettenstadt.
Is tom hanks a commie architecture lover? 😮 This place looks great. All i did in germany was explore east berlin, i was fascinated, sadly, the people i went with dont care about soviet stuff and they hated it. 😂
Eisenhutten? Like Eisenhower?
Eisen means «iron» in German
Eisenhütten = Iron hut, Eisenhower / Eisen hauer sounds like Iron beater in direct translation so it could be that Eisenhower family was doing Smithing works
I find it very pleasing that this is all museum now. The misery and human suffering the vile DDR dictatorship inflicted on its citizens is vindicated. I’ve been to the Stasi HQ in Berlin and Hohenschönhausen prison as well. I’d love to throw some of those miserable former leaders and interrogators in there and inflict the suffering they inflicted on others. The fact that many of these people were never prosecuted makes my blood boil.
🙄
Von der Sowjetunion lernen...heisst siegen lernen ☝️
Soviet style buildings and socialist art .
This is good. You are a good communist comrade.
My Place of Birth. I Love this City so much!
We need stalin name back and we need turn germany back to ddr
lol...I hope.
My family (mothers side) comes from eisenhüttenstadt, I personally think it’s a pretty town
It sure is ❤
Great video
Cool to see Communist architecture so well maintained
Socialist
Some of it is okay, other parts are freakish.
@@Wok_Agenda Ugh, there is always one of you guys who has to start that discussion. Go back under the rock you crawled out from.
@@Wok_Agenda The SED was Marxist-Leninist and Communist. Socialism is much broader. The architecture itself is more commonly known as Soviet architecture or Stalinist architecture.
Ye s we love those drab buildings right in the middle of historic centers
This is a place I've always been curious about, not least for the name. It's interesting to see how it compares to "new towns" in other places, especially the attempt to temper its totalitarian functionality with some art for the masses. Thanks for the tour.
Excellent video! So interesting to see what the SED did with a blank page when it came to city planning. They were successful in making a clean break with the past as you mentioned that you did not feel like you were in a German city.
Many of the buildings were built in the Soviet style of the era. It seemed that they used the ideas of their big socialist brother from the USSR.
It’s not a “German city” in the traditional sense, but East Germany intended this to be a city that exemplifies German socialism. It’s a glimpse into futuristic socialist construction and what many new towns could have grown to look like had the DDR survived.
East Germans found a good balance in this regard, they preserved the historic character when rebuilding cities destroyed in the war (eg Dresden, Magdeburg) yet began to develop a uniquely East German style - evident in the buildings and art of this video.
În România it was Brașov that was called Stalin City between 1951 and 1961. Brașov was originally a german City of the german minority from Romania. Originally it was called Kronstadt
How did West Germany fund a church in the east? That must have taken some serious diplomatic maneuvering.
I love this channel! I've been fascinated by the Iron Curtain countries since I was a kid.
I think the city looks very nice! Love the architecture and all the different art pieces.
Another informative and in depth presentation. Each episodes, I learn so much more. Thank you.
Agree, very interesting and well presented
Fantastic video and I love your channel. I'll even forgive you for calling football 'soccer'. Just don't do it again. 😂 Immer bereit.
I’m glad places like this still exists. Unfortunately I’ve never been to Germany despite living fairly close by in Sweden. I would like to though.
Fun fact: while Eisenhüttenstadt was a new founded city, it is located between two elder towns, Schönfliess and Fürstenberg. Both towns kept their own identity until today. People never really got used to the feeling of living in a new city. The museum Utopie and Alltag is worth a visit.