POI #4 - ROTES RATHAUS - Life in the GDR



“Red Town Hall” https://www.berlin.de/en/attractions-and-sights/3559880-3104052-red-town-hall.en.html , Image: dpa
 


 


 


 

Location of Rotes Rathaus

The Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall) was the seat of the local municipal government in the city of Greater (East) Berlin. It had administrative management roles, as well as serving as a conduit for social participation in the city.^1 It handled the standard municipal services: zoning, waste/water services, and by-law enforcement, but also had a role in coordinating citizens for mass-participation projects and political events.^2 Local and Regional government in the GDR was organized along socialist ideals. It was responsible for a massive portfolio; it managed the maintenance and modernization of housing stock, provided the public almost all consumer goods and recreational facilities, and organized local transportation.^3 The City Council of Greater Berlin held little power, and ultimately the SED made decisions in a top down approach. The Rotes Rathaus was constructed in the neo-renaissance revival style, built in 1869, and designed by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann.4 It has a distinct red brick façade, where which the building derived its name. It features a central clock tower, 74 meters tall, directly centered over the front façade.5 Inside, there are great ceremonial halls that serve as rooms for festivities and assembly. During WWII it was heavily damaged by allied bombing. Between 1951 and 1956 it was rebuilt by the GDR and reopened in 1955.^6

Dennis, Mike. 1988. German Democratic Republic: Politics, Economics, and Society . Pinter Publishers.

"Berlin City Hall." VisitBerlin.de. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-city-hall.

Krisch, Henry. 1985. The German Democratic Republic: The Search for Identity. Westview Press.

"Startseite." Link To: Startseite Berlin.de. https://www.berlin.de/en/attractions-and-sights/35....

Kopstein, Jeffrey. 1997. The Politics of Economic Decline in East Germany, 1945-1989 . University of North Carolina Press.

Citizens were completely enveloped in the business of the local government. As much as the real power of the state was derived from the SED through the central government, local government was where citizens had real and direct interaction with the state bureaucracy. Almost every aspect of their life was in some way touched by this involvement. The GDR was based on a political system that aimed to socialize the industry and establish public ownership of the economy. Local government was delegated this responsibility through the central state.

The local Government served a unique role in placating a demand for local participation in politics. All elected deputies of the city council performed their functions on an honorary basis, without pay, and maintained their full-time careers elsewhere. It was not so much their duty to rule, but rather stand as the representatives of certain worker groups. Full time staff and other functionaries held the real power. Socialism idealized industry and labour, and deputies acted as symbolic figureheads to represent communities and working culture at the local level. One way local government created participation was through enlisting the efforts of the citizens in public projects. Citizens would work to reinvigorate parks, clean up streets, and maintain public works. This was functional, to enact change in the city, and political, serving to demonstrate the participatory legitimacy of the socialist political system.The supposed voluntary nature of citizens to partake in public works represented a parental relationship between the citizens and the government.

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