To arrive at Berlin Hauptbanhof on a train that started in London is to enter the epicentre of the 20th century. In the imagination can be conjured up the Kaiser and his entourage on horseback, decorated like Christmas trees, intrigue noted in scraps of paper that the courtiers hold. Cheering crowds wave fragments of silkContinue reading “A Walk Through Berlin”
Tag Archives: history
Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Berlin
The Carl Legien estate was built between 1928 to 1930 with originally 1149 flats. The two architects were Bruno Taut and Franz Hillinger and the project manager was Martin Wagner. Some brief biographical details: Bruno Taut (* 4 May 1880 Königsberg – † 24 December 1938 Istanbul) Taut was an artist and architect and influencedContinue reading “Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Berlin”
London Notes
The journey started at the coast. The never ending sailing of the world’s cargo fleets, container ships, oil tankers, liquid natural gas carriers, specialist, technical craft. Warships, aircraft carriers, nuclear armed submarines beneath the waves. Shadow fleets evading sanctions, funding wars, killing children. As the train emerges from the tunnel under the Thames an industrialContinue reading “London Notes”
Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing
The starting point for this walk is Spittelau U-Bahn. My starting point to get to Spittelau was one of the original Stadtbahn stations designed by Otto Wagner. It was a good introduction. If you take the U-Bahn to Spittelau look for the exit to Heiligenstädter Straße. As you approach this you will see the walkwayContinue reading “Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing”
The Radical Housing of Meidling, Vienna
This walk illustrates the scale of the house building by the Red Vienna council between 1919 to 1933. Several of the buildings were designed and constructed in the mid 1920s. There is a feeling here of confidence and optimism. Many of the changes which had been implemented by the social democratic council – a progressiveContinue reading “The Radical Housing of Meidling, Vienna”
Favoriten and the end of Vienna
The starting point for this walk is the tram stop at Laxenburger-Troststraße. Both the O and number 11 trams stop there. I caught the O tram from Ungargasse. It rattled past the Hauptbahnhof with its large ice-blocks of cold glass and steel and areas of non-space where concrete viaducts carry the railway lines. The landscapeContinue reading “Favoriten and the end of Vienna”
A Walk along Währinger Strasse
Währing – District 18 The walk starts at the Währinger Strasse Volksoper U-Bahn station and can be finished at Antonigasse where there’s a tram stop. The walk is about 3km in length. How long in time this walk will take will depend on how much you stroll and wander and look at things along theContinue reading “A Walk along Währinger Strasse”
A Modern Dream in Sturhof
The starting point for this walk is Heitzmann Hof and then a perambulation through streets and estates to Sturhof. The walk will take about two to three hours. The walk is a ramble rather than a continuous straight line or a circular route. There are small detours where you might find the need to retraceContinue reading “A Modern Dream in Sturhof”
Rabenhof, Vienna: A Radical Walk
You can start where you like with a visit to the Rabenhof estate in Vienna. Walk all the way around the perimeter, explore the alleyways and passages, watch the world go by, sit and read a book, sketch the buildings; what ever you do, make sure to explore. If you need a meeting place, theContinue reading “Rabenhof, Vienna: A Radical Walk”
Autonomous Networks
Starting points…where to start? It seems a flood, of hate and bile and anger and screwed up raging faces. Influencers, social media companies, the right wing press, the shock troops of the new right, lies and dis-formation. Anything goes. Pointing fingers, provocative behaviour, murder-speech, writing lies and far right propaganda. A newspaper claims a ‘pro-Palestine’Continue reading “Autonomous Networks”
Commodity Fetishism 