MODERNISM IN THE INDUSTRIAL CITY
Eberswalde is the oldest industrial site in Brandenburg. Its history as a place of production and as an important provider for the Prussian
defence industry goes as far back as the 16th century. Because of the emerging industrial belt along the Finow Canal, the city is designated
as the “Wuppertal of Brandenburg“ in the year 1900. The cityscape is still largely characterised by the age of industrialisation. The city‘s
collection of landmarks includes, in addition to residential buildings, primarily administrative and health service buildings from the time
after 1870.
Typical of this is the brass factory settlement in the northwest of the city. It is the oldest preserved workers‘ housing settlement and an important
architectural testament to German industrial construction in Brandenburg. Particularly Paul Mebes and Paul Emmerich shape the
appearance of the settlement with their sometimes expressionistic, sometimes starkly functional building designs. Its character as an
industrial workers‘ housing settlement can still be felt. The copper houses completed by Walter Gropius are among the best preserved
examples of housing settlements of the Weimar Republic and their significance extends beyond the region.