Allesandersplatz

Allesandersplatz is the artistic motto and programmatic vision for one of the most innovative urban development projects in Berlin. A play on words in German with reference to the location (Alexanderplatz), which reads: everything different place.The photo series documents the project in 2020.

Allesandersplatz is the artistic motto and programmatic vision for one of the most innovative urban development projects in Berlin. A play on words in German with reference to the location (Alexanderplatz), which reads: everything different place.

“The ruin of the Statistical Office on Alexanderplatz is one of the most beautiful illustrative examples of the unchanged fascination that Berlin has on the rest of the world. The fact that a crowd of city activists, artists and social and micro-entrepreneurs can claim a 50,000 square meter plot of land in the center of a capital city is a process that shakes the foundations of the market economy. This is not possible in Paris, not in London and certainly not in New York. And therefore a worldwide fascination.” [Newspaper “Der Tagesspiegel”, 21.05.2019]

“The first thought: So here they are, the last crazy people in Berlin. The second thought: If these people really succeed in settling down in the House of Statistics - and at the moment it looks like they will - then the last revolutionary cell of the city could actually emerge here on Alexanderplatz.” [Newspaper “TAZ”, 21.11.2019]

The House of Statistics was established from 1968 to 1970 as the seat of the State Central Administration for Statistics of the GDR. After German reunification, various authorities used the building until 2008. In 2015 an artists' initiative prevented the sale and demolition of the building complex. As a result, the state of Berlin acquired the building with the aim of a future-oriented development together with artists and citizens. As part of a neighborhood development that is oriented towards the common good, the area of statistics with space for art, culture, social issues, education, affordable housing and a new city hall for Mitte are to be built on the site in the next few years. In the project development phase, parts of the site are already being used by so-called pioneer users in accordance with the vision of a community neighborhood characterized by usage synergies and cooperative development. The effects of the corona pandemic severely restricted these activities in 2020. The photo series documents the current state in 2020.