The Concept of the House of Culture and Rural Identity
Houses of Culture existed in the former GDR in small towns and were places to connect people, to bring culture in the countryside and, in a broader sense, to educate the "socialist" person. The aim of the project is to remember and analyse the former Culture Houses and to re-activate community spaces in rural areas. I am approaching the topic with the help of oral history, archival work and various participatory processes.
Local
Germany
Brandenburg, Landkreis Oder-Spree, Amt Neuzelle, Eisenhüttenstadt
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Culture houses in the GDR were places for public life. They usually contained a large hall, a small hall, club rooms, a restaurant and smaller apartments. They used to be initiated, financed and managed by the state. Often used for “cultural and political education”, they were part of the GDR's “social conflict and control strategy”. In the course of my research, I came to understand more and more about the central role the House of Culture had played for the sense of belonging in my hometown Neuzelle in Brandenburg, Germany. The goal was to address the broad masses with a diverse program of events. It was important that a large number of people in the village would make use of the cultural offerings, and so the program was geared to the wishes of the residents at the lowest possible cost, since much of it was financed by the government. With today's problems it becomes increasingly important to look at novel solutions and learning from historic uses that were once deemed "non-functioning”.
The aim of the project is to remember and appreciate the former local engagement in cultural life and to re-activate community spaces in rural areas for creating a new sense of belonging. As such, it is important to analyse the concept of the House of Culture of the GDR and to see if it can help to solve the challenges of rural living in a sustainable, communal and social way. During this process we can discuss how to craft a new sense of belonging with a structure that is already there. Firstly, the aim is to attain a theoretical and historical understanding for a better foundation. The next step is to engage with the local community to re-establish an identity and develop a future for rural areas. Furthermore, the topic of sustainability in rural areas will be discussed and communicated within the framework of an exhibition, public talks and workshops. Participation, historical revaluation and communal activities can lead towards an improved sense of belonging in the long run.
Local Community
Participation
Cultural Heritage
Rural Areas
Sustainable Development
Considering engagement with the local community, it is important to approach the topic of sustainability from the bottom. Currently, sustainable living relies on politics and is often only available to people that can afford it. In the future, new technologies shall solve the loss of biodiversity. Through new vegan diets, problems of factory farming should vanish. But these solutions avoid the root of the problem. The unequal distributions and the mechanisms of exploitation by our capitalist economic system remain unchanged.
In order to introduce fundamental changes, it is important that we return to the natural abilities of humans within relationships to reshape the social and natural environment.
This is where the concept of the House of Culture comes into play. First, it is important in architecture to preserve rather than to rebuild, but it is also important to create awareness. Why and for what purpose should we preserve?
Including the community in the project can strengthen the commitment of the people, it can provide motivation and strengthen the sense of belonging. The House of Culture can become a place for sustainable ideas and concepts, a meeting place to exchange ideas, develop and teach a new understanding of sustainability and to combine different points of view. The path towards this place has the same importance than the final product itself. Without the support and the engagement of local communities, sustainability is discussed on a superficial level and could remain unresolved in the long term.
This local process can be an example of how to deal with socialist architecture and the remains of the system. It can be an example for repair, care and maintenance. Furthermore, it can be an example to engage with local communities, to create an understanding for rural development and to motivate people to take part and to be active in our future. This can lead towards a renewed feeling of local belonging.
The House of Culture has a long history in Neuzelle. There are hundreds of stories connected to this building and especially it’s long construction period in Off-hours work shows a strong emotional bonding to the village.
One characteristic of socialist architecture is the attention to detail. It becomes clear time and again that despite economic shortages, great attention was paid to design quality. The building may well look like a square block at first glance, but the architecture shows many qualities that are indicative of a great interest in design.
Since the building has been abandoned for almost 20 years people have lost hope in this place and it is doomed to be demolished. My intention is to draw attention to its beauty and give people hope back for a future of this building and its purpose. Therefore, the plan is to re-activate the scope for social events and happenings in terms of an interim use. It is important to appreciate the architectural details, the location and to show options how easy it should be to bring people together. Within the framework of an exhibition, the advantages of the building will be highlighted and clarified. Also, the often mentioned disadvantages of the building, such as the lack of daylight in the large hall, will be highlighted and possibilities to solve them will be shown. The approach to the building structure is an example of the fact that demolition is not always the first and the cheapest solution. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past but find a new and better way to deal with them our heritage and translate it to the future as a valuable resource. It can show us a path to give lost buildings a second life, to learn from existing designs and to improve old structures in a practical and sustainable way. Preserving a building can be an approach for inclusive sustainability and a way to strengthen a sense of belonging that is already there.
As mentioned before, the concept of the House of Culture was a simple one: to create a space for everybody. Cultural institutions in Western Germany had the intention to attract different target groups, but to attract the general public was a great advantage of the East Germany concept of Culture Houses. Programs were highly diverse and many villagers attended the events simply because they would meet everyone. After the reunification, the village structure has fragmented into different associations. Especially with the increased migration in 2015, many refugees moved to the surroundings of Neuzelle. At that time there was a substantial increase in voters to the right-wing parties. To a large extent there was a lack of understanding between the different cultures, mainly because there was no platform for it. Many meetings were organized, but possibilities for an integration into everyday life was hardly possible. In the GDR it was also taken for granted that cultural events were accessible to everyone. The prices of the entrance tickets were almost symbolic and the use of public facilities for different groups were free of charge.
To make culture accessible for disadvantaged groups and to provide cultural exchange, the House of Culture can be a great help. A functioning democracy requires a balance between yourself as an individual and the willingness to engage with other groups. In order to learn this understanding and to have the possibility to do so, especially in the countryside we need places that create a space for these purposes. Therefore, it is also my goal to revive this communication and to find new possibilities for international understanding and funding that make culture accessible to all.
Finding a new strategy for how a place can appeal to diverse cultures can be a good example for future development in rural areas. Giving different groups a space for discussion can provide a better understanding and a better approach to our pluralistic community.
Within this project, I aim to engage with the local community. During various interviews I could feel how the emotional bond to the former cultural life awakened back in the people. Many villagers began to remember again as soon as I mentioned a few facts that I had already learned about the House of Culture. I could almost watch how parts of the history, once long buried, were revived. Some had a sparkle in their eyes, some rather sadness or even anger.
More and more, I noticed how important it is to deal with site-specific history. Revisiting history can be a good foundation for developing a strong identity for a place, which means strengthening the sense of belonging. History can provide new engagement and respect for the old while creating anticipation for something new.
For functioning public places, participation of the inhabitants of a place is almost inevitable.
For such spaces it is important to investigate what the community's ideas and wishes are, what already exists and to give the community simple possibilities to have a say in every step.
At the beginning I work with interviews, which should first of all awaken the attention to the topic and analyse the current circumstances. In the next step different events will take place, which should motivate people to approach the property and the building in a completely different way. They aim to reactivate the plot of the House of Culture and thus to stimulate the inhabitants to deal with public places. In the last step, workshops will be suggested that deal with the future of such places and offer a thinking space that enables villagers to think about rural development in new, modern and sustainable ways.
The focus is on the participation of the local community. However, it is important for this project to have a new scope and therefore global relevance. Social media offers a large network of local and sustainable companies that have anchored themselves in Brandenburg. Examples are the E-Werk Luckenwalde, the Culture House Niemegk or the Co-Working Space in Wittenberge. In the future, the House of Culture in Neuzelle should form a platform that supports and connects local companies.
Furthermore, valuable insights were gained from local architect Martin Maleschka, who deals with GDR architecture and construction-related art. Maleschka's analytical and artistic view of the legacy of the GDR awakens a new basis for discussion about the facets of East German consciousness.
Another major partner of the project is PAS | Perfomance Art Studies. PAS consist of gatherings of people who are interested in sharing experiences and work with Performance art as a tool for sharpening ones view of the world and questioning our role as humans. “The ”I” needs to transform into a unique readable sign, which addresses the other in order to start a dialogue.” A big part of the study is the relationship between people and spaces. Site-specific performance describes artistic production in close relation with a physical site. The focus lies on a collaboration with your own ideas and a present space, site or place. With PAS the project evolves towards an international frame.
These different layers of engagement like local communities, local businesses, cultural organisations, social networks, the architect Martin Maleschka and the international organisation PAS make this project special and significant in the question of rural development. These layers should help to identify, what kind of spaces are needed, who is interested in taking part and how we can communicate with one another. Hereby a new concept of the House of Culture could be exemplary for community houses in rural areas.
This project touches the disciplines of social architecture, architectural theory, history of architecture, cultural heritage, sustainable architecture and site-specific studies.
It is part of my masterthesis and supported by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jasper Cepl. In his teaching he deals with the question of “sustainability as a design problem” and uses “the values and goals expressed in modernist architecture” for a “common foundation” to master future building tasks.
In addition, I am advised as a second examiner by the architect Jan Liesegang, who is co-founder of the Berlin architectural office raumlabor and is a university lecturer at the Bergen School of Architecture. In his work and with his teaching at the BAS, he also deals with the question of sustainable architecture, but in a social framework that requires the participation of communities as a basis for good design.
Together with these two knowledge fields it is my intention to ground the practical part of the project with theoretical research.
Furthermore dealing with the cultural identity of the East, modern architectural history is revisited through the work of architect Martin Maleschka and examined from different angles. The example of the Cultural House in Neuzelle is used to examine the characteristics that defined cultural buildings in the GDR and how this concept can be adapted to the present day.
Finally with PAS the project explores a new approach to dealing with existing structures that aims to strengthen the connection between users and places.
All in all these different fields should all work hand in hand to awaken the importance of identity and social integration which strengthen the feeling of belonging to a local area. Local history, cultural heritage, playful handling of space and social engagement all aim towards an examination of an architecture for which maintenance and care will be secured in the future.
With the baroque monastery complex that was repurposed as a school and cultural center, Neuzelle developed more and more into a focus point of the region. Because of the international school, there is a great demand for youth activities and a variety on offers. The monastery of Neuzelle has been offering cultural events for several years now, but at first it was difficult for the community to accept them.
Therefore, participation of the rural population during the design phase has become inevitable for functioning public spaces. With an exhibition and further playful workshops this process should define one of the innovative characteristics of this project. The collaboration with PAS shows a new approach of lost places and a new way of dealing with old structures to make them interesting again.
Another innovative proposition is the communication of sustainable architecture and how to deal with cultural heritage. In the community there is little understanding and foresight for future development. In the east of Germany especially, a lot of property was privatized and sold to foreign investors after the reunification, some of which can no longer be found or have let their property fall into disrepair. Today it is important to increase the expertise so that they can develop sustainable concepts on their own. A development of social and cultural infrastructure contributes to a development of the village structure in the long run.
The last point to be mentioned here Is how to deal with the building heritage of the GDR. Until today, certain concepts and architectures of the GDR have been passed over and are only partially in the public focus. This project can be an example of how to revive and rediscover past architectural designs in a way that hasn’t been done before. It is meant to bring the concept of the House of Culture into a new public focus to underline the importance of a community centre to strengthen local belonging, be it in the countryside or in the city.
The exhibition will combine a historical summary of the House of Culture in Neuzelle, show the importance of local individuals and stories, currently functioning cultural institutions in rural areas and the pros and cons of future scenarios for development in the countryside.
Using exhibition as a tool for simple presentation and approachable knowledge transfer, it is meant to not only address professionals and experts with this research but to reach everyday people. It can be used as a mediator that can support local communities that want to evolve a modern, social and sustainable level.
The examination of the cultural heritage of the GDR and the preparation of the House of Culture concept can be used as an example for public spaces. The presentation of functioning cultural institutions in Brandenburg should encourage the development of such places. Furthermore, financial strategies shall explain how cultural projects can be realized within today’s economic context.
The use of different future scenarios and site-specific performance is intended to trigger creativity and reveal the needs and ideas of the population. The aim of this exhibition is to get rid of the thoughts "It's all too expensive anyway." or "We as individuals can't achieve anything.".
It aims to transpose the most diverse possibilities and concepts into rural places and make them accessible. With the presentation of the interviews and the workshop with PAS, visitors step into the role of the protagonist, which further supports the sense of belonging.
Despite the anchoring in Neuzelle, it is important to conceptualize the exhibition in such a way that it can function in other places just as it does in Neuzelle. This site is used as an example to create a better access to this topic and show the importance of local engagement. Ultimately, the exhibition is aimed towards sustainable rural development in general, which can help local communities deal with current problems in many different ways.
During the pandemic that started in 2020 it made us realize how important social networks are in cities and in the countryside. Many were locked up in their own homes and had difficulty finding access to social encounters. Professor Martina Baum and Markus Vogl at the University of Stuttgart describe the importance of communal places and name them “Daily". "Daily" is intended to be "a place of participation and lived democracy in everyday urban life, a space of possibility and critical urban infrastructure”.
In the past as well, as in the future, a House of Culture is for the general public, for different groups that can meet and interact daily with each other, in order to strengthen democracy from below and to create a strong local belonging.
Another issue is the rural depopulation that is making the countryside more and more abandoned and turning it into places of industry. However, there is a shift in trends in Brandenburg that is already noticeable. Many big-city dwellers are seeking refuge in smaller towns. This project should connect to and improve those changes. Communal spaces support a sense of belonging so that people not only move to the countryside but stay there in the long run.
The last point in this category is the sustainable use of existing buildings. Demolition and new construction in architecture has long ceased to be a modern and sustainable strategy. Raw materials are becoming rarer, more expensive and more valuable. The Reuse of old socialist architecture should show a way of how we can overcome the outdated appearance and turn it into an example of a turning point.
Briefly summarized it is the importance of social meeting places, the plurality of our society, the rural depopulation and overpopulation, as well as the handling of existing structures, which are global challenges discussed hereby. The House of Culture can turn into a place which addresses these challenges and strengthens a local, sustainable and modern sense of belonging.
