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The shopping center “Wutzky Center” was designed by the architect Hans Bandel in the years 1964-1966 and opened on April 9, 1968. It was completely renovated for the first time in the 90s and once more in 2011 so nothing of the original building can be seen today.
In this article published in “Neuköllner” a resident of the neighborhood tells about the shopping center in the 70s and complains about Christiane and her dog:
[ … ] Hans-Georg Miethke [ … ] came to Gropiusstadt from Kreuzberg in 1969 and was happy about the Wutzky. “When I moved here it was of course great. There were two supermarkets and two restaurants.” At that time there were still “decent shops”, he says, including clothes, but that later got worse. Like the image of Gropiusstadt as a whole. The report by the “Stern” journalists about Christiane F. was also to blame for this, says Miethke. “They pretended that the smell of urine wafted into the city center.” Everyone who had never been to Gropiusstadt suddenly thought they knew what it was like there. Miethke often saw Christiane F., as a 10-year-old, strolling through the housing estate with a huge mastiff. “I found that irresponsible, she wouldn’t have been able to tame the animal at all.”
Wuchold, Cara. “50 Jahre Wutzky in Gropiusstadt.” Neuköllner, 17 April 2018, www.neukoellner.net/zeitreisen/50-jahre-wutzky-in-gropiusstadt/. Accessed 07 January 2022. | The translation to English is mine.
Resources:
- Architect Hans Bandel on Wikipedia
- Architect Hans Bandel official website.
- More historical pictures of the shopping center, the original drawings and a couple of booklets can be found in the Ladenzentrum Wutzky section of the Hans Bandel website.
- Read the whole article mentioned in the post: 50 Jahre Wutzky in Gropiusstadt.
