History
The Hackesche Höfe are pulsing with life and full of distinctive traces from a century and more of German and Berlin history
DRAINAGE
First settlement in the marshes
Berlin’s population has been growing for some time. In 1747 it tops the 100,000 mark. To create more land for housing, the city’s commander Hans Christoph Friedrich von Hacke has the swamps drained around what is now Hackescher Markt. The market place is named after him, and later the Hackesche Höfe as well.
ACQUISITION
Land in the hands of the Quilitz familiy
Glass manufacturer Hans Quilitz purchases land for some industrial buildings at Rosenthaler Strasse 40. Another 47 years on, Quilitz’s heirs buy the adjoining plots at Rosenthaler Strasse 41 and Sophienstrasse 6. Berlin is still expanding: by the end of the century it will be the sixth biggest city in Europe.
Design
Kurt Berndt builds new commercial yards
The Hackesche Höfe are constructed to designs by the architect and builder Kurt Berndt. Architect August Endell applies Jugendstil features to the façades in the front courtyard and the ballrooms. The Hackesche Höfe are a magnet for artists and writers; clubs and associations meet here; the Imperial cinema opens in the rear wing. The Hackesche Höfe are also a major hub of Jewish life in the neighbourhood known as Spandauer Vorstadt, with a girls’ club and a student canteen making it their base.
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
Jakob Michael takes over the ensemble
Entrepreneur Jakob Michael acquires the biggest stake in the company “Hackescher Hof” Grundstücksgesellschaft GmbH. The principal tenant – with offices, warehouses and a canteen – is soon to be Emil Köster AG, which runs the German Family Department Store (DeFaKa).
REUNIFICATION
Creative artists discover the neighborhood
After German reunification, artists and creatives discover the place anew, filling vacant spaces with their projects. An association is founded to “promote urban life” in the Hackesche Höfe. It preserves the built fabric and campaigns hard for a future as a home to art and culture. And the campaign bears fruit: a year later, the Chamäleon variety theatre opens its doors. Actors Meret and Ben Becker put in guest appearances for a while. Two years on, Wim Wenders comes to the Hackesche Höfe to shoot scenes for “Wings of Desire”.
REDEVELOPMENT
For years the ensemble is modernized
The Hackesche Höfe undergo major redevelopment. When the work is finished, 50,000 people attend a big festival in the courtyards. The use strategy is implemented and still applies today. The first new commercial tenants from the fashion sector move in. The clinker brick façades in the front courtyard are restored and partially reconstructed. Footfall is so strong that the residential courtyards are now closed off at night.
Today
A promising mixed use
The eight courtyards composing the Hackesche Höfe provide 27,000 square metres of space for almost four dozen companies. The courtyards belong to a family who identify with their tenants’ aims. The tenants in the Hackesche Höfe shops still run their own businesses, selling high-quality products that they create and manufacture themselves.
DRAINAGE
First settlement in the marshes
Berlin’s population has been growing for some time. In 1747 it tops the 100,000 mark. To create more land for housing, the city’s commander Hans Christoph Friedrich von Hacke has the swamps drained around what is now Hackescher Markt. The market place is named after him, and later the Hackesche Höfe as well.
ACQUISITION
Land in the hands of the Quilitz familiy
Glass manufacturer Hans Quilitz purchases land for some industrial buildings at Rosenthaler Strasse 40. Another 47 years on, Quilitz’s heirs buy the adjoining plots at Rosenthaler Strasse 41 and Sophienstrasse 6. Berlin is still expanding: by the end of the century it will be the sixth biggest city in Europe.
Design
Kurt Berndt builds new commercial yards
The Hackesche Höfe are constructed to designs by the architect and builder Kurt Berndt. Architect August Endell applies Jugendstil features to the façades in the front courtyard and the ballrooms. The Hackesche Höfe are a magnet for artists and writers; clubs and associations meet here; the Imperial cinema opens in the rear wing. The Hackesche Höfe are also a major hub of Jewish life in the neighbourhood known as Spandauer Vorstadt, with a girls’ club and a student canteen making it their base.
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
Jakob Michael takes over the ensemble
Entrepreneur Jakob Michael acquires the biggest stake in the company “Hackescher Hof” Grundstücksgesellschaft GmbH. The principal tenant – with offices, warehouses and a canteen – is soon to be Emil Köster AG, which runs the German Family Department Store (DeFaKa).
REUNIFICATION
Creative artists discover the neighborhood
After German reunification, artists and creatives discover the place anew, filling vacant spaces with their projects. An association is founded to “promote urban life” in the Hackesche Höfe. It preserves the built fabric and campaigns hard for a future as a home to art and culture. And the campaign bears fruit: a year later, the Chamäleon variety theatre opens its doors. Actors Meret and Ben Becker put in guest appearances for a while. Two years on, Wim Wenders comes to the Hackesche Höfe to shoot scenes for “Wings of Desire”.
REDEVELOPMENT
For years the ensemble is modernized
The Hackesche Höfe undergo major redevelopment. When the work is finished, 50,000 people attend a big festival in the courtyards. The use strategy is implemented and still applies today. The first new commercial tenants from the fashion sector move in. The clinker brick façades in the front courtyard are restored and partially reconstructed. Footfall is so strong that the residential courtyards are now closed off at night.
Today
A promising mixed use
The eight courtyards composing the Hackesche Höfe provide 27,000 square metres of space for almost four dozen companies. The courtyards belong to a family who identify with their tenants’ aims. The tenants in the Hackesche Höfe shops still run their own businesses, selling high-quality products that they create and manufacture themselves.