On 18 November 2025 at 6:30 p.m., the Federal Bauakademie Foundation and the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS) in Erkner will present the results of their joint research project:“History and perception of the Bauakademie of the GDR.”
Register for in person attendance here
Register for online attendance here
Moderation:
Friedrike Meyer, Editor in Chief, BauNetz
Introduction:
Kerstin Lassnig, Head of Communications, Federal Bauakademie Foundation
Dr. Harald Engler, Researcher - Contemporary History und Archival Research, IRS Erkner
Guests:
Karin Koven, former research staff member at the Bauakademie of the GDR
Katrin Lompscher, Chair of the Board, Hermann-Henselmann Foundation (former research staff member at the Bauakademie of the GDR)
Prof. Dr. Kerstin Brückweh, Head of the Research Area “Contemporary History and Archive”, IRS Erkner
Dr. Elena Wiezorek, Direktor, Federal Bauakademie Foundation
The Bauakdemie of the GDR was the GDR’s central institution for architecture and construction research, with its institutes carrying out substantial practical research under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Construction.
For the first time, the findings from interviews with twenty former employees and contemporary witnesses of the Bauakademie of the GDR will be presented at the German Architecture Center (DAZ) as well as online. The focus will lie on the structure, function, and working methods of the institution.
The event will feature a brief overview of the project and an open discussion with eyewitnesses, along with representatives from the IRS and the Federal Bauakademie Foundation. The discussion will focus on the historical importance of the Bauakademie, questions of transformation, and the role of the new Federal Bauakademie Foundation.
Photo: © IRS Erkner, wissenschaftliche Sammlungen