“Palaces for workers!” was the battle cry when the GDR built this new district on the ruins of war in the early 1950s. Marx and Schinkel were the inspiration. Socialist classicism, of course. And palaces for the workers! Hygienic, luxurious, socially mixed, and monumental. In the second construction phase between Strausberger Platz and Alexanderplatz, you can then experience wonderful examples of the so-called late modernity of the GDR. It doesn't get more modern and international in design and style. Get to know Richard Paulick, Josef Kaiser, and Hermann Henselmann; great architects who unjustly don't hold a similar rank as Western star architects of the time. We'll also include the Hansaviertel, the West's answer to Stalinallee, in our story. Where the planners of Stalinallee looked back historically, the West let the most famous architects define modernity. We highly recommend the Hansaviertel tour as a perfect complement. After these tours, you'll understand why these two districts, these “two sides of the same coin,” will soon be a UNESCO World Heritage Site…