Meyer’s houses: A social living dream for Leipzig's families!

Meyer’s houses: A social living dream for Leipzig's families!

Social housing plays a central role in Germany, especially in large cities such as Leipzig, where initiatives have been able to do a lot in the past. Today these efforts have often been forgotten, but the history of the "Meyer's houses" remains an example of successful social housing. As reports mein-kirchenzeitung.de, the social housing in Leipzig began a visionary publisher from Gotha, who not only wanted to improve the living conditions with disease-weak families with his initiative, but also a model for social policy presented.

The beginnings of this movement are in the 19th century, when living conditions for the poorest sections of the population in cities like Berlin were catastrophic. The Alexandra Foundation in Berlin was already founded in 1852, trying to meet these grievances. In Leipzig, Meyer founded the "Association for the Construction of Cheap Apartments" in 1888. This measure was a turning point in rental apartment construction, since rents in its houses were only about 15% of the household income and was based on the tenants' income, not according to the size of the apartment.

a successful foundation

The conversion of the association into the "Foundation for the Construction of Cheap Apartments" in 1900 was another milestone. Until 1914, the foundation under the architect Max Pommer built a total of four colonies of living in Leipzig, which included around 2700 apartments. These buildings were designed in homogeneous units with uniform facade design and were designed as multi-family houses that had an average floor area of ​​40 m²-they were better equipped than usual rent barracks, such as landscapes-in-deutschland.de.

A particularly outstanding example is "Meyersdorf" in Kleinzschocher, the largest residential complex, the construction of which began in 1907. The foundations attached great importance to involving community facilities such as kindergartens, bathing and wash houses as well as rental libraries including administration in their facilities. Free space designs with allotment gardens, playgrounds and park -like garden courtyard areas rounded off the overall concept.

continue and inheritance

Hermann Julius Meyer died on March 12, 1909 and was buried in the southern cemetery in Leipzig, but his legacy lives on. He had made capital of seven million marks available to his foundation up to the end of his life, which the foundation continues to use for the construction and maintenance of social living space. To date, the foundation not only has historical importance, it still actively promotes the construction of inexpensive living space.

The tenants of the Meyer houses were mainly employees, craftsmen and factory workers with several children. These reforms in housing construction to promote social justice are a lasting testimony of Meyer's vision: "Key, not charity!" how he put it. The foundation of the Margarethe-Krupp Foundation in Essen was a direct inspiration through Meyer's work, which underlines the far-reaching effects of its initiative.

The history of the Meyer houses is a stylish example of the possibilities of social housing that still provides statements about the challenges and opportunities in dealing with affordable living space in Germany.