New build - GWG München

A typical apartment comprised a living
room (with integrated kitchen) and one
or more bedrooms. The gardens were a
luxury, and they continue to leave a
characteristic mark on the area to this
day. All of the buildings were connected
to the electricity, water and sewage networks,
which was unusual for the time.
Despite the minimal standards, model
rooms complete with fine yet functional
furnishings made by “Deutsche Werkstätten
Hellerau” were put on display to
convey standards of quality living. “The
authenticity, intrinsic value, simplicity,
and neat, smart furnishings and household
appliances are what make the
rooms so comfortable and friendly”,
stated a leaflet published by the City
Household Advisory Office in August
1937. Nevertheless, only the rental
apartments were in demand. Not as
many buyers as hoped showed an
interest in the 190 small homes. This
may have been because despite their
modest features, only very few people
were able to afford such houses.
A new start after 1945
Although the estate survived the Second World War without
any damage, its main construction material, light concrete
“Iporit” made from foamed sand by IG Farben, was proving to
be susceptible to moisture. Nevertheless, in 1949, additional
housing was created by converting 48 attics into apartments
of 37.5 square metres each, as a response to the rampant
housing shortage. The amenities were just the same as before.
The residents still lived in apartments of between 36 and
59 square metres, with room heights of around 2,20 metres,
no bathrooms, and simple stoves. The condition of the cheaply
built structures continued to deteriorate and resident numbers
declined accordingly. By the end of the 1950s, the structural
defects were “severe”, but another decade would pass before
the subject of renovation finally came under discussion. This
was partly due to the fact that the low income from rents did
not allow for anything above minimal building maintenance.
Also, since the end of the war, occupancies were controlled by
the Housing Office of the State Capital of Munich.
By now, the resident structure had changed massively. In
addition to the original occupants, who had developed and
improved their apartments themselves, large numbers of
students began living here, attracted by the low rent and
proximity to the city centre, as well as large families, who
sometimes even rented two apartments to cover their needs.
There were also what Armin Hagen, Head of the Building
Management Department at GWG München, referred to in
his diploma thesis on the history of the estate as “immigrants,
disadvantaged persons and dropouts“.
In 1980, the city's underground rail network reached Berg
am Laim with two stops: Innsbrucker Ring and Michaelibad.
This development increased the pressure on city planners to
consolidate and renovate the estate. At the end of the 1980s,
the buildings were taken out of the social residence category,
allowing GWG München to exercise greater influence over the
development of the Maikäfer Estate, even though it was now
virtually impossible to organise a “methodical occupancy of
the apartments to raise the standard of the tenant structure
due to their age and facilities.” Substandard apartments
were no longer in demand. Plans were therefore drawn up to
demolish the existing buildings and replace individual blocks
so that they complied with modern standards.
The 1980s became the decade of fundamental change. There
was great resistance to the announced reconstruction plans
for the estate, resulting in the formation of the “Tenants’
Association for the Preservation of the Maikäfer Estate” or
MIG. The group organised a number of campaigns in protest
against the impending loss of their homes and neighbourhood.
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