PlattePlatte — The Farewell Festival Eisenhüttenstadt

Farewell to the Platte

By 2030, the city of Eisenhüttenstadt plans to demolish almost all of its original 1960s prefabricated high-rise buildings. The population of the former model GDR city, once designed for 50,000 inhabitants, has shrunk to just under 25,000, many high-rises are vacant, and the inner-city conversion is intended to succeed through controlled demolition. Before the 12-story high-rise at Mittelschleuse 9 — one of the first buildings slated for demolition — falls, Martin Maleschka takes over for three days: photographer, architect, and raised in Eisenhüttenstadt. He converts the vacant building into a temporary art laboratory — and calls the festival "PlattePlatte".

50 Artists, 55 Apartments, Three Days

The concept is radical: 50 artists from Germany and internationally move into the 55 vacant apartments for three days. Each apartment becomes its own exhibition space, its own stage, its own sound room, or its own discussion forum. The genres range from visual arts to sound art, dance, performance, scientific lectures, and urban sociology. It's about a multi-disciplinary approach to a place that stands for East German history — the 'Platte' as the hope of modernity, as the living space of three generations, as a symbol of a failed housing project, now as endangered architecture.

Martin Maleschka — Architect of Memory

Martin Maleschka grew up in Eisenhüttenstadt, later studied architecture and photography, and has since dedicated himself to documenting GDR architecture. His photographic works on prefabricated buildings, former Konsum stores, and social housing high-rises have been exhibited internationally. With the PlattePlatte Festival, he returns to Eisenhüttenstadt and closes a circle: he gives the architecture of his childhood a final voice before the excavators roll in.

Opening Reception and Program

The opening reception takes place on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM — a deliberately accessible start with a welcome by Maleschka, short introductions by individual artists, and an opportunity for the public to explore all floors. Saturday and Sunday offer performances, sound concerts, discussion rounds, and films. The high-rise transforms into a vertical festival venue with program points running concurrently on each floor. Those who want to visit all apartments should plan at least two full days.

Eisenhüttenstadt — The First Socialist City

Eisenhüttenstadt (until 1961: Stalinstadt) was built in 1950 as a planned socialist model city around the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost — the first socialist city foundation in Germany. The symmetrical city center with the neoclassical residential blocks of the first construction phase is now a listed monument and the largest contiguous architectural monument of early GDR urban planning. The later built prefabricated buildings of the second and third construction phases (1960s-80s) are not listed — and will be largely demolished in the coming years. The PlattePlatte Festival is a final act of appreciation for this second generation.

Getting There and Tips

Eisenhüttenstadt can be reached from Berlin Hauptbahnhof via RE 1 in about 90 minutes. The high-rise at Mittelschleuse 9 is located north of the city center. If you want to combine the weekend with a city walk: The Documentation Center for Everyday Culture in the GDR and the main avenue with its GDR modernism architecture are worth a visit before or after the festival.