erik van der weijde

240 houses in 16 settlements, built in nazi germany between 1933-45, photographed by erik van der weijde in the spring of 2008. as he explains "siedlung is the german word for neighbourhood or settlement. in nazi germany before WWII a lot of siedlungen were built in order to offer a house to every working class NSDAP-member. this siedlungpolitik was a powerful propaganda tool to submit the working class to the state as well as to provide living space for nazis. the building and distribution of tens of thousands of those houses were carefully controlled by the party. the often regional style in which the houses were built had to provide a heimat (homeland)-feeling to the inhabitants and the uniform character of these settlements were to bring a feeling of unity amongst the germans." see more here. the book version is available through the great independent art publisher roma publications.

[all erik van der weijde. from the series siedlung. 2008.]