Open Monument Day 2025 at Schlachtensee Student Village

The Studentendorf Schlachtensee Cooperative will be offering tours on Berlin's Open Monument Day this year. The United States government helped to finance the construction of Schlachtensee Student Village as part of its Reeducation Program at the end of the 1950s. The residential complex was designed to become a place where democracy would be a lived experience. This idea is not only reflected in the architecture and history of the buildings, but also in how the community is organized, with residents actively encouraged to participate in the democratic institutions situated there.

Making democracy a lived experience: The US government funded the construction of the residential complex as part of its Reeducation Program in order to fully entrench democracy in German society after the Second World War.
Image Credit: Reinhard Friedrich

Schlachtensee Student Village was officially opened by Freie Universität Berlin in 1959 to serve as a place for students to cohabit among the brightest minds of their generation. Architecturally speaking, it is a prime example of post-war modernism, with the ensemble fitting seamlessly into the surrounding landscape garden. At the same time, Schlachtensee Student Village holds a special place in the history of democracy in Germany. The US government funded the construction of the residential complex as part of its Reeducation Program in order to fully entrench democracy in German society after the Second World War. The building architecture and a participatory program aimed at providing students with a political and democratic education based in experience.

The guided tours on September 13 (in English) and 14 (in German), 2025, will allow visitors a glimpse into the twenty-eight residential and community buildings, some of which are designed in a pavilion style. The heritage site has been undergoing careful renovation work since 2009, with construction soon set to finish. Almost 1,000 students from over seventy countries currently call the student village home. The residential complex is very much an embodiment of Freie Universität Berlin's guiding principles, with its layout and architectural style encouraging open-mindedness and democracy among its inhabitants for over sixty years now.

Jens-Uwe Köhler, CFO of the Studentendorf Schlachtensee Cooperative, will be guiding visitors through the site on both days. His tour will cover the history and architecture of the student village as well as how past and present students lived there. He will also speak about striking a balance between preserving the historic features of the buildings during renovations and ensuring they can meet the conditions needed for residents to live and study comfortably in the modern day.