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"WALDDORF" WORKERS' HOUSING ESTATE Villa Cuno Übersicht Hagener Impuls Krematorium

Walddorfstraße 1-21
In 1905, Karl Ernst Osthaus succeeded in attracting a conference of the Central Office for National Welfare to Hagen. The main topic of the lectures, inter alia by Osthaus and the Munich architect Richard Riemerschmid, was the design of workers' living accommodation. Osthaus subsequently managed to persuade the "Hagen Textile Industry" to build a workers' housing estate in the "Wasserloses Tal" ("Waterless Valley"). In 1907, Riemerschmid was commissioned to design an estate with 87 houses as well as streets and squares. Unfortunately, only six houses were actually built so it is difficult now to imagine the overall layout. 
However, one street, a completed fragment of the "Walddorf estate", gives an idea of the rustic character of the individually designed small houses of grey chalky sandstone with their green window shutters. The gables and eaves face onto the street alternately; each house has a front and back garden.
The "Walddorf estate" kindled a desire in Osthaus for his own public housing project. The major enterprise "Garden City Emst" set itself the goal of building 2,500 reasonably priced housing units near the town. The project was launched in 1911 but failed for financial reasons.

Public entrance ist not allowed.