new home. The face of the Federal Republic

The Neue Heimat built hundreds of thousands of apartments in the Federal Republic between 1947 and 1985, making it the largest housing construction company in Europe. Under the motto "We do everything," it also constructed universities, convention centers, and large hospitals. As a result, the company had a lasting impact on the urban and architectural landscape of the Federal Republic: it was both an expression and a reflection of West German social history. During the post-war reconstruction period and in the "golden age" between 1957 and 1973, the company embodied the hope for a better life for broad segments of the population—a hope that seemed to be realized in the economic miracle. The Neue Heimat was the flagship of the trade union's communal economy, conceived as an alternative to a strictly profit-driven capitalist economy. The concept was initially convincing.