Berliners' lives at home are heavily influenced by the homes themselves: their size, location (especially whether they are in the eastern or western sector), and when they were built or remodeled—for example, some older homes still lack modern plumbing. In turn, the homes of Berliners reflect the political and social changes that have altered the face of the city, not only since reunification but also since the beginning of World War I in 1914. For example, some wealthy Berliners want to remember the glories of the city in the nineteenth century— and forget the horrors of the twentieth—and so are restoring older homes in the style of the pre-World War I German empire.

Bauhaus Style

A housing shortage throughout Germany following World War I precipitated a large increase in residential construction, and many of Berlin's older homes are from this...