The GREEN CITADEL OF MAGDEBURG

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Background and Construction Period

The GREEN CITADEL OF MAGDEBURG, the name Friedensreich Hundertwasser chose for his architectural masterpiece, was officially inaugurated in a special ceremony that took place on 3rd October 2005. The eccentric artist and imaginative architect worked on the plans for his project in Magdeburg right up until shortly before his death in the year 2000.

The actual construction of the building designed by the Austrian artist and architect (1928 - 2000) proved to be a controversial topic that led to heated debates over a long period of time, with his plans for an “oasis for humanity and nature within a sea of rational houses” at the heart of the “concrete desert” of Magdeburg polarising the city’s residents.

Construction work on the Hundertwasser Building began in March 2004 and as each floor of the new attraction began to take shape, the voices criticising the artist and architect gradually faded away. Nevertheless, the architecture of the Hundertwasser Building has remained a controversial topic right up to the present day. Its controversy is, however, actually a good thing because it encourages us to do exactly what Friedensreich Hundertwasser wanted us to do, namely to reflect on the world in which we live, to give some thought to contemporary architecture and to share in the spirit of Hundertwasser, who spent his entire life advocating a truly balanced relationship between humans, nature and architecture.

A Building Full of Diversity

As a building for commercial and residential use, THE GREEN CITADEL OF MAGDEBURG enriches the city of contrasts and provides the Breiter Weg at the heart of the metropolis on the river Elbe with a colourful attraction that contributes towards Magdeburg’s wealth of art and culture. The building also provides the residents of Magdeburg and the city’s abundance of visitors with an individual environment to enjoy and explore, with features such as 55 apartments, courtyards that are open to the public and surrounded by attractive shops, restaurants and cafés and a small hotel with 42 rooms.