Difference between revisions of "Schwarzwohnen (GDR)"

{{infobox

  | nameofpractice = Schwarzwohnen

  | location = German Democratic Republic

  | imagemap = GDR map.png

  | imageflag = GDR flag.png

  | authorofpiece = Udo Grashoff

  | authorinstitution = School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London

}}

'''''Original Text: Udo Grashoff, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London'''''

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''Schwarzwohnen'' referred to illegal flat occupation in the German Democratic Republic. The literal meaning is ‘black (i.e. illegal) living’. The term denoted the undermining of the state allocation of housing by unsanctioned occupation, and thus effectively meant ‘squatting’ in the context of the East German communist regime.

A small minority of flat occupants rejected the term ''Schwarzwohnen'' because of the similar term ''Schwarzfahren'', which means fare dodging on public transport. Nevertheless, ''Schwarzwohnen'' was widely used in the GDR by ''Schwarzwohner'' (those illegally occupying the accommodation) and administration staff as well <ref>Udo Grashoff: Schwarzwohnen. Die Unterwanderung der staatlichen Wohnraumlenkung in der DDR, vr unipress, Goettingen 2011</ref>. Besides ''Schwarzwohnen'', other denominations were ''Leben im Abriss'' (living in teardown) and ''Wohnungsbesetzung'' (flat occupation). The latter term predominated in East Berlin, probably due to the proximity to the ''Hausbesetzerbewegung'' (squatter movement) in West Berlin. Also, in some parts of the GDR the term ''Erhaltungswohnen'' (maintenance habitation) was in use.

Despite the fact that ''Schwarzwohnen'' emerged at about the same time as the squatting movement in Western European countries such as Netherlands, Denmark and West Germany (1960s/early 1970s)<ref>Squatting Europe Kollective (ed.): Squatting in Europe: Radical Spaces, Urban Struggles, Minor Compositions, Wivenhoe/New York/Port Watson 2013</ref>, there were significant differences between the two concepts. ''Schwarzwohnen'' was closely linked to the forced administration of habitation in the post-war period (although a precursory term, ''Schwarzmieter'', can be traced back to the first years of Weimar Republic<ref>Karl Christian Fuehrer: Mieter, Hausbesitzer, Staat und Wohnungsmarkt. Wohnungsmangel und Wohnungszwangsbewirtschaftung in Deutschland 1914–1960, Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1995</ref>). From the 1950s the post-war emergency measure of forced administration of flats became permanent in the GDR (''Wohnraumlenkungsverordnung'', 1955 and 1967).

Living in a flat without state permission was considered an administrative offence in the GDR, because the state claimed the right to entirely determine the allocation of flats. In contrast, most ''Schwarzwohner'' had no sense of guilt in view of the inefficiency of the housing administration. From the late 1960s, the phenomenon of ''Schwarzwohnen'' could be observed in several East German towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants such as Berlin, Dresden, Halle, Jena, Leipzig, Rostock and Schwerin. The vacancy of flats was a consequence of the GDR’s extensive house-building programme. While new districts were built at the periphery, many town centres were left to decay. ''Schwarzwohnen'' occurred almost exclusively in older buildings. The living conditions in run-down flats under the roof or in the basement were poor. Students who lived ‘in teardown’ sometimes compared their situation to living in a shanty town. Single young people in particular had almost no chance to be allocated a flat. A large number of young Christians and students practised ''Schwarzwohnen'', but it was not limited to the youth. Divorced wives (including the future German chancellor Angela Merkel), shift workers, families with children and even pensioners illegally occupied flats as well.

==Notes==