Onkel Toms Hütte (Berlin U-Bahn)
Encyclopedia
Onkel Toms Hütte is a Berlin U-Bahn
station located in the Zehlendorf
district. Since December 12, 2004 it is served by the line.
, and was placed in service on December 22, 1929 as the centre of the modernist Onkel Toms Hütte housing estate
, built between 1926 and 1932 by architects Bruno Taut
, Hugo Häring
and others. Two strip mall
s and a small cinema were added in 1932.
The area was named after United States
author and anti-slavery advocate Harriet Beecher Stowe
's 1853 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
. In 1885 a local landlord named Thomas opened a public house at the southern rim of the Grunewald
forest and installed several small huts in his beer garden
to shelter his guests from the rain. These huts were referred to as "Tom's Cabins", which reminded many of the famous book. Over the years the estate, the station, even the cinema and the Onkel-Tom-Straße took on the name as well. The pub was finally demolished in 1979.
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
station located in the Zehlendorf
Zehlendorf (Berlin)
Zehlendorf is a locality within the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin. Before Berlin's 2001 administrative reform Zehlendorf was a borough in its own right, consisting of the locality of Zehlendorf as well as Wannsee, Nikolassee and Dahlem...
district. Since December 12, 2004 it is served by the line.
History
The station was designed by Alfred GrenanderAlfred Grenander
Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander, , was one of the most prominent architects during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn in the first half of the twentieth century....
, and was placed in service on December 22, 1929 as the centre of the modernist Onkel Toms Hütte housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
, built between 1926 and 1932 by architects Bruno Taut
Bruno Taut
Bruno Julius Florian Taut , was a prolific German architect, urban planner and author active during the Weimar period....
, Hugo Häring
Hugo Häring
Hugo Häring was a German architect and architectural writer best known for his writings on "organic architecture", and as a figure in architectural debates about functionalism in the 1920s and 1930s, though he had an important role as an expressionist architect.A student of the great Theodor...
and others. Two strip mall
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
s and a small cinema were added in 1932.
The area was named after United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and anti-slavery advocate Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
's 1853 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
. In 1885 a local landlord named Thomas opened a public house at the southern rim of the Grunewald
Grunewald
Grunewald is a locality within the Berliner borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Famous for the homonymous forest, until 2001 administrative reform it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf.-Geography:The locality is situated in the western side of the city and is separated from...
forest and installed several small huts in his beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
to shelter his guests from the rain. These huts were referred to as "Tom's Cabins", which reminded many of the famous book. Over the years the estate, the station, even the cinema and the Onkel-Tom-Straße took on the name as well. The pub was finally demolished in 1979.