Berlin's 'Parrot Settlement' Poised for UNESCO World Heritage Status Amid Ongoing Conflicts
The Zehlendorf Forest Settlement, known as the 'Parrot Settlement' for its colorful facades, is expected to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site as an extension of the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates. Built starting in 1926 by architects Bruno Taut, Hugo Häring, and Otto Rudolf Salvisberg, the settlement was designed as affordable housing for working-class families with green spaces and community-oriented layouts. However, it has faced conflicts from its inception, including opposition from wealthy locals who feared 'communist rabble' and the 1928 'Zehlendorf Roof War' between flat-roof modernists and pitched-roof conservatives. Today, a new conflict has emerged between heritage conservation and climate protection, as a cooperative tests a geothermal heating system in the historic buildings. The UNESCO decision is expected by Monday, July 27, 2026, at the latest.
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