Florian Krieg and his book on the "Leipzig type"

Florian, what is the "Leipzig type" anyway?

These are specific type buildings from the GDR era, which in principle allowed various uses thanks to their very flexible floor plans, for example as administrative buildings, production buildings or residential homes. In most cases, the "Leipzig type" has five to six storeys, which are variable in length. There is a staircase at the top on the right and left, usually with an elevator. The curtain wall made of light metal has different color variations - so we know it in the typical yellow, red or green tones. In total, there are around 150 of them in Germany and Poland.

How did you come up with the idea of writing the book "Typ Leipzig"?

Through my architecture studies in Leipzig and by starting to look at the architecture in Leipzig. I then came into contact with Eastern modernism relatively quickly, and that's where my interest stuck.

Were you unfamiliar with GDR architecture?

I was already familiar with it - you learn about it during your studies. But the diversity and the quality behind it - also in terms of the individual buildings (if you take the Gewandhaus or the main post office in Leipzig, for example) - that was only taught superficially during my studies. Most people associate GDR architecture with prefabricated housing estates, but there is so much more.

How did the book come about?

It was more of a coincidence - I came into contact with a small publishing house at the book fair via several corners. They were very taken with the topic and were interested in publishing a book with me.

I worked on it for about a year before we published it. Then corona hit and the next book fair was canceled. That's why it was difficult to promote my book, because the topic makes it more of a niche product.

You can still find examples of "Typ Leipzig" in Poland today. Have you also been there to see the buildings?

Yes. The first examples of the "Leipzig type" were exported to Poland and later even built locally under license. Of course, there are lots of pictures of them on Instagram. I was in Szczecin, for example, where I took a look at some of the buildings. There's a bright red building in Szczecin, for example, which is now a hotel.

My plan was to do a whole tour of Poland, but unfortunately it wasn't possible due to corona. There is a list in the book of where they are still located. But that's by no means all of them, I now know of even more.

How did you research your book?

I used old GDR architecture guides and magazines to research the locations. I also know what the buildings look like from above. If I have a suspicion about a location, I often use Google Maps and Street View for my research.

I found a few things about Poland in the literature or in the archive, for example about the buildings in Katowice, which were the first to be exported. Other interested parties have also told me about locations. Once, for example, I was in Eberswalde and an elderly gentleman came up to me and said that there were two other buildings in Britz that I didn't know about. That's another way I always learn about new things.

Have you enjoyed the topic?

Very much. The plan is to continue with the GDR type buildings. Just as there is the "Leipzig type", there are a lot of type buildings from the GDR era - apart from the typical prefabricated buildings. School buildings, swimming pools, gymnasiums, industrial halls. Then we have the "Berlin type", the "Plauen type" ...

Are there many people who are interested in the topic? It's mostly our generation. My book was written without any political value. It's simply about the design, the formal language, the architecture, how something like this came about, what function and quality it still has today. After all, "Typ Leipzig" comes in many different colors, and its appearance is still very colorful and impressive today.