The history of West Berlin: Jürgen Henschel's view of the Cold War, activism and invasive urban redevelopment

The history of West Berlin by the eyes of Jürgen Henschel

The exhibition "West Berlin in focus: photographs by Jürgen Henschel" offers a unique view of the history of the city from the perspective of a committed Berlin citizen. Jürgen Henschel, a former Wehrmacht soldier and prisoner of war, became a passionate pacifist and was involved in demonstrations, political party work in both parts of Berlin and documented the invasive city conversion with his camera.
From 1967 Henschel worked as a press photographer for the party magazine "The Truth" of the "Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin" (SEW). Although the SEW was a communist party for the western part of the city, it was very important politically and was financed and guided by the GDR state party SED.
The exhibition presents Henschel's photos that capture the zeitgeist of the shared city. They show the dust of the demolition between decaying facades, the social effects of wall construction, mass demonstrations and home occupations, controversial highway construction as well as the monotony of the social housing construction declared as "modern".
The exhibition is particularly interesting because it presents the perspective of a committed citizen who has experienced the effects of the Cold War and various sociopolitical ideas up close. It offers visitors the opportunity to better understand the historical context of West Berlin and to explore the diverse facets of city history.
According to a report by www.berlin.de