What was life like in a prefabricated housing estate in the GDR? Using Leipzig-Grünau as an example, the exhibition 'Platte. Life in large housing estates' tells a story of dream homes, neighbourhood life and change through personal stories, private photographs and mementoes.

'There was always something going on!' The Glatzels dancing in front of their apartment block at Brackestraße 44 – whether in the basement party room or outdoors in summer, neighbours in the Leipzig-Grünau estate enjoy celebrating together. The photograph is one of the exhibition’s most evocative images. It captures the spirit of many people who were allocated one of the highly sought-after new flats. Here, district heating replaced coal stoves, and private bathrooms as well as running hot water provided a level of comfort long desired by many people in the GDR.

Fifty years after the foundations of Leipzig-Grünau were laid, the exhibition at our museum explores the history of the 'Platte', the affectionate name given to these neighbourhoods, through the example of this housing estate. It looks at the early days in 'Mudsville', when the area was still a vast construction site, at the everyday lives of residents, and at the changes that followed after 1990.

Exhibits include the chronicle of a Grünau apartment block community from the 1980s, the wedding photograph of Gabriele and Michael Obst from 1984, and documents relating to the allocation of a flat to the Buchheim family.

The exhibition places Grünau’s history within the wider development of large housing estates in East and West Germany. It shows why the 'Platte' was initially regarded as a modern housing model, why many residents moved away after 1990, and why the flats are attracting renewed interest today amid housing shortages. It also introduces new housing concepts such as the 'nucleus living' model currently being tested by researchers in Leipzig-Grünau.

The exhibition is complemented by a comprehensive programme of talks, neighbourhood walks and book presentations. It is organised in cooperation with the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig.