The Berlin Wall as a Heterotopian Site: Reflections on the Topology of the Wall as a Tourist Landmark
The Berlin Wall as a Heterotopian Site: Reflections on the Topology of the Wall as a Tourist Landmark
by
Abstract
The Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas visited Berlin in the summer of 1971. Since then, he famously proclaimed that his encounter with the Berlin Wall at that time was his very first psychological confrontation with the powerful side of architecture. The Berlin Wall seemed to invert all of his expectations and perceptions of reality (Boyer 2008, 65). This powerful encounter made him affirm a well-known maxim: “Where there is nothing, everything is possible; where there is architecture, nothing (else) is possible” (Boyer 2008, 65, Koolhaas 1995).
Published in
Licensing Information
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non–Commercial No Derivatives License which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of the Publisher must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
