Reichssiedlung Rudolf Heß, Nazi architectural ensemble in Pullach, Germany
Reichssiedlung Rudolf Heß is a settlement of single- and two-family houses built 1936–1938 in Pullach, planned by Roderich Fick for Martin Bormann's staff. The plain houses with hipped roofs and strictly ordered facades are grouped around the central Staff Leader Building, a representative villa. Goethe's Garden House in Weimar served as the architectural model. A nursery, a drivers' yard with workshops and garages, and housing for drivers and household staff belonged to the complex.
Roderich Fick designed the settlement for Martin Bormann, head of the staff of the Führer's deputy, who chose Pullach; construction ran from 1936 to 1938 and the first residents moved in in 1938. Intended as a model estate for politically reliable "Aryan" families with at least two children, it was largely spared wartime damage, its houses given a dark camouflage paint. From 6 December 1947 the Organisation Gehlen used it, and from 1 April 1956 the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), which is only now vacating the site.
The settlement's name comes from Rudolf Heß, deputy to Hitler, whose staff was to be housed here; locals also call it Bormann-Siedlung or Siedlung Sonnenwinkel. Houses were assigned only to politically reliable "Aryan" families with at least two children, and walls between the plots kept neighbours apart. Goethe's Garden House in Weimar served as the architectural model for the gabled home ideal.
The ensemble lies in Pullach, south of Munich, and is still part of the BND property; around 68 hectares are being examined for privatisation. Access is not open to the public, so the site is not freely walkable. The listed buildings can be viewed from the surrounding streets.
The central Staff Leader Building once housed Martin Bormann and contained multiple assembly rooms, a music room, and a library alongside residential spaces. This building stood apart from the standardized houses surrounding it and was far more elaborate in design.
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