Where the Rich Live: Mapping Villa Neighborhoods and Cultures of Wealth in Germany's Long Twentieth Century (RichMap)
Research department: Contemporary History and Archive
Project Leader within IRS: Prof. Dr. Kerstin Brückweh PD Dr. Eva Maria Gajek
Consortium: Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (Coordination) Leibniz-Centre for Contemporary History Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies German Historical Institute London European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) University of Sheffield Queen Mary, University of London University of Melbourne Polytechnic University of Turin Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences Free University of Berlin Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg University of Potsdam University of Erfurt Technical University of Munich Berlin University of Technology Foundation House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany Brandenburgische Gesellschaft für Kultur und Geschichte
Funding Organization: Leibniz Association
Duration: 05/2025 - 04/2028
"Tell me where you live, and I'll tell you who you are." This saying sums up the close connection between where you live and your social status. While poverty-stricken neighbourhoods have been extensively researched, the question of where the wealthy live in Germany and why remains largely unanswered. Mansion districts, often referred to as "good addresses," embody exclusivity and social prestige. But how do such privileged spaces come into being? How do they manage to maintain this status over decades? Why do some mansion districts lose their significance, and how do some manage to regain their reputation after political and social upheavals – especially in eastern Germany after 1989?
The research project "RichMap – Where the Rich Live", funded as part of the Leibniz Competition in the Cooperative Excellence funding line and led by Prof. Dr. Kerstin Brückweh and PD Dr. Eva Maria Gajek at the IRS, is dedicated to these questions. It examines the emergence, development and transformation of villa districts in Germany during the long 20th century. The focus is not only on the spatial distribution of wealth, but also on the cultural and social dynamics that contribute to certain neighbourhoods remaining established as exclusive residential addresses, losing their status and regaining it. A central research approach of RichMap is therefore to analyse the interactions between social perception and economic developments. The project is based on the assumption that villa districts are not only material spaces, but also symbolic places whose social significance is shaped by public discourse and narratives. However, these perceptions influence not only the identity of a neighbourhood, but also, in very concrete terms, market prices and the economic value of real estate, thereby reinforcing social inequality.
A methodological innovation of the project is the use of so-called "thick maps". These digital maps combine quantitative data, historical documents and personal narratives. In addition, the project relies on citizen science to integrate local perspectives. The experiences and perceptions of residents and city dwellers are incorporated into the analysis in order to paint a differentiated picture of the social construction of villa districts. The project is being carried out in close cooperation with the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History (ZZF), the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), the German Historical Institute London (DHI), the Technical University of Berlin and the European University Viadrina. It is embedded in an international network of scholars from the fields of history, sociology, geography, information technology, cartography, architecture, monument preservation, political science and ethnography.