Gartenstadt Luginsland, Untertürkheim

Untertürkheim east of Stuttgart on the Neckar is known to most people for the Benz Autowerken a car factory. Daimler AG has its main plant here. The company has concentrated the development, production and shipment of engines, transmissions and axles for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division at the Untertürkheim location. Also located in the main plant are the Daimler Group headquarters, parts of the Trucks division, the research and development unit.

On a hill above Untertürkheim, some 2 kilometres from the riverside car factory, Gartenstadt Luginsland can be found. Although Gartenstadt translates as Garden City, it is actually a Garden Village built to provide homes for the factory workers of the nearby car factory. The garden village however wasn't constructed by the company, but was built by a Collective Building Society called Gartenstadt Eigenes Heim (literally: Private Home Garden City) between 1913 and '33. After WW2 the garden village was extended on the westside in a much more conventional manner.

In an area of about 9 hectares, 400 dwellings were constructed. Most of these were owner occupied family houses, but 48 rental apartments for single people (men) were also included. The houses are detached, semidetached or have been built in short terraces. A café is situated at the entrance of the garden village on the main road from Untertürkheim to Fellbach. The same block also houses the apartments on the upper floors and some shops on the ground floor. Most people have a large garden, still a large complex of allotments was provided. The garden village also has its own church,  the Gartenstadtkirche, that doubled up as a community hall and a primary school. After WW2 a second church and a Kindergarten were built on either side of the old church.

The houses designed by Wacker and Schönagel are situated on curved streets and some closes. The whole garden village is in keeping with the Unwinesque principles of English examples. For visual interest the building line is staggered along the streets with buildings angled out at junctions. Most buildings have a similar roof line, only n the more densely built up streets the roofline varies. The streets know very few trees. There is however a central tree lined street that connects the entrance with a central garden square with a playground. Al the green is provided by front garden, especially where detached and semidetached properties dominate. The terraced housing has little to no front garden. The garden village is in parts therefore more urban than rural in character.

The garden village Luginsland nestles between two per-existing roads and was built on farmland called the Nägelsäcker. At the entrace we find the Gaststätte (G) a large building housing a café, shops and apartments. At the heart of the garden village is a small garden square (the Goldbergplatz - p). We also see typical closes (c), allotment gardens (A), a church (Gartestadtkirche - GK) and a primary school (s). Luginsland was developed as a complete society with all the amenities deemed necessary.

The houses have been built in a simple Swabian vernacular style, with tiled roofs, window shutters and rendered facades. The inhabitant take great pride in their gardens, which means that the garden village is still predominantly green and leafy in character. As all family houses are privately owned improvements have in some cases spoiled the cohesive original design. Especially extensions and replacement windows and doors are seldom in keeping with the garden village aesthetic. Apart from this the whole garden village is still very recognisable as a stylistic entity within the suburban sprawl north of Untertürkheim.