… The incandescent lamp factory is not to remain in operation. From 1887, AEG acquired the land south of Berlin's Humboldthain public park. Brunnenstraße, Voltastraße, Wattstraße, Hussitenstraße and Ackerstraße are among the best-known street names in “AEG-Stadt”. The managers, plant managers, electrical engineers, commercial managers and sales experts who shaped today's AEG Industrial Engineering Aktiengesellschaft grew up with these plants and production facilities here in “AEG-Stadt”. Until 25 years ago, the father of one or two young electrical engineers at AEG IE AG still went to work here day in, day out.
In his novel “Berlin Alexanderplatz”, published in 1929, Alfred Döblin tells the story of wage laborer Franz Biberkopf's foray through AEG-Stadt:
"From the square go off the large Brunnenstrasse, which leads north, the AEG, lies on it on the left in front of the Humboldthain. AEG is a huge company which, according to the 1928 telephone directory, includes Elektrische Licht- und Kraftanlagen Zentralverwaltung, NW 40, Friedrich-Karl-Ufer 2-4, Ortsverkehr, Fernverkehr Amt Norden 4488, Direktion, Pförtner, Bank Elektrischer Werte A.G., Department for Lighting Fixtures, Russia Department, Oberspree Metal Works Department, Treptow Apparatus Factories, Brunnenstrasse Factories, Hennigsdorf Factories, Factory for Insulating Materials, Rheinstrasse Factory, Oberspree Cable Works, Transformer Factory, Wilhelminenhofstrasse, Rummelsburger Chaussee, Turbine Factory NW 87, Huttenstrasse 12-16."
(Alfred Döblin, Berlin Alexanderplatz. The story of Franz Biberkopf. Second book)
<< Back
