Not only in the Federal Republic was there lamentation over the "murdered city" and the "inhospitality of our cities." Even in East Berlin - which may come as a surprise given the seemingly dominant prefabricated buildings - alternatives to functionalist modernism emerged. In the 1970s and 80s, the concept of a "historic city" gained traction. With this, GDR architects and urban planners adopted an international urban planning guiding principle. As a result, some of the long-neglected Gründerzeit districts in the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg areas were renovated and adorned with new insignia of an imaginary urban history. At the same time, representative buildings were constructed in Nikolaiviertel, at the Platz der Akademie, and on Friedrichstrasse, which drew on historical architectural forms while using prefabricated concrete components. The book sharpens the focus on this.