Between 1947 and 1985, Die Neue Heimat built hundreds of thousands of apartments in the Federal Republic of Germany, making it the largest housing construction company in Europe. Operating under the motto "We do everything," it also constructed universities, conference centers, and large hospitals. As a result, the company had a lasting impact on the urban and architectural landscape of the Federal Republic: it was both a reflection and expression of West German social history. During the post-war reconstruction period and the "golden age" between 1957 and 1973, the company embodied the hope for a better life for broad segments of the population—a hope that seemed to materialize in the economic miracle. Die Neue Heimat was the flagship of the trade union communal economy, envisioned as an alternative to a strictly profit-driven capitalist economy. The concept was initially convincing.