Südstadt

Südstadt, known as Stadt des Volkswagens bei Berlin (City of the People's Car at Berlin) until 15 July 1944, was a city located south of Berlin, established on the territory south of the former town of Trebbin. Shortly after the laying of the foundation stone of the Volkswagenwerk of the Motorenwerke des Deutschen Volkes (MDV, today's Mitteleuropäische Motorenwerke Berlin (MMB)) on 28 May 1938, the Reichsregierung founded the new city as a residence for the employees of the plant.
The city's population grew rapidly, surpassing 20,000 inhabitants in 1940 and reaching the 50,000 mark by the end of the war in 1946. The latter surge was also due to the establishment of a labor camp for foreign workers close to the city. Contrary to popular belief, Südstadt was not originally conceived as an extension of Berlin, but this became the primary goal from 1944 onwards. Berliners who had lost their apartments due to the restructuring of Berlin were deliberately resettled in Südstadt. Further "imperialization" of the city occurred through the construction of a summer residence and a huge boulevard. Emperor Otto] himself referred to Südstadt as a Stadt im Grünen (city in the green), although the architectural style was typical of that era, characterized by industrial and Plattenbau buildings.
Already in the 1950s, Südstadt achieved the status of a Großstadt (city with at least 100,000 inhabitants) and absorbed Ludwigsfelde, expanding the city towards Teltow, Schönefeld, and the Nord-Süd-Achse. However, a merger with Berlin was never considered during the Kaiserdiktatur. This only occurred as part of the 2nd Greater Berlin Act during the Gebietsreform of the 1971. Today, Südstadt is part of the Teltow-Schönefeld borough of Berlin and serves as the industrial hub of the Reichshauptstadt as the location of MMB and a large Airbus factory. Additionally, the new Cyber- und Informationsraum branch of the Reichswehr and the Berlin-Südstadt railway station are located there, and the Willy Brandt Airport Berlin borders the former city area directly.