The history of Saga is inextricably linked to the history of Hamburg. In the past 100 years since Saga was founded in 1922 on the initiative of Max Brauer in what was then still Prussian Altona, the housing company and the city itself have repeatedly had to overcome challenges. From the Weimar Republic to the Nazi era to the democratic Federal Republic, the prevailing social ideas and urban planning models can be seen in Saga's housing estates and developments. With more than 137,000 apartments and 1,400 commercial properties throughout Hamburg, Saga is now Germany's largest municipal housing company. The congenial duo of Lord Mayor Max Brauer and the building senator and Saga board member Gustav Oelsner shaped building with social and architectural standards until the Nazis brought the company into line. Seven years after the end of the war, all Saga properties had been rebuilt and 2,500 new apartments were under construction. Reconstruction was at the top of the agenda in the 1950s and 60s. From 1970 onwards, the neglected old buildings were rebuilt and Saga set new standards in social and cultural neighborhood work, such as with gatekeeper's lodges in large housing estates or neighborhood artists on the Veddel. Economically successful, socially responsible and climate-friendly - this is how Saga formulates its self-image as a major landlord, still works with renowned architectural firms today and is an important player in the "Alliance for Housing".  

www.saga.hamburg

Photos:

Andreas Bock
A Wolf

Museum der Arbeit, Ursula Becker-Mosbach
Museum der Arbeit, Günther Helm
www.shmh.de/de/museum-der-arbeit

(Published in CUBE Hamburg 03|22)