Berliner Asylverein für Obdachlose
A Berlin charitable association that operated shelters for homeless people from 1868 until 1931, most notably the Wiesenburg complex.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Berliner Asylverein für Obdachlose, commonly rendered in English as the Berlin Homeless Shelter Association, was a voluntary charitable association established in Berlin in 1868. It emerged during a period when Berlin was expanding rapidly as an industrial metropolis and absorbing large numbers of migrants. Housing construction failed to keep pace with population growth, leaving many people to sleep in streets, attics, sheds, cheap lodging houses and improvised dwellings. Seasonal migration intensified the problem in winter, while poverty, illness, exploitation and contact with the criminal justice system made homelessness a major urban concern. The association represented a reformist response to the idea that homelessness should be managed primarily through police custody, compulsory labour or religious discipline. Its supporters argued that people without accommodation should receive practical shelter and humane treatment. The organisation was founded by politically and socially engaged Berlin citizens and was initially led by banker Gustav Thölde. Its membership included prominent figures from civic, industrial, religious, medical and political life, among them August Borsig, Friedrich Kochhann, Friedrich Gustav Lisco, Rudolf Virchow, Paul Singer and police chief Lothar von Wurmb. The association’s socially broad support included affluent citizens, liberal Jewish donors and some workers and Social Democrats. Its first major priority was a women’s shelter. In December 1868 it rented a former artillery workshop at the corner of Dorotheenstraße and Wilhelmstraße, providing beds with sprung mattresses for approximately 60 people. A men’s shelter followed in 1873 at Büschungstraße 4 and was administered by Paul Singer. The association’s facilities quickly became heavily used: it recorded approximately 105,000 stays in 1876 and roughly 2.5 million stays by the end of 1892. The organisation’s defining project was the large shelter constructed in Wiesenstraße in Gesundbrunnen. Completed in 1896, the 12,000-square-metre site was designed to accommodate about 700 men. The complex became popularly known as Die Wiesenburg. Architects Georg Toebelmann and Otto Schnock designed a facility with dormitories, dining areas, bathing and washing facilities, a library, disinfection and laundry provision, central heating, its own water supply and electricity generation. The site was deliberately separated from surrounding streets and included a private access road, partly reflecting earlier neighbourhood opposition to shelters for poor people. The Wiesenburg differed from many contemporary state and church institutions. Residents were not compelled to work or attend religious services, could remain anonymous, and were not subjected to routine police entry. Until the First World War, overnight guests generally received evening soup and bread and morning coffee with a bread roll. By 1906, the complex had been expanded to provide 882 places for men and 400 for women, and it hosted more than 300,000 overnight stays annually. Its users included homeless people, migrant workers, seasonal labourers and domestic servants. The association’s finances depended on donations, legacies, foundations, bequests and charitable events. Its large membership and prominent social supporters allowed it to operate for decades, but wartime disruption and postwar economic pressures weakened it. During the First World War, the women’s shelter was occupied by a canned-goods producer supplying the army. After the war, commercial activity expanded on parts of the site, while some areas housed Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In 1924, the SUM-Vergaser-Gesellschaft used the women’s shelter for carburettor production. The association reorganised in 1926 and reopened the men’s shelter with state financial assistance. That assistance came with requirements modelled on state institutions, including the abandonment of the former anonymity and independence of the shelter. Funding ended in 1931 during the global financial crisis, and the association’s shelter operations ceased. In 1933, the National Socialist People’s Welfare organisation requisitioned the association’s assets. The Wiesenburg site subsequently acquired industrial, residential, artistic and cultural uses, while much of the original shelter fabric survived. The former complex is now associated with heritage conservation, studios, workshops, housing and community activity rather than with the original association itself.
History
The association was created in 1868 by members of the Friedrichs-Werdeschen-Bezirksverein against the background of Berlin’s explosive industrial and demographic growth. The city attracted workers, migrants and seasonal labourers faster than housing could be built. Homeless people faced exposure, disease, exploitation and police intervention, while other shelters often imposed labour or religious requirements. The association’s early leaders came from Berlin’s civic elite, but its membership also included less affluent citizens and Social Democrats. Banker Gustav Thölde chaired the organisation until 1910. Among its supporters were industrialist August Borsig, city councillor Friedrich Kochhann, chaplain Friedrich Gustav Lisco, physician Rudolf Virchow, factory owner and socialist Paul Singer, and police chief Lothar von Wurmb. Liberal Jewish Berliners were particularly important supporters, although the association also encountered antisemitic hostility in public fundraising. Its first shelter was a women’s facility opened in a rented former artillery workshop in December 1868. It initially offered approximately 60 metal beds with sprung mattresses. A men’s shelter followed in 1873 at Büschungstraße 4 under Paul Singer’s administration. Demand was substantial: the association recorded 105,000 stays in 1876 and around 2.5 million by the end of 1892. The association’s most important building was the Wiesenburg in Gesundbrunnen, completed in 1896. The 12,000-square-metre complex accommodated roughly 700 men and was designed by Georg Toebelmann and Otto Schnock. It included dormitories, a dining hall, warm baths and showers, laundry and disinfection facilities, a library, running water, electric lighting, central heating and its own water and power infrastructure. The facility’s location beside the Panke canal and Berlin Ringbahn, with a private access road and garden, reduced immediate contact with neighbouring streets. Wiesenburg’s rules distinguished it from church and state shelters. Guests did not have to work or attend religious services, could remain anonymous, and were not subject to routine police access. The association provided simple food with overnight accommodation. By 1906, expansion had created 882 male and 400 female places, with more than 300,000 overnight stays in a typical year. The complex also served migrant workers, harvest labourers and domestic servants. The organisation relied on membership dues, donations, legacies, foundations, bequests and fundraising events. The First World War disrupted this model. A canned-goods company occupied the women’s shelter, and postwar commercial and residential uses spread across the site. Some rooms accommodated Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In 1924, SUM-Vergaser-Gesellschaft began manufacturing carburettors there. The association reorganised in 1926 and reopened the men’s shelter with public funding. The state required rules similar to those in official shelters, ending the former anonymity of residents and reducing the association’s independence. State support stopped in 1931 during the world financial crisis, and the shelter closed. In 1933, the National Socialist People’s Welfare organisation seized the association’s assets. Industrial tenants later included firms connected with wartime production, and parts of the site were damaged by bombing in 1944–45. After the war, companies and bombed-out families occupied surviving buildings. In the 1980s, heritage authorities prevented a proposed high-rise development and protected the Wiesenburg. Artists and craftspeople gradually repaired and occupied parts of the complex. The site became known for studios, workshops, performances, educational work and its overgrown garden. It was also used as a film location, including for works associated with Fritz Lang, Fritz Weiss, Volker Schlöndorff, Hans Fallada adaptations and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Following a legal dispute, ownership was confirmed as belonging to the Berlin state and transferred to degewo in 2014. Safety concerns led to repeated closure proposals in 2015, prompting tenant protests and negotiations. Degewo agreed to involve tenants and local civic groups in planning. New housing was built on part of the former garden, with 102 flats completed in 2021. The remaining historic areas have been planned for renovation and continued cultural, educational, craft and social use.
- 2021
New housing completed
[1]Construction on the former garden area produced 102 flats.
- 2014
Wiesenburg transferred to degewo
[1]The Berlin state transferred the historic property to its municipal housing company.
- 1931
Shelter closed
[1]The withdrawal of state funding during the global financial crisis ended the association’s shelter operations.
- 1926
Men’s shelter reopened with state support
[1]The reorganised association resumed operations, but public funding imposed state-shelter rules.
- 1906
Shelter capacity expanded
[1]The complex reached 882 places for men and 400 for women.
- 1896
Wiesenburg completed
[1]The purpose-built Gesundbrunnen shelter opened with space for approximately 700 men.
- 1873
Men’s shelter established
[1]A men’s facility opened at Büschungstraße 4 under Paul Singer’s administration.
- 1868
Association founded
[1]Members of the Friedrichs-Werdeschen-Bezirksverein established the association in Berlin.
- 1868
First women’s shelter opened
[1]The association rented a former artillery workshop and prepared accommodation for approximately 60 people.
Products and positioning
A civic, donation-funded and comparatively humane alternative to police custody, compulsory labour shelters and institutions requiring religious participation. Its operating model emphasised temporary accommodation, anonymity, hygiene and practical assistance.
Emergency accommodation · 1868
Women’s shelter
The association’s first facility, opened in a rented former artillery workshop in December 1868. It initially offered approximately 60 beds and formed the starting point for the organisation’s practical shelter programme for women without accommodation.
Emergency accommodation · 1873
Men’s shelter
Opened in 1873 at Büschungstraße 4 and later incorporated into the association’s larger shelter programme. It provided overnight accommodation and basic food without compulsory labour or religious attendance.
Shelter complex · 1896
Wiesenburg
The association’s landmark purpose-built shelter in Wiesenstraße, completed in 1896. Its facilities included dormitories, dining spaces, baths, showers, laundry and disinfection rooms, a library, running water, electric lighting, central heating and technical infrastructure.
Marketing campaigns
- 1896Wiesenburg construction appeal
Berlin
Donations, including substantial support from Dr Moritz Gerson, financed construction of the large Wiesenstraße shelter.
Outcome. The complex was completed after approximately one year of construction and became the association’s principal facility.
- 1868Public appeal for shelter donations
Berlin
The association appealed to Berlin residents to join, donate and support the creation of a women’s shelter.
Outcome. The appeal supported the opening of the first facility in December 1868.
Brand decisions
2014
Transfer of Wiesenburg ownershipOtherBackground
A lengthy dispute concerned the legal succession and ownership of the historic shelter property.
Action taken
The courts determined that the property belonged to the Berlin state, which transferred it to municipal housing company degewo.
Aftermath
Degewo became responsible for safety measures, redevelopment and discussions with the site’s cultural and community tenants.
1926
Reopen the men’s shelter with state assistanceStrategyBackground
Postwar financial difficulties had interrupted the association’s work, and commercial uses had spread across parts of the former shelter site.
Action taken
The association reorganised and resumed men’s shelter operations using state financial support.
Aftermath
The state required rules resembling official shelters, ending visitor anonymity and limiting the association’s former independence. Funding ended in 1931.
Recent events
- 2021
Housing completed on former Wiesenburg garden site[1]
Other
Degewo completed 102 flats on the former garden area, while the remaining historic structures continued toward renovation and cultural reuse.
- 2015
Tenants protest threatened Wiesenburg closures[1]
Other
Artists, craftspeople and other tenants protested the proposed closure of parts of the complex on safety grounds. Degewo subsequently stated that tenants would be involved in reconstruction planning, and a later closure of studios and workshops was reversed.
- 2014
Wiesenburg ownership transferred to degewo[1]
Other
After a prolonged legal dispute over succession, the Berlin state transferred the historic site to its municipal housing company degewo.
- 1931
Association shelter operations end after loss of state funding[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Funding was withdrawn during the global financial crisis, bringing the association’s shelter operations to a permanent halt.
- 1896
Wiesenburg shelter opens in Gesundbrunnen[1]
Other
A purpose-built complex opened in Wiesenstraße with accommodation for approximately 700 men and advanced sanitary and technical facilities.
- 1868
Berlin Homeless Shelter Association founded[1]
Other
Berlin citizens formed the association to provide a civic response to homelessness outside police custody and compulsory institutional systems.
Sources1 sources
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