This publication is featured on PiE in conjunction with the exhibition CHAUSSEE 36 Photography | Harf Zimmermann “So, what have we got here?”.

After WWII, Germany’s streets were defined by ‘firewalls’—the massive, rigid remains of bombed-out housing blocks. These walls, which once functioned as internal shields, were suddenly left standing alone, marking the spots where the fire stopped. Even today, they loom over vacant spaces, covered in a chaotic mix of bricked-up windows, bullet holes, and soot. While the massive renovations after the fall of the Berlin Wall whitewashed many of these ‘scars,’ the walls still act like a negative mold, revealing the haunting silhouette of what used to stand there.

Over a period of 15 years, Harf Zimmermann sought out these specific walls. This volume brings together examples found throughout Eastern Germany.