The Biedermeier period was marked by industrialization and subsequent urbanization that led to the growth of a new middle class in central Europe. Industrialization produced a new and more pronounced divide between home and work life. Additionally, industrialization drew people to urban centers and ownership of homes began to decline (a trend that continues today in Germany where most germans rent rather than own). With the exception of Bourgeoisie households, most Germans at this time suffered from notably poor living conditions. Agricultural workers lived in barns or sheds and city workers lived in cramped apartments, cellars, attics or dilapidated row homes [1].
[1]Kitchen, M.(2012). A history of modern Germany, 1800 to the present. Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books/about/A_History_of_Modern_Germany.html?id=jz9E7jxn8boC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q=housing&f=false