During World War II, Dessau was an administrative and industrial center. In 1934, employees flooded into the city to produce supplies for the German Luftwaffe. There was an immediate need for additional housing and thus barracks were swiftly constructed on the west side of the city. These structures would later be used to house forced laborers. In the suburbs, dethatched houses and row houses also began to emerge. In the mid-1930s there was also a shift to multi-family homes out of economic necessity. During this time, Dessau was seen as the city with the largest residence construction during the period, due largely to its role as an industrial center [1]. As an industrial city, periods of wartime and economic growth were peaks of prosperity and growth in population and housing in Dessau.
[1]Kähler, G. (n.d.). The path of modernism : architecture 1900-1930 : from the World Heritage of Wrocłow to that of Dessau.
