Award-winning master's thesis on monument protection in Berlin

The topic of the thesis she submitted is "The L'Aiglon Cinema and Hotel in Berlin-Wedding: Analysis of a 1950s building ensemble with proposals for its subsequent use in line with its status and as a listed building".

Danica Petrović is 25 years old. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Architecture at Belgrade University, the young Serbian student's interest in existing buildings and methods of building research led her to BTU, where she began her Master's degree in Architecture in 2021. She received a study scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD.

Alongside her studies, Danica Petrović worked as a research assistant on the project "Buildings of the Occupation in West Germany, 1945-1955", funded by the German Research Foundation. She wrote her Master's thesis as part of this project, which has been based at the Architectural Conservation chair since April 2022 and runs until 2027. She was supported in her research by project manager Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Johanna Blokker, Chair of Architectural Conservation, and Prof. Ilija Vukorep, Chair of Digital Design Methods. The State Monuments Office is planning to publish a video about the prizewinners' theses.

Danica Petrović has stayed in Cottbus. After completing her studies, she now works in an Architecture and Engineering office in Guben, where she supervises projects for the preservation of monuments in the state of Brandenburg. Her commitment to monument conservation is also reflected in her leadership of the Emerging Professionals working group of ICOMOS Germany (International Council on Monuments and Sites). There, she and her team plan events and conferences for young professionals in the field of Architectural Conservation and building research, such as the workshop "Socialist Architecture in the Typological Development of East German Cities" last year in cooperation with the Chair of Architectural Conservation at BTU.

Study prize of the Berlin State Monuments Office

Since 2021, the Berlin State Monument Office's study award has been recognizing and funding the study of Berlin's monument landscape at universities and colleges. The prize is awarded annually to up to three bachelor's or master's theses and is endowed with 1,000 euros. Students at all universities and universities of applied sciences in Germany and abroad from the chairsHistory of Art, Architectural Conservation, Restoration, Architecture, Garden Architecture, Archaeology and far beyond are eligible to enter. The only decisive factor is the thematic focus of the thesis.