Sotsgorod: Cities for Utopia () is a 1996 Dutch documentary film about the Western European architects who were invited by the Soviet Union to construct “socialist cities” in Siberia during the late 1920s and early 30s. The film draws on interviews of some of the last survivors of this time, including Jan Rutgers (of the Kuzbass Autonomous Industrial Colony), Margarete Lihotzky (Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky of the Ernst May group), and Philipp Tolziner (of the “Bauhaus Brigade”). The film also utilizes letters, articles, and lectures written by those who have already died, including Hans Schmidt, Mart Stam, Johannes van Loghem, and Ernst May. Additionally, the film follows the daily lives of contemporary residents of Magnitogorsk, Orsk, Novokuznetsk, and Kemerovo.
Historical background
After the revolution of 1917, the Soviet Union implemented its first Five Year Plan of rapid industrialization. The tremendous natural resources found in Siberia, including lumber, coal and iron, made this region a hotspot for mining, foundries, and factories. In order to house the influx of industrial workers, the Communist party planned to finance the construction of "new socialist cities", or “Sotsgorods”. Such cities were meant to be a worker's utopia: modern, efficient, and practical, but also harmonious, clean, and pleasant. Wary of contemporary Soviet architects, whether for political or practical reasons, the Communist party invited several Western European architects, mostly German and Dutch, to build these cities in the late 1920s and early 30s. For a number of reasons, these architects left their established careers for Siberia. Some believed in socialist ideals and thought that they were making an essential contribution to the workers' struggle; others were seizing upon an unheard of opportunity to apply their design philosophies and spatial theories to entire cities; others simply wished to escape the regularity of their work in Europe. Ultimately, they collectively constructed approximately twenty cities in Soviet Siberia.
During the early years of their stay, they were treated with respect, having been given privileged statuses and preferential housing. However, as the years went on, the architects encounter various frustrations and find progress to be slow and cumbersome. By the time World War II broke out, the Soviet government's attention and priorities shifted away from the development of these cities and towards the battlefront, leaving some cities only half-built while tearing down others for much needed resources like iron for weapons. The architects, most of whose passports were on the verge of expiring, were given the option to either return to Western Europe or stay and become Soviet citizens. Today, although many have died, their creations still stand. Cities like Magnitogorsk and Orsk continue to be major industrial centers of the Russian Federation.
Summary
Sotsgorod: Cities for Utopia opens with a staged scene at a train station in Moscow. The loudspeaker calls out arrivals, departures, and destinations, with cities like Magnitogorsk and Orsk among those listed. One by one, the film reveals background information of its starring architects and reveals their reasons for accepting the Soviet Union's invitation to move to Siberia. This includes Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky, who was a Frankfurt architect of the Ernst May group that left for Siberia in order to escape the monotony of her job. Her career already entailed socialist ideals, such as constructing kitchens that could rationalize and scientifically promote the functionality of housekeeping. Hannes Meyer, on the other hand, was sacked from his post as Director of the Bauhaus in August 1930 due his communist sympathies. He moved to Moscow later the same year.