Tiergarten Regierungsviertel
Centre of Power
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Picture 1: View over Tiergarten with Federal Presidential Office and Schloss Bellevue Large picture
© BTM / Koch
Picture 4: The Federal Government's Press and Information Office at Night Large picture
© BTM / Koch |
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In recent years, the former "government quarter" in Tiergarten has once again become the political hub of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since the decision was taken to move the seat of government to Berlin, many new federal buildings have been constructed here. Embassies and consulates have also relocated to Tiergarten. The new federal buildings were conceived as a kind of ribbon stretching across the River Spree, connecting East and West. The entire complex is one kilometer in length, and it contains a variety of government and parliament buildings. At the eastern end of the ribbon, the Paul Löbe Building houses a variety of offices, conference rooms and functional areas that ensure the smooth running of Parliament. A bridge across the Spree connects the Paul Löbe Building to the Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Building, which contains the parliamentary library, the third-biggest in the world. Just beside the Reichstag is the Jakob Kaiser Building, which houses the Bundestag. Its architecture echoes and assimilates the forms of the historic Dorotheenstadt district in which it stands. Indeed, three older buildings are integrated into this complex: the Sommer Building; the Chamber of Technology; and the former Reichstag Presidential Palace, designed by Paul Wallot and now the seat of the German Parliamentary Society. Close to the parliamentary buildings, the Federal Government's Press and Information Office is now housed in a complex that combines restored historic edifices with an impressive new building. At the western end of the "ribbon of government" stands the Federal Chancellery, completed in 2001. Right beside it is the Swiss Embassy, a renovated former town palace with a modern extension. A little further north is a bend in the river, known as the "Spreebogen". Here we find the offices of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The building was completed in 1999, and incorporates the historic buildings of the old Bolle dairy, which now house a shopping arcade and several business premises. The two striking glass towers are visible from miles around. In the area between Stauffenbergstraße and Lichtensteinallee are a number of embassies. Some were built in the period around 1918, but most were constructed during the Nazi period, in typically monumental style. Many of these buildings were badly damaged during the war. The "Klingelhöfer Triangle" between the Landwehrkanal, Stülerstraße and Klingelhöferstraße has been completely redeveloped as an embassy sector. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland decided to build their embassies on one site in the Rauchstraße; the six buildings of the Nordic Embassies complex are enclosed by a turquoise-patinated façade, known as the "copper band". Each of these buildings has its own architectural character, however: the style of each embassy is intended to reflect the nature of the country it represents. The Mexican embassy, opened in 2000, is one of the most interesting pieces of contemporary architecture in Berlin. It has a façade of slim vertical concrete beams and a glass screen behind the entrance: The total effect is of dynamism combined with transparency. The official residence of the Federal President is Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace). Directly adjacent to it is the Federal Presidential Office, completed in 1998. An elliptical building with a dark granite façade, it provides an effective contrast to the light and airy baroque palace. |
| Tiergarten Regierungsviertel |
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Willy-Brandt-Straße 11011 Berlin-Tiergarten |
| Getting there |
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Berlin Hauptbahnhof: S5, S7, S75, S9 U55 120, 123, 147, 240, 245
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