Belle Epoque - Berlin: Mitte

Germany

Berlin-Mitte

Paul Thoemer, Rudolf Mönnich, Otto Schmalz
Stadtgericht Mitte (Law Courts, 1904)
Littenstraße

Building of five floors, once with a length of 220 m (241 yards) the second largest building of Berlin after the castle. In 1968 it has been decimated dramatically to enlarge the Grunerstraße. Until 1990 seat of the highest GDR tribunal, now Land- und Amtsgericht Mitte (lower and superior district court of Mitte).

Georg Lewy
Business House Tietz Bros. (1906)
Klosterstraße 64

Kurt Berndt/August Endell
Hackesche Höfe (The Hacke Courtyards, 1907)

Outside the Spandauer Tor (the Spandau Gate), until about 1730, the Spandauer Vorstadt (the Spandau suburb) was located; when the Prussian king ordered to build a new and larger wall around Berlin, this suburb was suddenly located inside these walls, so the old fortifications were destroyed and the town commander, Count of Hacke, built a new market instead.
By the end of the XIX^th century, due to a favourable economic development, the quarter became a good address. Consequently, the old buildings were destroyed and instead, a big complex of eight courtyards was built, the biggest of this kind in Europe. Then and now, in this complex can be found a mixture of apartments, restaurants, shops and workshops.

The front side Rosenthaler Straße 40/41 and the backside Sophienstraße

Courtyard N^o 1: Front decoration by August Endell

Im Treppenhaus, Hackesche Höfe Filmtheater, court 1, entrance Filmtheater und Variete

Johannes Vollmer
S-Bahn Station Hackescher Markt (Hacke Market, 1882)

The only S-Bahn station of Berlin which is still in its original state, besides the interiors which have been renovated in a non-historical way, with a richly decorated front to the market place side.

Johann Hoeniger
Ancient Boys' School of the Jewish Parish (1906)
Große Hamburger Straße 27

Three-winged construction with three floors and an asymmetric front. In 1931, it was united with a girls' school, so in 1934 there were more than thousand pupils. In 1942, the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (the highest terror authority uniting the Gestapo, the SD and the SS) gave the order to clear the area. For some months, the fascists used it as assembly camp for the Jews of Berlin to be deported. After World War II, it was used by the local vocational school. In 1993, however, the building has finally given back to the Jewish Parish which uses it now as secondary school.

Carl Schwatlo
Former Stagecoach Office (1881)
Oranienburger Straße/Tucholskystraße

Louis Lachmann (1860-1910) & Zauber
Former Department Store Jandorf (1904)
Brunnenstraße/Veteranenstraße

WMF (Wuerttemberg Metalware Factory, 1905)
Leipziger Str. 112/Mauerstr. 12

Otto Michaelsen (1872-1929?)
Red Eagle Hotel and Commercial Building (1903-07)
Charlottenstraße 77

The fresco shows Hermes, protector of the travelers and god of commerce, symbol of the commercial spirit within the German empire; on the left side is Charlemagne, founder of the first, on the right side Emperor William I, founder of the second German empire. Between them, St. George kills the dragon, symbol of the "hereditary enemy"; below is the coat of arms, the imperial eagle.

Courtyards
Alte Jakobstr. 85-86/Neue Grünstr. 18