Rotes Rathaus in Berlin

The Rotes Rathaus, or Red City Hall, is one of the major landmarks in Berlin's cityscape. It has hosted the local government from the middle of the 19th Century until the World War II and again after the reunification of the country. The imposing construction, which with its tower resembles the architecture of the Laon's Cathedral in France, was designed by the prominent architect Hermann Friedrich Waesemann in the style of Northern Italian High Renaissance and was built of the emblematic red bricks that gave the building its name. Today, the Rotes Rathaus houses the sessions of the government of the Federal State of Berlin, one of the 16 federal states in Germany. The present mayor of the city is Klaus Wowereit. The city hall is open to the public every day except weekends and entrance is free.

The Rotes Rathaus was inaugurated in 1869, only two years prior to the establishment of the German Empire. Following a comparatively short eight-year period of planning and construction works, during which a whole Medieval quarter was demolished, the Berlin mayor at that time assumed possession of the new dwelling in the end of 1869. During the World War II the Rotes Rathaus suffered significant damages that necessitated complete renovation of the building between 1951 and 1956. As it remained in the Soviet sector after the post-war division of Berlin, the Rotes Rathaus served as a seat of the mayor of East Berlin until the reunification. The new united Berlin government occupied the city hall again in 1991 and continues to reign the city from here up to present day. Apart from being one of the most important political institutions in the German capital, the Rotes Rathaus is undoubtedly a spot of architectural and cultural interest with its four storeys and even rows of round arch openings that give the construction a fortress-like appearance. Of course, the highlight of the structure is the 74-metre tall tower rising high in the skies above the surrounding buildings.