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Date : between 1998 and 2001
Material : Steel, Concrete, Glass
| Paul-Löbe-Haus
Item 3 on 5
Quarter(s)
Outdoor architecture
Area related
Berlin (Germany)
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| Description |  |
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The eastern end of the ribbon of federal buildings extends across the River Spree in the form of a parliamentary office block divided into two parts. A bridge over the river with staff and public levels connects Paul Löbe House with Marie-Elisabeth Lüders House. Both complexes were designed by Munich architect Stephan Braunfels.
Named after the last democratic President of the Reichstag, Paul Löbe House was occupied in July 2001. It houses 550 offices for MPs, 19 conference rooms, around 450 offices for parliamentary committees, the Bundestag information service for visitors, and a restaurant that is open to the public. A pedestrian subway connects Paul Löbe House with the Reichstag building.
The main entrance is situated at the western end below a vast protruding roof. From here the glazed hallway extends some 200 metres throughout the length of the building. It is flanked on the left and right by two comb-like, eight-storey blocks.
During the 19th century, the Alsen quarter located around the bend in the River Spree was a residential area for diplomats and the upper middle class. With the exception of the Swiss Embassy, which is now back in use, the entire area was demolished by the Nazis in the 1940s to make way for a massive hall four times the height of the Reichstag. The war, however, put an end to these megalomaniac plans.
Paul Löbe (1875-1967)
Social Democrat Paul Löbe was among the members of the National Assembly who drew up the Weimar Constitution. As a member of the Parliamentary Council he was closely involved in the elaboration of the German Basic Law in 1948/49. President of the Reichstag for many years, Paul Löbe became a symbol of democracy in the first German Republic.
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