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Date : between 1998 and 2001
Material : Concrete, Steel, Glass
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Quarter(s)
Outdoor architecture (Building)
Area related
Berlin (Germany)
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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.
The Marie-Elisabeth Lüders House contains the parliamentary library and the Bundestag archives and is named after an outstanding social politician. As with Paul Löbe House, the extensive glazing on the riverside façade emphasises the building's transparency. Its roof protrudes considerably and seems to span the river.
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.
Marie-Elisabeth Lüders (1878-1966)
Marie-Elisabeth Lüders, a member of the Liberal party, was an outstanding social politician and a leading representative of the women's movement in Germany. She fought for equal opportunities for women and her political work concentrated on protection for children and young people, and the elimination of social deprivation.
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