Rotes Rathaus
برلين
The Rotes Rathaus is Berlin's town hall and the seat of the mayor. Hermann Friedrich Waesemann built it between 1861 and 1869, and it is named after its red bricks.
A palace for the citizens
Since the Middle Ages the town hall had stood here. In the 1800s Berlin was growing fast and needed a bigger seat.
The new building was designed by Waesemann. Four years after the foundation stone was laid, the city government met here for the first time.
The tower and the stone chronicle
The tower is almost 74 metres high. When it was finished it was even taller than the king's palace.
In the 1870s the facade received a long terracotta frieze. It is made of 36 panels and tells the history of Berlin from the Middle Ages to the 1800s.
After the war
The building was badly damaged by bombs in the Second World War. The East Berlin city council had it rebuilt from 1951.
After reunification, from 1991, it once again became the town hall of all Berlin. The mayor and the Senate, the city government, work here. The great banqueting hall is still used for receptions and ceremonies.
