Kommandantenhaus

The Kommandantenhaus, also known as the Alte Kommandantur (Old Commandant's Office), stands on Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard and is now part of the Forum Fridericianum. The building's history goes back to the 17th century, when the fortress architect Johann Gregor Memhardt built his first stone residence there on the Friedrichswerder. Over the years, the building changed several times. After a lavish expansion in the late 18th century, it served from 1799 as the seat of the commandant of the Berlin garrison. Famous figures are linked to the building's history, including the writer Stendhal, who lived there during the Napoleonic occupation, and the resistance fighter Lieutenant General Paul von Hase, who took part in the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt on Hitler. A major renovation in the 1870s gave the building its Neo-Renaissance character, with a facade modeled on Florentine palace architecture.

After the building burned out in World War II and was demolished in the 1950s, Bertelsmann AG acquired the site in 1999. The Berlin Senate set strict requirements for the reconstruction, calling for an exact re-creation of the historic facade. The builders used old photographs, archaeological finds, and historical plans to restore its appearance down to the millimeter. Especially demanding was the re-creation of the decorative elements, including eight heavy terracotta eagles and numerous sandstone details, which were sourced from Poland. The reconstruction was completed in 2003, and the adjacent Schinkelplatz was also restored in keeping with historic garden preservation standards.

Today the Kommandantenhaus houses Bertelsmann's Berlin representative office. Visitors will notice a striking contrast between the historically faithful exterior and the modern interior. The ground floor has a large hall with a media wall that is used for events. The upper floors are fitted with chandeliers, fine wood paneling, and oak parquet, and serve mainly ceremonial purposes. A particular highlight is the newly created inner courtyard, which was enclosed with a glass-and-steel structure. It features a large screen that serves as a contemporary take on a ceiling painting and can display different lighting moods or films.