Ullsteinhaus

The Ullsteinhaus in Berlin's Tempelhof district is a striking landmark of brick expressionism, built between 1925 and 1927 to designs by Eugen Schmohl. At 77 meters (253 feet) tall, it forms a landmark visible from far away and was considered the tallest building in Germany until another high-rise was completed in 1957. The complex stands directly on the Teltow Canal at the corner of Mariendorfer Damm and Ullsteinstraße, not far from the Ullsteinstraße U-Bahn station. Originally, the complex served as the headquarters and printing plant for the magazines and books of the Ullstein publishing house, while the newspaper presses were housed in other buildings.

Architecturally, the building is a five- to seven-story, four-wing structure arranged around an almost square inner courtyard, with a tall tower topped by a copper-clad pyramidal roof attached to its northwest side. The richly profiled clinker brick facades, with their stepped wall piers and tall window bays, echo Gothic Revival style but are clearly shaped by the expressionism of the 1920s. Sculptural work by Wilhelm Gerstel, including travertine reliefs and figural depictions, decorates the entrances and corner areas. A particular highlight is the oversized bronze owl by Fritz Klimsch, which adorns the main entrance on Mariendorfer Damm.

The history of the building is closely tied to the Ullstein publishing family, who lost their property through Aryanization in 1934 and did not get it back until 1952. During the Nazi era, the building was temporarily renamed "Deutsches Haus." Today the landmarked building houses various service companies, medical facilities, and cultural offerings. The basement now holds Bosch's IoT Campus, while it was once home to a well-known nightclub, among other tenants. The complex has been energy-efficiently modernized in recent years and also houses the German Press Museum.