Hansahochhaus

The Hansahochhaus in Cologne's Neustadt-Nord district is one of the earliest high-rise buildings in Germany and is a protected historic landmark. The office building was constructed between 1924 and 1925 to designs by architect Jacob Koerfer in the Expressionist style. With 17 floors and a height of 65 meters (213 feet), it briefly held the title of the tallest building in Europe when it was completed. The name comes from its address on Hansaring, which in turn recalls Cologne's historic membership in the Hanseatic League. In addition to the tower, the complex includes a hall building and an attached six-story office and commercial building. Despite construction delays caused by strikes and financing problems, the building was completed in just 15 months, and the actual construction time of 135 working days was even shorter than that of comparable American skyscrapers.

Architecturally, the building impresses with its facade of dark red hard-fired bricks, which completely conceal the reinforced concrete core and give the impression of a solid masonry structure. Designed in the style of brick Expressionism, the facade features suggested pillars, triangular window lintels, and Art Deco keystones. Sculptures of animal and human heads were mounted above the pointed ground-floor windows, while five figures symbolizing the continents were placed between the windows of the second floor. These works by the artists Joseph Pabst and Franz Albermann are now lost. Inside, a cafe-restaurant designed in the Art Deco style by Professor Richard Seewald shaped the atmosphere. A special technical highlight was the paternoster elevator, which, with 26 cabins for two people each, was for a time the tallest in the world and ran from the first to the fourteenth floor.

Thanks to its load-bearing reinforced concrete structure, the building survived World War II almost undamaged. During the war, it served for a time as a makeshift camp for forced laborers. In the decades after the war, the building housed various offices, including the city administration and several insurance companies. Later, the electronics retailer Saturn moved in, and its illuminated logo was visible on the roof for many years. Today, the lower floors house a hotel, while the former Saturn store was converted in 2020 into an entertainment venue for gaming, esports, and social media. Visitors can admire the striking building from the outside and experience the historic significance of this pioneering work of modern architecture in downtown Cologne.