Postfuhramt (English: ''Mail Delivery Office''), formally known as Kaiserliche Postfuhramt (English: ''Imperial Mail Delivery Office'') is a historic building built in 1881 and located on

Oranienburger Straße Oranienburger Straße ( en, Oranienburger Street) is a street in central Berlin. It is located in the borough of Mitte, north of the River Spree, and runs south-east from Friedrichstraße to Hackescher Markt. The street is popular with tour ...

(English: ''Oranienburger Street'') at the corner of Tucholskystraße (English: ''Tucholsky Street''), in the

Spandauer Vorstadt Spandauer Vorstadt ("Spandauer suburb", formerly also called Spandauer Quarter or Spandauer Viertel) is a historic district in what is now the Mitte (locality), Mitte district of Berlin. Geography The Spandauer neighborhood is bordered in th ...

area of

Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreu ...

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. Since 1975, it has been a listed as a protected building (via

Denkmalschutz The ''Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz'' ("German Foundation for Monument Protection") is a German private initiative founded in 1985 that works for the preservation of cultural heritage in Germany and to promote the idea of cultural heritage man ...

). From 2006 until 2012, the space hosted an art gallery and exhibitions. In 2012, the building was sold to Biotronik, a medical manufacturing company specializing in medical technology.

Pre-history

Starting in 1713, the property had historically been used by the

Postilion A postilion or postillion is a person who guides a horse-drawn coach or post chaise while mounted on the horse or one of a pair of horses. By contrast, a coachman controls the horses from the vehicle itself. Originally the English name for a g ...

, a long haul mail service and a forerunner to postal mail. After 1766, a post office was located on the property with living quarters for the German royal postman and two multi-story horse stable wings. In March 1874, many horses died due to hygiene issue with old stables. Additionally around this same time there was an increased demand for postal service as population and traffic grew in the area and as a result it was incorporated into the

Reichspost ''Reichspost'' (; "Imperial Mail") was the name of the postal service of Germany from 1866 to 1945. ''Deutsche Reichspost'' Upon the out break of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the break-up of the German Confederation in the Peace of ...

and became part of the newly established Postfuhramt, under state management.

Postfuhramt early history

Architecture

Postfuhramt was built between 1875 and 1881. The architect of the building was Carl Schwatlo, with assistance of Wilhelm Tuckermann, and the iron dome was designed by

Johann Wilhelm Schwedler Johann Wilhelm Schwedler (23 June 1823, Berlin – 9 June 1894, Berlin) was a German civil engineer and civil servant who designed many bridges and public buildings and invented the Schwedler truss and the Schwedler cupola. He is an author of ...

. It was created under the leadership of the

postmaster general A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsibl ...

Heinrich Stephan. The building was designed in an

Italian Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style (specifically Northern Italian-Lombard early Renaissance) with yellow

clinker brick Clinker bricks are partially- vitrified bricks used in the construction of buildings. Clinker bricks are produced when wet clay bricks are exposed to excessive heat during the firing process, sintering the surface of the brick and forming a sh ...

and highlighting tile in turquoise blue and terracotta red, and it's dome was designed with a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

influence. The three domes on the Postfhramt building were created to reflect on the architecture one block away, at the New Synagogue. The exterior of the building is decorated with 26 terracotta busts of people associated with the postal service and communications sector and they are presented in chronological order.

Modernization and World War II

In 1925, all of the horse stables were removed in the process of modernization. The Postfuhramt housed a

pneumatic tube Pneumatic tubes (or capsule pipelines, also known as pneumatic tube transport or PTT) are systems that propel cylindrical containers through networks of tubes by compressed air or by partial vacuum. They are used for transporting solid objects, ...

mail system (German: '' Rohrpost''), which was active in the ca. 1940s until 1976. During World War II, the Postfuhramt suffered considerable damages. Air strikes hit the building and the side of the building facing Oranienburger Straße was burned down to the first floor. The building was threatened for demolition in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, a major renovation and restoration started on the structure. The building was used for postal service purposes until 1995. File:Fünfzigjähriges Bestehen des Kaiserlichen Paketpostamts in Berlin 1913.jpg File:Berlin Postfuhramt Grundriss BusB.jpg File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-W0614-0005, Berlin, Postfuhramt.jpg File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-12753-0008, Berlin, Haupttelegrafenamt, Rohrpost.jpg

Postfuhramt present–day

Between 1997 and 2001 changing public art exhibitions took place in the property of the Postfuhramt. In 1998–1999, the 1st Berlin Biennale was hosted at the Postfuhramt, as well as other locations in Berlin. In 2001, artist

HA Schult HA Schult, born Hans-Jürgen Schult on 24 June 1939 in Parchim, Mecklenburg is a German installation, happening and conceptual artist known primarily for his object and performance art and more specifically his work with garbage. He is one of ...

created his work, ''Love Letters Building'' by covering the front of the Postfuhramt with hundreds of thousands of love letters. The

Berlinische Galerie The Berlinische Galerie is a museum of modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. It is located in Kreuzberg, on Alte Jakobstraße, not far from the Jewish Museum. History The Berlinische Galerie was founded in 1975

was intended to occupy the building but they could not find financing for the building restoration needed. In 2005, Israeli investor Adi Keizman, the husband of Ofra Strauss, bought the building from Deutsche Post for 13.5 million

euros The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . Th ...

in hopes of converting the Postfuramt into an internationally known art space and partner with local galleries. After a period of vacancy, the first exhibition was held in summer 2006 with a partnership with

C/O Berlin C/O Berlin is a private exhibition space for photography and visual media in Berlin. It is located in Amerika Haus Berlin by Zoologischer Garten station, Charlottenburg, where it has more than 2,500 square metres of space. C/O Berlin presents work ...

gallery. The gallery was given 26,910 square feet (2500 square meters) of exhibition space and was required to pay a "culture rent" and have a minimum number of paying customers to stay active in the space. However by 2012, the partnership with C/O Berlin officially ended, after a few deadline extensions. By August 2012, the European manufacturer of medical technology, Biotronik purchased the building, without an explanation to the buildings future use. File:Postfuhramt Relief Postkutsche.jpg File:Postfuhramt Loveletters 2001 2.jpg File:Mitte, Berlin, Germany - panoramio (134).jpg File:Postamt Rohrpost Rear courtyard Berlin Germany May 2021.jpg

List of portraits

The following portraits are placed on the exterior of the building, between the arches of the windows on the ground floor of the building: * ''(No. 1)'' –

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

, son of Hystaspes (549–485 BC) * ''(No. 2)'' –

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ...

(484–425 BC) * ''(No. 3)'' –

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law, and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of some of the most notable build ...

(ca. 63–12 BC) * ''(No. 4)'' – Marco Polo (ca. 1254–1324) * ''(No. 5)'' –

Johannes Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its kind, earlier designs ...

(around 1400–1468) * ''(No. 6)'' –

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

(1451–1506) * ''(No. 7)'' – Franz von Taxis (around 1459–1517) * ''(No. 8)'' – Nikolaus Copernikus (1473–1543) * ''(No. 9)'' –

Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani (, also ; ; la, Aloysius Galvanus; 9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798) was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher, who studied animal electricity. In 1780, he discovered that the muscles of dead frogs' legs t ...

(1737–1798) * ''(No. 10)'' – James Watt (1736–1819) * ''(No. 11)'' – Alessandro Volta (1745–1827) * ''(No. 12)'' – Johann Friedrich von Seegebarth (1747–1823) * ''(No. 13)'' –

Karl August von Hardenberg Karl August Fürst von Hardenberg (31 May 1750, in Essenrode- Lehre – 26 November 1822, in Genoa) was a Prussian statesman and Prime Minister of Prussia. While during his late career he acquiesced to reactionary policies, earlier in his care ...

(1750–1822) * ''(No. 14)'' –

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...

(1769–1859) * ''(No. 15)'' – Karl Ferdinand Friedrich von Nagler (1770–1846) * ''(No. 16)'' –

Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; german: Gauß ; la, Carolus Fridericus Gauss; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to many fields in mathematics and science. Sometimes refe ...

(1777–1855) * ''(No. 17)'' – Gottlob Heinrich Schmückert (1790–1862) * ''(No. 18)'' –

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a m ...

(1706–1790) * ''(No. 19)'' –

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst f ...

(1781–1848) * ''(No. 20)'' –

Hans Christian Ørsted Hans Christian Ørsted ( , ; often rendered Oersted in English; 14 August 17779 March 1851) was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, which was the first connection found between electricity ...

(1777–1851) * ''(No. 21)'' –

Samuel F. B. Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

(1791–1872) * ''(No. 22)'' –

August von der Heydt August von der Heydt (15 February 1801 – 13 June 1874) was an influential German economist. Biography Von der Heydt was born in Elberfeld in the Duchy of Berg. During the Revolution of 1848 he was appointed as Minister to the newly cre ...

(1801–1874) * ''(No. 23)'' –

Werner von Siemens Ernst Werner Siemens ( von Siemens from 1888; ; ; 13 December 1816 – 6 December 1892) was a German electrical engineer, inventor and industrialist. Siemens's name has been adopted as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. He f ...

(1816–1892) * ''(No. 24)'' –

Carl August von Steinheil Carl August von Steinheil (12 October 1801 – 14 September 1870) was a German physicist, inventor, engineer and astronomer. Biography Steinheil was born in Ribeauvillé, Alsace. He studied law in Erlangen since 1821. He then studied astronomy i ...

(1801–1870) * ''(No. 25)'' – unknown, destroyed in the war * ''(No. 26)'' –

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (; 12 March 1824 – 17 October 1887) was a German physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects. He coine ...

(1824–1887)

References

External links

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Mitte Buildings and structures in Berlin destroyed during World War II Former post office buildings Art galleries disestablished in 2012 Heritage sites in Berlin Art museums and galleries in Berlin 1881 establishments in Germany Italian Renaissance Revival architecture