Britannia Centre Spandau
Encyclopedia
The former Britannia Centre Spandau, before known as British Forces Families Centre (BFFC), was build in 1990 by PSA
Property Services Agency
The Property Services Agency was an agency of the United Kingdom government, in existence from 1972 to 1993. Its role was to “provide, manage, maintain, and furnish the property used by the government, including defence establishments, offices, courts, research laboratories, training centres and...

 for the British Authorities on the site where Spandau Prison
Spandau Prison
Spandau Prison was a prison situated in the borough of Spandau in western Berlin, constructed in 1876 and demolished in 1987 after the death of its last prisoner, Rudolf Hess, to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. The prison was near, though not part of, the Renaissance-era Spandau Citadel...

 used to be located.

It centralised the main shopping, welfare, employment and broadcasting facilities for the British military community in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.

The Britannia Centre consisted of a new shopping and cinema complex and five existing and completely refurbished two and three-storey buildings. It was opened in phases between September 1990 and mid 1991.

It is located at the junction of Wilhelmstraße
Wilhelmstraße (Spandau)
The Wilhelmstraße in the Berliner district of Spandau is the connecting street between Spandau and Potsdam. In the north, at Seeburger Straße and the Ziegelhof, the Wilhelmstraße runs into the Klosterstraße, about a kilometre south of Spandau Station....

 and Gatower Straße next to the former Smuts Barracks in the Wilhelmstadt
Wilhelmstadt
Wilhelmstadt is a German locality of Berlin in the borough of Spandau.-History:In the year 1945 the allied armed forces from the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom accomplished an exchange of territory, among the area of Seeburg in Spandau...

 in Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...

.

Facilities

Shopping Centre

SSVC – Sound and Vision Centre
British Forces Post Office
British Forces Post Office
The British Forces Post Office provides a postal service to HM Forces, separate from that provided by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. BFPO addresses are used for the delivery of mail in the UK and around the world...

 – sub office
NAAFI Financial Services
His & Hers Hair Studio
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

 – Book and Gift Shop
NAAFI – "A-type" Shop
Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...

 Restaurant
and Public toilets

Cinema Complex

Jerboa Cinema (with 230 seats)
Public Information Area
Bus Waiting Area
Bank Cash Point (ATM)
and Public toilets

Existing buildings

NAAFI – Area Administration
NAAFI – Imperial Staff Club
Wool Shop
HIVE
YMCA Administration and Staff Facilities
Child Minding Centre
BMWS – British Military Welfare Services
Brigade Travel Office
Thrift Shop
RAOC Tailor Facility
Complex Manager
Station Staff Office (SSO)
Community RMP
RMP
RMP may refer to:*RMP may refer to:*RMP may refer to:*[[], Direct Selling company founded in 2001*[[Police car|Radio Motor Patrol]] Police vehicles equipped with radios*[[Rampart Airport]], Alaska, USA - IATA code RMP...

 Office
PCLU
Anglo-German Club
SSVC Engineering Workshops
and BFBS Studios and Offices

History

On 1 August 1946, the Summit House on Theodor-Heuss-Platz
Theodor-Heuss-Platz
The Theodor-Heuss-Platz is a big square in Berlin. It's located in the locality of Westend in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district...

 was formally opened as a NAAFI Club and was adapted to the changing needs over the years. In 1977 a study recommended the construction of a new facility. At the same time the future of Spandau Prison
Spandau Prison
Spandau Prison was a prison situated in the borough of Spandau in western Berlin, constructed in 1876 and demolished in 1987 after the death of its last prisoner, Rudolf Hess, to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. The prison was near, though not part of, the Renaissance-era Spandau Citadel...

 was put to diplomatic negotiations. In 1982 a Four Power Agreement was reached, which included a statement from the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker , known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German politician . He served as Governing Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1984 to 1994...

, that Spandau Prison should be demolished as quickly as possible after the death of its lone inmate Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...

.

Five weeks after the Hess' death on 17 August 1987 at 1610 hours, the demolition of Spandau Prison began and was completed on 4 November 1987.

In May 1988 the construction of the new facility started an was finished on 18 September 1990. The name Britannia Centre was chosen by competition from over 40 entries.

After British Withdrawal

After the Berlin Infantry Brigade was dissolved in mid 1994 the Britannia Centre Spandau lost its name and became the only no-name shopping centre in Berlin. It was used by Kaiser's Tengelmann, ALDI
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...

, Media Markt
Media Markt
Media Markt is a German chain of stores selling consumer electronics with numerous branches throughout Europe. It is Europe's largest retailer of consumer electronics.-History:...

 and a few small companies. In late 2008, Media Markt left the main shopping complex. The space lies now abandoned. In 2011 the new owner, a development company applied for permission to demolish the cinema complex of the Britannia Centre, which was used by ALDI
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...

till October 2011. The contracts for both, the cinema complex and the shopping complex, with Kaiser's inside, were terminated. Kaiser's will leave the Shopping Complex in December 2011.

Landmark Protection

The old two and three-storey buildings, which are nowadays home for doctors offices amongs other uses are all listed as protected landmarks in the Berliner Landesdenkmalliste. The two main buildings are not protected.
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