Embassy of Germany in London
Encyclopedia
The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
to the Court of St. James's
is Germany
's diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom
.
The embassy is currently located at 23 Belgrave Square
, London SW1X 8PZ, in Belgravia
. It occupies three of the original terraced houses in Belgrave Square and a late 20th century extension. The current ambassador is Georg Boomgaarden.
The embassy used to be at 9 Carlton House Terrace
in the so-called Prussia House, but after World War II
the building was requisitioned as enemy property and no longer available. Therefore the Federal Republic of Germany
decided to move its diplomatic operations to Belgrave Square, first operating as a Consulate General.
The Consulate General became a fully functional embassy in June 1951, the FRG leasing the building for 99 years in 1953.
In the 1970s, office space in the embassy was tight so an extension was erected at Chesham Place, inaugurated in 1978. It won the Westminster City Council
prize for architecture.
In 1990, after German reunification
, the until-then East German embassy building at 34 Belgrave Square was taken over by the embassy.
Saxony
Brandenburg-Prussia
Ambassador
German Empire
diplomatic relations disrupted due to World War I
Weimar Republic
Third Reich
diplomatic relations disrupted due to World War II
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to the Court of St. James's
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court of the United Kingdom. It previously had the same function in the Kingdom of England and in the Kingdom of Great Britain .-Overview:...
is Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The embassy is currently located at 23 Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square is one of the grandest and largest 19th century squares in London, England. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and was laid out by the property contractor Thomas Cubitt for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster, in the 1820s. Most of the houses were occupied...
, London SW1X 8PZ, in Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
. It occupies three of the original terraced houses in Belgrave Square and a late 20th century extension. The current ambassador is Georg Boomgaarden.
History
Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster in London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Park. These terraces were built in 1827–32 to overall designs by...
in the so-called Prussia House, but after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the building was requisitioned as enemy property and no longer available. Therefore the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
decided to move its diplomatic operations to Belgrave Square, first operating as a Consulate General.
The Consulate General became a fully functional embassy in June 1951, the FRG leasing the building for 99 years in 1953.
In the 1970s, office space in the embassy was tight so an extension was erected at Chesham Place, inaugurated in 1978. It won the Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
prize for architecture.
In 1990, after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the until-then East German embassy building at 34 Belgrave Square was taken over by the embassy.
SaxonyElectorate of SaxonyThe Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
- 1701-1703 Balthasar Heinrich von Nischwitz
- 1714-1718 Georg Sigismund Nostitz
- Karl Georg Friedrich von Flemming (1705–1767)
Holstein-Gottorp
- 1713-1714 Gerhard Nath (1666–1740)
- 1714-1719 Hermann von Petkum
Brandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
- 1604 Hans von BodeckHans von BodeckHans von Bodeck was a German diplomat and chancellor of the Hohenzollern Prince-electors of Brandenburg-Prussia.Bodeck came from a prominent patrician family of Elbing in the Polish province of Royal Prussia. His grandfather was the burgomaster, while his father was a city councilman...
(1582–1658) - 1690-1698 Thomas Ernst von Danckelmann
- 1700 David Ancillon
AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s of PrussiaKingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
- 1702-1710 Ezechiel von Spanheim
- 1742-1744 Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von FinckensteinCount Karl-Wilhelm Finck von FinckensteinKarl Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein was a Prussian diplomat and later Prime Minister of Prussia.He was the son of Count Albrecht Konrad Finck von Finckenstein, who was a Field Marshal and Governor of the Crown Prince, the future King Frederick II. Karl Wilhelm studied in Geneva and traveled in...
- 1758-1763 Dodo Heinrich zu Inn und Knyphausen
- 1789-1791 Philipp Carl von Alvensleben
- 1817-1819 Wilhelm von HumboldtWilhelm von HumboldtFriedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Humboldt was a German philosopher, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of Humboldt Universität. He is especially remembered as a linguist who made important contributions to the philosophy of language and to the theory and practice...
- 1827-1841 Heinrich von BülowHeinrich von Bülow (diplomat)Heinrich Freiherr von Bülow was a Prussian statesman.Bülow was educated at the Domschule Güstrow, then studied Law from 1810 onwards, at first in Jena, then in Heidelberg and Geneva...
- 1841-1854 Christian Charles Josias BunsenChristian Charles Josias BunsenChristian Charles Josias, Baron von Bunsen was a German diplomat and scholar.-Early life and education:Bunsen was born at Korbach, an old town in the little German principality of Waldeck....
- 1854-1861 Albrecht von BernstorffAlbrecht von BernstorffAlbrecht Graf von Bernstorff was a Prussian statesman.Bernstorff was born at the estate Dreilützow , in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin...
German EmpireGerman EmpireThe German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(1871-1918)
- Albrecht von BernstorffAlbrecht von BernstorffAlbrecht Graf von Bernstorff was a Prussian statesman.Bernstorff was born at the estate Dreilützow , in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin...
(1871–1873) - Georg Herbert zu Münster (1873–1885)
- Paul von HatzfeldtPaul von HatzfeldtMelchior Hubert Paul Gustav Graf von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg was a German diplomat. Count Hatzfeldt served as Ambassador to Constantinople from 1878 to 1881, as Foreign Secretary and head of the Foreign Office from 1881 to 1885, and as Ambassador to London from 1885 to 1901...
(1885–1901) - Paul Wolff MetternichPaul Wolff Metternichthumb|Paul Graf Wolff Metternich zur Gracht was a Prussian and German ambassador in London and Constantinople...
(1901–1912) - Adolf Marschall von BiebersteinAdolf Marschall von BiebersteinAdolf Freiherr Marschall von Bieberstein was a German politician and Secretary of State of the Foreign Office of the German Empire.-Biography:...
(1912) - Karl Max, Prince Lichnowsky (1912–1914)
diplomatic relations disrupted due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Weimar RepublicWeimar RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
(1919-1933)
- Friedrich SthamerFriedrich SthamerGustav Friedrich Carl Johann Sthamer was a German lawyer, First Mayor of Hamburg, and ambassador.Sthamer was born on 24 November 1856 in Groß Weeden, part of the municipality Rondeshagen. He studied law at the universities of Heidelberg, Leipzig, and Göttingen. In 1879, Sthamer became a lawyer in...
(1920–1930) (chargé d'affaires from 1919) - Konstantin von NeurathKonstantin von NeurathKonstantin Freiherr von Neurath was a German diplomat remembered mostly for having served as Foreign minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938...
(1930–1932) - Leopold von HoeschLeopold von HoeschLeopold von Hoesch was a career German diplomat. Hoesch began his political career in France as the chargé d'affaires in 1923. Following the recall of the German Ambassador in 1923 after the Ruhr crisis, Hoesch was appointed acting head of the German Embassy in Paris. While in Paris, Hoesch...
(1932–1933)
Third ReichNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(1933-1945)
- Leopold von HoeschLeopold von HoeschLeopold von Hoesch was a career German diplomat. Hoesch began his political career in France as the chargé d'affaires in 1923. Following the recall of the German Ambassador in 1923 after the Ruhr crisis, Hoesch was appointed acting head of the German Embassy in Paris. While in Paris, Hoesch...
(1933–1936) - Joachim von RibbentropJoachim von RibbentropUlrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
(1936-March 12, 1938) - Herbert von DirksenHerbert von DirksenHerbert von Dirksen was a German diplomat who is best remembered as the last German Ambassador to Britain before World War II.- Biography :...
(1938–1939)
diplomatic relations disrupted due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German Democratic Republic (1949-1990)
- 1959 Kurt Wolf 1963
- 1963 Jost Prescher 1965 (*22. März 1930; † 31. Mai 2000) Representative at the Chamber of Commerce
- 1965 Erich Rennstein 1967
- 1967 Dieter Butters 1971
- 1971 Erich Albrecht
- 1971 Karl Heinz Kern 1980 (*1930)
- 1984 Gerhard Lindner (*1930)
- 1989 Joachim Mitdank 1990
Federal Republic of GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 1949)
- Hans Schlange-Schöningen (1950–1955)
- Hans von HerwarthHans von HerwarthHans Heinrich Herwarth von Bittenfeld , also known as Johnnie or Johann von Herwarth, was a German diplomat who provided the Allies with information prior to and during the Second World War....
(1955–1961) - Hasso von Etzdorf (1961–1965)
- Herbert BlankenhornHerbert BlankenhornHerbert Blankenhorn was a German diplomat. From 1929 he was member of the Foreign Office, and from 1938 was a member of the Nazi Party . In 1943 he launched the economy department of the German legation in Bern and was Head of the Foreign Office...
(1965–1970) - Karl-Günther von Hase (1970–1977)
- Hans Helmut Ruethe (1977–1980)
- Jürgen RuhfusJürgen RuhfusJürgen Ruhfus is a German lawyer, diplomat, German Ambassador to the United States, and Secretary of State.-Life and career:...
(1980–1983) - Rüdiger von WechmarRüdiger von WechmarBaron Rüdiger von Wechmar was a German diplomat. He was West German ambassador to the UN in the 1970s. During the thirty-fifth ordinary and the eighth emergency special sessions, from 1980 to 1981, he was President of the United Nations General Assembly.Von Wechmar was born in Berlin the son of...
(1985–1989) - Hermann von RichthofenHermann von RichthofenDr. iur. Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen, GCVO is a German diplomat.He was ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1993, and his name made him a media favourite...
(1989–1993) - Peter HartmannPeter HartmannPeter Hartmann was a Swiss sculptor known for his bronze sculptures installed in public spaces in Geneva.-Early life:...
(1993–1995) - Jürgen Oesterhelt (1995–1997)
- Gebhard von Moltke (1997–1999)
- Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz (1999–2002)
- Thomas Matussek (2002–2006)
- Wolfgang IschingerWolfgang IschingerWolfgang Friedrich Ischinger is a German diplomat. He was Germany's ambassador to the Court of St. James's from 2006 to May, 2008...
(2006–2008) - Georg Boomgaarden (2008–present)