Park Inn Berlin
Encyclopedia
The Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz is the tallest building and the eleventh tallest structure in Berlin
and the 29th tallest building and tallest hotel-only building in Germany
. The 37-floor high-rise is in the northeast of Alexanderplatz
in the central Mitte
district and has a height of 125 metres (410.1 ft).
. It was designed by the team of Roland Korn, Heinz Scharlipp and Hans Erich Bogatzky. However, the design as built differs in the shape and location of the tower on the lot from that envisaged in the 1964 plan for redevelopment of the square. The hotel opened as the Hotel Stadt Berlin, part of East Germany's Interhotel chain. It was a four-star hotel and mainly served for the accommodation of Comecon
representatives. There was a panorama restaurant on the 37th floor and unusually fast elevator
s for the time and place.
In 1993, after German reunification
, it was renamed Forum Hotel Berlin, and after its acquisition by the Rezidor Hotel Group in 2003, Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz. A casino, the highest in Europe, was located in the restaurant until November 2010.
There is a public viewing platform on the roof. All the rooms were refurbished starting in 2001 at a cost of €
20 million. Between May and November 2005 the entire 15,000 sq m façade
was replaced; the 6,800 new mirror glass panes cost € 3 million. In October 2006, two 35 m (114.8 ft) antenna masts were erected on the roof, bringing the total height of the building to 149.5 m (490.5 ft).
In December 2006 the hotel and the attached real estate parcels were acquired by Blackstone Group
.
, an ice cream parlor
, and some small stores. The top floor offers direct access to the adjacent Galeria-Kaufhof. For 15 years, the ground floor and basement levels housed a large Saturn electronics store (like Galeria-Kaufhof, a division of Metro AG
), but in March 2009 this relocated to a new adjacent building.
The future of the hotel and especially the base building are uncertain; plans to rebuild Alexanderplatz drawn up in the early 1990s envisage demolition of the hotel or at a minimum of the base building to enable erection of 3 new high-rises.
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...
and the 29th tallest building and tallest hotel-only building in 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...
. The 37-floor high-rise is in the northeast of Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
in the central Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....
district and has a height of 125 metres (410.1 ft).
History
The complex was built from 1967 to 1970 in the course of the redevelopment of Alexanderplatz when it was located in East BerlinEast Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. It was designed by the team of Roland Korn, Heinz Scharlipp and Hans Erich Bogatzky. However, the design as built differs in the shape and location of the tower on the lot from that envisaged in the 1964 plan for redevelopment of the square. The hotel opened as the Hotel Stadt Berlin, part of East Germany's Interhotel chain. It was a four-star hotel and mainly served for the accommodation of Comecon
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
representatives. There was a panorama restaurant on the 37th floor and unusually fast elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s for the time and place.
In 1993, 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...
, it was renamed Forum Hotel Berlin, and after its acquisition by the Rezidor Hotel Group in 2003, Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz. A casino, the highest in Europe, was located in the restaurant until November 2010.
There is a public viewing platform on the roof. All the rooms were refurbished starting in 2001 at a cost of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
20 million. Between May and November 2005 the entire 15,000 sq m façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was replaced; the 6,800 new mirror glass panes cost € 3 million. In October 2006, two 35 m (114.8 ft) antenna masts were erected on the roof, bringing the total height of the building to 149.5 m (490.5 ft).
In December 2006 the hotel and the attached real estate parcels were acquired by Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
.
Base building
The base of the tower rises from a three-story commercial building that houses a Burger KingBurger 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...
, an ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlors are places that sell ice cream and frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is normally sold in two varieties in these stores: soft-serve ice cream , and hard-packed, which has an assortment of flavors, as well as frozen yogurt, which is a low-fat alternative and tastes slightly...
, and some small stores. The top floor offers direct access to the adjacent Galeria-Kaufhof. For 15 years, the ground floor and basement levels housed a large Saturn electronics store (like Galeria-Kaufhof, a division of Metro AG
Metro AG
Metro AG is a diversified retail and wholesale/cash and carry group based in Düsseldorf, Germany. It has the largest market share in its home market, and is one of the most globalised retail and wholesale corporations. It is the fourth-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues . In English...
), but in March 2009 this relocated to a new adjacent building.
The future of the hotel and especially the base building are uncertain; plans to rebuild Alexanderplatz drawn up in the early 1990s envisage demolition of the hotel or at a minimum of the base building to enable erection of 3 new high-rises.
External links
- Park Inn Hotel at skyscraperpage.com
See also
- OderturmOderturmDer Oderturm is a 24-storey high-rise office building in Frankfurt , Germany, built between 1968 and 1976 . It is arguably the tallest office building in Brandenburg, with a mobile telephony mast reaching 95 m; however, its roof height of 89 m is 1 m less than that of the Stern-Plaza in Potsdam,...
- Jen-TowerJen-TowerThe JenTower is a skyscraper in Jena, Germany.-Common names:The tower has been known by many names, official and unofficial. From 1972 Until January 2005, the tower was called the Intershop Tower after its principal tenant, Intershop Communications AG. On November 30, 2004, the building was...
- City-Hochhaus LeipzigCity-Hochhaus LeipzigCity-Hochhaus , at a height of 142.5 metres, is the tallest building in the city of Leipzig, and the tallest multistory building erected in the former East Germany. It was designed by architect Hermann Henselmann in the shape of an open book, and built between 1968 and 1972...
- Fernsehturm
- KulturfingerKulturfingerThe Kulturfinger is the nickname of a steel-framed tower built during the days of the communist German Democratic Republic that is the tallest building in Neubrandenburg, Germany...