Treptowers
Encyclopedia
The Treptowers is a complex of buildings with a distinctive high-rise in the Alt-Treptow
district of Berlin
, Germany
. Completed in 1998, the complex is located on the Spree River
. The name "Treptowers" is a portmanteau word from Treptow and the English word "tower."
. Roland Ernst joined Urban GmbH & Co. as project developer and overseer of construction. The final construction cost totaled 500 million euros.
The buildings were constructed on the site of a former integrated electric apparatus complex, which was built in 1926 by AEG
. After World War II, the plant was expropriated by VEB
Elektro-Apparate-Werke Berlin-Treptow, a state-owned company in the German Democratic Republic
, and production continued until 1995.
The buildings have a square floor plan with a steel and glass facade, though portions of each building have stone facades to create a unified architectural look with neighboring buildings. At 125 meters, Treptowers is the tallest office building in Berlin and the same height as the Park Inn
. It represents a significant city landmark, situated where the Elsenbrücke bridge crosses the Spree River.
The largest tower is a prominent feature on the Berlin skyline. At night, the Covenant sign on the roof is visible from a great distance in all directions. The sign's neon letters were originally 15 meters tall, but had to be replaced by an 8 meter sign due to interference with air traffic.
The 30 meter high sculpture Molecule Man
by Jonathan Borofsky sits in front of Treptowers in the River Spree. The sculpture's three figures represent the three Berlin districts of Treptow, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Treptowers also houses a permanent exhibition of 500 works by contemporary artists.
The Federal Criminal Police Office
has a branch inside the building.
Alt-Treptow
Alt-Treptow is a German locality in the borough of Treptow-Köpenick in Berlin. Known also as Treptow it was, until 2001, the main and the eponymous locality of the former Treptow borough.-History:...
district of 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...
, 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...
. Completed in 1998, the complex is located on the Spree River
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
. The name "Treptowers" is a portmanteau word from Treptow and the English word "tower."
Genesis and architecture
The Treptowers complex consists of four buildings and is the result of an architectural competition held in 1993 and won by the architect Gerhard Spangenberg. The detailed planning and building was carried out by a partnership of architects Schweger and Reichel + Stauth from BrunswickBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. Roland Ernst joined Urban GmbH & Co. as project developer and overseer of construction. The final construction cost totaled 500 million euros.
The buildings were constructed on the site of a former integrated electric apparatus complex, which was built in 1926 by AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
. After World War II, the plant was expropriated by VEB
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
Elektro-Apparate-Werke Berlin-Treptow, a state-owned company in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, and production continued until 1995.
The buildings have a square floor plan with a steel and glass facade, though portions of each building have stone facades to create a unified architectural look with neighboring buildings. At 125 meters, Treptowers is the tallest office building in Berlin and the same height as the Park Inn
Park Inn Berlin
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...
. It represents a significant city landmark, situated where the Elsenbrücke bridge crosses the Spree River.
The largest tower is a prominent feature on the Berlin skyline. At night, the Covenant sign on the roof is visible from a great distance in all directions. The sign's neon letters were originally 15 meters tall, but had to be replaced by an 8 meter sign due to interference with air traffic.
The 30 meter high sculpture Molecule Man
Molecule Man (sculpture)
Molecule Man is a series of aluminium sculptures, designed by American artist Jonathan Borofsky, installed at various locations in the world, including Berlin, Germany, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA....
by Jonathan Borofsky sits in front of Treptowers in the River Spree. The sculpture's three figures represent the three Berlin districts of Treptow, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Treptowers also houses a permanent exhibition of 500 works by contemporary artists.
The Federal Criminal Police Office
Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)
The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany is a national investigative police agency in Germany and falls directly under the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
has a branch inside the building.