Haupttelegrafenamt Berlin

Haupttelegrafenamt Berlin stands in Berlin’s Mitte district as a listed Neobaroque building designed by Wilhelm Walter. Its irregular outline follows the surrounding street network rather than a perfect rectangle. Four wings enclose two inner courtyards, originally covered by glass roofs, while the façades carry colossal pilasters and quarter columns. The Oranienburger Straße façade presents fourteen axes and a prominent entrance with a bronze door.

Built between 1910 and 1916, the building became Berlin’s main telegraph office when it opened in 1916. It operated until 1992 and ranked among Europe’s largest telecommunications centres. Telegraph equipment, pneumatic tubes, and postal services once filled its interior, while advanced technology supported German radio communications. Second World War damage remained limited, and postwar operations continued through the early 1990s. After acquisition by an investor in 2001, extensive renovation preserved historical elements within hotel and commercial spaces. By 2022, a hotel had opened as part of the Forum an der Museumsinsel redevelopment.