Nová správní budova Spolchemie, Expressionist architecture building in Ústí nad Labem-centrum, Czech Republic

The Nová správní budova Spolchemie is an administrative building in Ústí nad Labem featuring expressionist design from the early 1900s. The structure shows sharp angles, unusual window patterns, and a facade that plays with visual contrasts and bold forms.

The Spolek pro chemickou a hutní výrobu built the building as its new headquarters between 1929 and 1930, replacing the neo-Gothic administrative building of 1895 next door. It was designed by the Dresden firm Lossow & Kühne, which had a branch in Liberec, and the Berlin sculptor Hugo Lederer made the sculpture above the entrance. Until the General Pension Institute palace in Prague (1934) and the Baťa skyscraper in Zlín (1939), it was the tallest building in Czechoslovakia. In 2014 the National Heritage Institute requested monument status; the company appealed, the minister of culture rejected the appeal, and the building was declared a cultural monument.

The building reflects a time when Czech designers adopted European expressionist ideas and created forms that broke away from tradition. You can see on the facade and structure how architects experimented with unusual geometric shapes to convey movement and emotion.

The building sits in central Ústí nad Labem on a prominent street, making it easy to view from outside. Visitors can study the architecture from street level and observe the facade details from multiple angles without special access.

The paternoster lift installed in 1930 still runs today. The building's sculptural group above the entrance, at third-floor level, is by Berlin sculptor Hugo Lederer and shows Chemistry, Science, a man with a torch, a woman with a cornucopia, Mercury as Trade, and Labour.