Alte Kommandantur, Neoclassical military building in Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany.
The Alte Kommandantur at Unter den Linden 1 is a light grey neoclassical building. Its facade has four smooth cylindrical columns with Ionic capitals on square stone plinths, supporting a balcony with a dark metal railing. Between the central columns is a tall arched doorway with a brown wooden door and a semicircular fanlight, flanked by two arched windows in grooved stonework.
The building was originally constructed in 1654 as the seat of Berlin's military commandant. After its destruction in World War II, it was rebuilt in 2003 using historical photographs as a guide since no original plans survived.
The name Kommandantenhaus comes from its use as the seat of Berlin's garrison commander from 1799. The writer Stendhal lodged here in 1806 as a French war commissioner during Napoleon's occupation, and Otto Wels worked here as city commandant during the November Revolution of 1918. Since 2003 the building has housed Bertelsmann's Berlin representative office.
The building sits in Berlin-Mitte near Bebelplatz and Gendarmenmarkt, easily visible from the street and accessible on foot. A visit works well as part of a walk along Unter den Linden, where other points of interest are nearby.
The building was reconstructed after the war using only old photographs since no construction plans had survived. This reconstruction method makes it an example of how Berlin's damaged monuments were restored from fragmentary evidence.
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