Zeiss Building 15, Office building in Jena, Germany.
Zeiss Building 15 is an office building at the core of the Zeiss factory grounds in Jena, rising to about 42 meters (138 ft). It forms part of a connected group of early 20th-century structures that once served the production of optical instruments.
Friedrich Putzer designed the building in 1915 as part of an expansion of the Zeiss works, which needed more space to meet the growing demand for precision instruments. The construction followed the factory design thinking of that time, with open floor plans and a load-bearing steel frame.
The building sits at the heart of the Zeiss grounds in Jena and shows how closely the city's identity is tied to precision optics. Walking past it today, you can still read in its facade the sober language of early industrial design.
The building is still in office use and can be seen from outside during a walk through the Zeiss grounds. The southwest side gives the clearest view of the full facade and the steel roof structure above it.
This building was among the first on the Zeiss site to introduce electric lighting in its workrooms, which was far from standard practice at that time. The change meant workers could carry on safely through the dark winter months without relying on less reliable light sources.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
