Broadcasting House Dornbusch, Public broadcasting headquarters in Dornbusch district, Frankfurt, Germany
Broadcasting House Dornbusch is the headquarters and main broadcasting facility of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for Hesse, on the border of Frankfurt's Nordend and Dornbusch districts. Its round Rundhaus was built to plans by architect Gerhard Weber, and behind it stands the large broadcasting hall opened in 1954, seating 850 and used by the hr Symphony Orchestra.
The building was originally designed in 1948 as a seat for the German parliament, but Frankfurt never became the national capital. This political shift led to the structure being repurposed and eventually transformed into a major broadcasting facility.
The 1954 Sendesaal, seating 850, is the rehearsal and recording stage of the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony). Above the stage hangs a concert organ built by Förster & Nicolaus in 1957. The hall hosted the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, then called the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson.
The complex sits on Bertramstraße in the Nordend district, on the border with Dornbusch. The 850-seat broadcasting hall behind the round building is a working rehearsal and recording venue for the hr Symphony Orchestra, so access follows concert and recording schedules rather than general visiting hours.
The round building was planned in 1948 by architect Gerhard Weber as a plenary hall for the future German Bundestag, and construction had already begun when the parliamentary council chose Bonn as the capital. The completed shell was then converted into studios for Hessischer Rundfunk. The large broadcasting hall added behind it in 1954 seats 850 and holds a Förster & Nicolaus concert organ from 1957.
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