Verlagsgebäude Neues Deutschland, Office high-rise in Friedrichshain, Germany
The Verlagsgebäude Neues Deutschland is a 21,000-square-metre high-rise slab in International Style, built 1969–1974 to designs by a collective around Eberhard Just and Edgar Hofmann. The office block on Franz-Mehring-Platz formerly housed a printing plant that produced eight daily and 19 weekly newspapers, and it now accommodates the Neues Deutschland publisher, the Karl Dietz Verlag and the DEFA-Stiftung.
Built between 1969 and 1974, the structure replaced the Ostbahn train station reception building and served as headquarters for the SED newspaper Neues Deutschland. The site and publication were central to East German identity during this period.
The building displays quotes from Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Marx on its exterior walls, installed in 2011 to maintain its connection to publishing heritage. These words shape the appearance of the plaza and remind visitors of the site's political past.
The site is located on Franz-Mehring-Platz in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district and is easily accessible by public transport. The complex is clearly visible from outside and offers a good view of late modernist architecture in the area.
During the 2003 Iraq War, the building's facade was transformed into a peace statement when it was illuminated with the message No War. This spontaneous artistic action showed how locals used the site for protest.
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