Verlagshaus Axel Springer, Publishing company headquarters in Neustadt, Hamburg, Germany
Verlagshaus Axel Springer is a 14-storey, 50-metre-high publishing tower at Axel-Springer-Platz 1 in Hamburg-Neustadt, designed by Ferdinand Streb. Its base is clad in rough marble strips, and the foyer holds a monumental two-part mosaic by Wilhelm Haerlin, considered his main work. The Axel Springer publishing house used it as its headquarters from 1956 to 1967.
The site was occupied by the Conventgarten ball and concert hall, opened in 1853, destroyed by Allied bombs on 24 July 1943 and levelled in 1948. Axel Springer laid the foundation stone on 28 November 1950; after about five years of construction the 50-metre publishing house was inaugurated in spring 1956 and served as the group's headquarters until 1967. A Red Army Faction bomb attack on 19 May 1972 injured 17 people, and the tower has been a listed monument since 1997.
The foyer holds a monumental two-part mosaic by Wilhelm Haerlin, regarded as his most important work. The building's name comes from Axel Springer, who laid the foundation stone in 1950; his publishing house had its headquarters here from 1956 to 1967. Since 2017 the Axel Springer SE has kept its Hamburg branch in the tower.
The building is easily accessible by public transport and located in the heart of Hamburg's city center. Visitors should note that parts of the structure are private, while the entrance area with the mosaic remains publicly accessible.
In 1972, the building was attacked by the Red Army Faction, injuring several people and marking a chapter in post-war German history. This event made the structure a symbol of the political tensions of that era.
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