Haupttelegrafenamt Berlin, Telegraph headquarters in Berlin-Mitte, Germany
The Haupttelegrafenamt Berlin is a large administrative building in Berlin-Mitte that occupies an entire city block and features a neo-baroque facade with elaborate cornices, decorative pilasters, and symmetrical windows across multiple stories. Its interior was designed to handle high volumes of telegraph traffic and radio communications, with specially arranged halls and wings for different types of messaging technology.
The building was constructed between 1910 and 1916 as Berlin's central telegraph headquarters and served as the heart of Germany's messaging system. Its creation coincided with a period when Germany was rapidly expanding its modern communication networks.
The building demonstrates how communication worked in the early 1900s, with specially designed rooms where telegraph operators and radio staff worked around the clock. The spaces show a time when sending messages required skilled workers handling equipment manually.
The building stands on Oranienburger Strasse in a busy neighborhood with good streetcar connections and many walking routes nearby. It is easy to reach and sits close to other sights in the city center.
The basement contains remnants of the original pneumatic post system that once created a vast underground infrastructure beneath the city. This technical network allowed messages to be transported automatically through tubes before electricity transformed communication.
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