Haus Grenzwacht, Commercial heritage building in Bahnhofsviertel, Aachen, Germany
Haus Grenzwacht is a commercial building in the Bahnhofsviertel district of Aachen, Germany, built in the 1920s and featuring a prominent 12-story tower on its western side. The main section spans seven floors and measures about 48 meters long, with the overall structure reaching approximately 40 meters in height.
Construction started in 1925 but faced financial problems that halted work until 1929, when the Essen-based construction company Hochtief invested and completed the project. This intervention ensured the building became one of the district's major structures.
A plaque on the facade honors victims of forced sterilization during Nazi rule when the health department operated inside. This remembrance shapes how visitors understand the building's role during that troubled period.
The ground floor houses public citizen services that visitors can access, though some areas may have restricted entry. Note that the building contains one of Germany's last paternoster elevators, but access to it is limited to administrative staff.
Since 1958, the Aachen Weather Column sits atop the roof providing forecasts to the surrounding area and has become a landmark of the district. This installation shows how modern technology was integrated into a historic structure in an unusual way.
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