Otto-Wels-Haus, Government office building in Dorotheenstadt, Germany.
The Otto-Wels-Haus is a Bundestag office building at Unter den Linden 48–56 in the Dorotheenstadt quarter of Berlin-Mitte. It was built from 1962 to 1965 to designs by Emil Leibold, Herbert Boos and Hanno Walther, and after a 1992–1997 renovation only the reinforced-concrete skeleton of the original remained. The building was raised by one storey and given restrained neoclassical exterior elements; the two lowest floors open onto the boulevard with a row of shops.
The building was constructed between 1962 and 1965 as the Ministry for Foreign Trade of East Germany, reflecting the division of the country at that time. After reunification, it was transformed into a parliamentary office building and received its current name in 2017.
The building honors Otto Wels, a politician from the Weimar Republic who stood up for democratic values. The name represents an important moment of resistance in German history.
The building is located centrally in Berlin's administrative district with good access to public transportation and is easy to reach on foot. Its wide frontage along Unter den Linden makes it straightforward to locate and navigate.
The building was renamed Otto-Wels-Haus on 23 March 2017, the anniversary of the Reichstag debate on the Enabling Act of 24 March 1933. Otto Wels had spoken for the SPD against the law there, saying: "Freiheit und Leben kann man uns nehmen, die Ehre nicht."
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