Berlin ROTES RATHAUS

The city hall of Berlin known as the Rotes Rathaus or the Red City Hall was built with red bricks making it a massive and striking building with a magnificent tower. The building is presently located at the southeast side of the Alexanderplatz and in front of it rests a neo-baroque fountain called The Neptunbrunnen or Neptune Fountain. 

The area where the Rotes Rathaus is presently located was home to four previous town halls. The original town hall was built during the 13th century. As the population of the metropolis grew, so was the need for a bigger town hall. The Rotes Rathaus was built between 1861 and 1869 and was designed by a German Architect known as Hermann Friedrich Waesemann. The design of the structure is a North-Italian high renaissance style while the tower is believed to be based from France’s Gothic Laon Cathedral. Another interesting addition to the beauty of the structure is the extended panel depicting several scenes from Berlin’s rich history. 

During the Second World War, the building took heavy damage from the attacks of the Allied Forces and was later restored between 1951 and 1956. The Neues Stadthaus became the temporary town hall following the war up to September of 1948. The Rotes Rathaus was considered the town hall of East Berlin and at the same time, the Rathaus Schöneberg became the seat of Wes Berlin’s senate. In October 1, 1991, the Rotes Rathaus came to be the official town hall of the unified Berlin after the German reunification. The Bundestag determined that the city of Berlin shall become the seat of the parliament and federal government of Germany. Later on, the Rotes Rathaus became the home of the the Governing Mayor of Berlin together with the Senate Chancellery and since 1993, the House of Representative has convened its session in the building. A series of further renovation was done to the building and was finally completed in 2010.   

The large and magnificent Neptunbrunnen right in front of the Rotes Rathaus was built by Reinhold Begas between 1886 and 1891. Formerly, it was set at the Schlossplatz right in front of the Berlin Castle. It was only in 1969 when it was transferred in between the St. Mary’s Church and town hall. The fountain is beautifully adorned with bronze statues, at the center of which stands the statue of Neptune, hence the name. The statue of Neptune oversees a basin where the great and important rivers of Prussia, namely the Rhine, the Elbe, the Oder, and the Vistula are symbolized by four female figures. It is 18 metres in diameter and 10 metres high. Another well-known Neptunbrunnen was built in Breslau. It was commonly called Gabeljürge or Georgie Fork. Unfortunately, this Neptunbrunnen was totally destroyed during World War 2. 

The Rotes Rathaus may be an edifice for the parliamentary government of Berlin but nevertheless, tourists and visitors should not miss to visit the said structure as well as the Neptune Fountain. It holds much history and architectural beauty and value that one should not leave Berlin without having even one glimpse.