“Belgienhalle” (1918)

Large-Scale Spoils of War – There was an acute iron shortage during WWI. To help cpanies of significance to the war effort, industrial buildings in occupied territories were dismantled and rebuilt in Germany. For the Siemens-Schuckert Works, architect Hans Hertlein chose an iron-frame hall in the northern French city of Valenciennes, near the Belgian border. The relocated building, deceptively named Belgienhalle, or “Belgium Hall,” became a metal shop at the Siemens Cable Factory on Gartenfeld Island. Its location on the Hohenzollern Canal made it accessible to barges. Workers took the Siemensbahn, or “Siemens Railway,” to Gartenfeld Station. The hall was expanded in 1928/29. Electric, communications, and high-frequency cables were produced there until 2002. Then it was used as a storage facility and briefly as the location for the Bread & Butter tradeshow. 3,700 apartments and a recreational waterfront are planned for the island, which will be closed to traffic. The landmarked hall will be home to commercial, social, and cultural enterprises.