Siemens Headquarters (1910–1930)

In the early 20th century, Siemens reluctantly moved its headquarters away from the company’s original location [Site 3on Route 1] near the government district. The independent city of Spandau had been very keen to become the new home for the main office of such an important generator of business tax revenue, and Siemens eventually agreed. The company erected a building in the center of Siemensstadt that was bigger than every city hall in Berlin. Offices for 5,000 employees lined its five kilometers of hallways. During WWI parts of the structure served as a hospital. Featuring a mosaic hall, a lecture hall, and a library, the building represented a shift in Siemens’s architecture. The facade was designed by Karl Janisch in Historicist style; the interiors were the work of Hans Hertlein. The Siemens Historical Institute has been located there since 2016. An underground tunnel links the building with the Dynamo Works on the other side of the street. Dynamos are still manufactured there – an invention once pioneered by Werner von Siemens.