The Reich Chancellery – A Reconstruction

The Reich Chancellery was founded in Berlin in 1878 by Otto von Bismarck as the office of the Reich Chancellor. He chose the former Palais Schulenburg at Wilhelmstraße 77 as the location for his new office. The Reich Chancellery building is a good example of how architecture was used differently by the building's various occupants over 250 years. Since the Reich Chancellery was continually expanded by its occupants, its architecture can be used to explore the development of various architectural styles. In addition to its historical significance, the Reich Chancellery was also a building on which various architects left their artistic mark. Konrad Wiesend built the original palace, which later became the first Reich Chancellery, and Karl Friedrich Schinkel fundamentally redesigned it in the early 19th century for the Polish Prince Anton Radziwill in keeping with the style of the time. Later, renowned architects such as Wilhelm Neumann, Ernst von Ihne, Eduard Jobst Siedler, Paul Ludwig Troost, Leonhard Gall, and Albert Speer expanded the building, each in keeping with the style of the time. 
But they were also the ones who designed the architectural stage set with which the German Chancellors attempted to architecturally underline their political aspirations in the world from 1878 onwards. The reconstructions therefore reveal how the various Chancellors wanted to be perceived by the public, and an analysis of the architecture allows conclusions to be drawn about the different characters of the clients.

Although my current publications primarily focus on the New Reich Chancellery, built by Albert Speer between 1937 and 1940, I am also simultaneously reconstructing the building's earlier construction phases. This is necessary because the New Reich Chancellery was partly based on the historical pre-existing buildings. My goal is to reconstruct the entire construction history of the Reich Chancellery.