World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseIn 1875, the Rococo city palace on the street Wilhelmstraße in Berlin, Germany belonging to the late Prince Antoni Radziwill, previously known as Palais Schulenburg, was acquired by the Prussian state government as the office for Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The building was significantly enlarged by the addition of a southern annex, which was completed in 1930. Between 1932 and 1933, the building also served as the office of President Paul von Hindenburg, whose nearby office was undergoing a renovation. In 1935, architects Paul Troost and Leonhard Gall redesigned the interior as Adolf Hitler's residence, who had been made the chancellor in Jan 1933. They also added a large reception hall and conservatory, officially known as the Festsaal mit Wintergarten, in the garden area. The latter addition was unique because of the large cellar that led a further 1.5 meters down to an air raid shelter.

ww2dbaseIn 1935, Hitler ordered preliminary planning of a new Reich Chancellery building. The new building would become Hitler's new office, while the existing building would remain his residence. In 1937, some buildings on the northern side of the nearby street Voßstraße were demolished in preparation of the new building. In late Jan 1938, Hitler officially tasked Albert Speer to design and build a new Reich Chancellery building, giving him a deadline of Jan 1939. Speer declared the construction complete 2 days prior to the deadline and received Hitler's praise, but in actuality interior fittings would continue well into the early 1940s. The construction of the new Reich Chancellery cost over 90,000,000 Reichsmark. A bunker complex, Führerbunker, was built in the garden area between the two buildings. It was connected to the existing air raid shelter by a set of stairs.

ww2dbaseBoth buildings suffered heavy damage during the war, particularly during the Battle of Berlin of 1945. The Führerbunker would become Hitler's final headquarters in the last days of the war, and the site of his eventual suicide.

ww2dbaseSoviet diplomat Andrei Gromyko (later Soviet head of state, ie. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet) visited the Reich Chancellery building in May 1945; he later noted:

ww2dbaseAfter the war, the Soviets embarked on an effort to demolish the entire site, which took many years to complete.

Reich Chancellery Interactive Map

Photographs

Reich Chancellery Timeline