The Rotes Rathaus

The Red Town Hall (German Rotes Rathaus) on Rathausstraße in Mitte, is the town hall of Berlin. It is the home to the governing mayor and the provincial government of the town and state Berlin. The name of the landmark building dates from the facade design with red clinker bricks .

The town hall was built between 1861 and 1869 in the style of the north Italian High Renaissance by Hermann Friedrich Wäsemann . The architecture of the tower is reminiscent of the cathedral's tower of Laon in France. It replaced more, partial buildings dating from the Middle Ages by a whole street block. Since its completion it serves as a city hall. During the Cold War and after its reconstruction during the 1950s to the original plans it served only as the town hall of East Berlin, while the Rathaus Schöneberg was domicile of the West Berlin senate. After the German reunification the unified administration of Berlin officially moved back in 1991.

Berlin students conducted an extended protest in front of the Rotes Rathaus against cutbacks in educational funding in 2004, camping out across the street from the building for several months and inducing many officials to enter via a side door to avoid heckling.