German Chancellor’s residence will be doubled
The Federal Audit Office previously indicated the redundancy of the structures and premises of the new project, where each square meter will cost the budget 18 thousand euros. And the head of the Federal Taxpayers Union, Rainer Holznagel, called the estimate too “generous.” According to media reports, a giant complex with an area of 50 thousand square meters will grow in the bend of the Spree River. It will include 400 new offices, pedestrian bridges and tunnels, another winter garden and an additional helipad. In terms of dimensions, the renovated residence of the head of the FRG government promises to give odds to the Elysee Palace in Paris and the White House in Washington.
By the way, its design was developed by the same architects who designed the current office, erected in 2001. Then Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank received an award for her, although the 36-meter glass whopper received many unflattering nicknames like “washing machine” and even “elephant’s toilet”. The German government moved there from the former building of the State Council of the GDR in east Berlin. It served as a temporary residence for the Cabinet since 1999, after moving from Bonn – the Federal Republic of Germany’s executive power has been there since the time of the division of the country. The first chancellor to move into the new building was Gerhard Schroeder. By the way, until now he was the only one who took the opportunity to live in a state-owned two-room apartment on the eighth floor. As you know, Angela Merkel prefers to live with her husband in her own apartment in an ordinary house not far from the government quarter. In addition to the official and banquet halls, the current stationelyaria has its own kitchen, a refrigerator for flowers and even a wine cellar.
Plans to expand the territory have been discussed in Germany for the last ten years. Even in such a spacious and modern building, the employees were cramped, many had to work from outside.