City-Hochhaus Leipzig (original) (raw)

36-storey skyscraper in Leipzig, Germany

City-Hochhaus
Map
Alternative names UnirieseWeisheitszahnMDR-Turm
General information
Status Completed
Type Commercial offices
Location Augustusplatz 9Leipzig, Germany
Coordinates 51°20′15″N 12°22′46″E / 51.3375°N 12.3794°E / 51.3375; 12.3794
Construction started 1968
Completed 1972
Owner Merrill Lynch
Management CRE Resolution GmbH
Height
Antenna spire 155 m (509 ft)
Roof 142.5 m (468 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 36
Floor area 800–850 m2 (8,600–9,100 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s) Hermann Henselmann
References
[1][2][3][4]

City-Hochhaus is 36-story skyscraper in Leipzig, Germany. At 142.5 m (468 ft), it is the tallest multistory building in Leipzig and is located proximately of the eastern part of the inner city ring road in Leipzig's district Mitte. The tower was designed by architect Hermann Henselmann in the shape of an open book, and built between 1968 and 1972. It followed Henselmann's idea to cap central places in cities with a prominent tower, such as the Jen-Tower in Jena and Fernsehturm in Berlin.

City-Hochhaus was originally part of the University of Leipzig campus at Augustusplatz, was sold by the state government of Saxony and is now owned by the U.S. investment bank Merrill Lynch.[5] The building was completely renovated between 1999 and 2002, when it lost its aluminium sheathing which was replaced by grey granite. The offices are now rented to private tenants, including the public broadcaster MDR, the European Energy Exchange[6] and a restaurant called 'Panorama'. The roof is equipped with a viewing platform.

The building is nicknamed Weisheitszahn (English: wisdom tooth) by locals due to its form, or after its previous function, the Uniriese (English: university giant).

Due to the height and location of the house in the city center, it offers a panoramic view of the entire city. Since 1972, the Panorama Café had been on the 26th and 27th floor during the GDR era, but was closed in 1991. In 2002, after the renovation of the house, the new panorama restaurant was opened.[7] The restaurant now operates under the name "Plate of Art". It was redesigned in 2007 according to plans by the architect Rüdiger Renno and the designer Till Brömme.[8]

A staircase leads from the restaurant floor to the open viewing platform on the 31st floor. At a height of 120 m (390 ft), it provides a good overview of the city center and far beyond the Leipzig area. Only towards the east-southeast does the spire obstruct the view. Among other things, if the air is clear enough, there are Fichtelberg (110 km (68 mi)), Auersberg (100 km (62 mi)), Kulpenberg, Wurmberg, Brocken (132 km (82 mi)), Viktorshöhe (98 km (61 mi)) and even some Ore Mountains peaks in the Czech Republic (e.g. Jeleni Hora, 109 km (68 mi)) to see.[9] The platform is a popular tourist destination.

Looking west from the observation deck (2013)

Approx. 180° panoramic view to the south (2010)

  1. ^ "City-Hochhaus Leipzig". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. ^ "Emporis building ID 110011". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016.
  3. ^ "City-Hochhaus Leipzig". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ^ City-Hochhaus Leipzig at Structurae
  5. ^ Amerikaner kaufen City-Hochhaus Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ http://polares-ream.de/index.php/en/references-en/case-studies/asset-management/city-hochhaus-leipzig[_permanent dead link_‍]
  7. ^ Riedel, 2012, p. 91
  8. ^ "Panorama Tower". Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  9. ^ "PeakFinder – Der Berg ruft!". Retrieved 2021-11-11.