Haus des Rundfunks
Encyclopedia
The Haus des Rundfunks located in the Westend
district of Berlin
, Germany
, is the oldest self-contained broadcasting house in the world. It was designed by Hans Poelzig
in 1929 after winning an architectural competition. The building vis-à-vis the Funkturm
contains three large broadcasting rooms located in the centre, shielded from street noise by the surrounding office wings. It is now used by the local ARD
broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
(RBB) and produces radio programs for the channels radioBerlin, Kulturradio, and Inforadio. The building's broadcasting rooms are occasionally also used to host concerts.
. The large, central broadcasting room was finished in 1933. On the 22 March 1935 the first regular television
service in Germany Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow
was started here, but moved to a separate building on nearby Theodor-Heuss-Platz in 1937. The Haus des Rundfunks also had an important influence on the development of Stereophonic sound
and its adoption to broadcasting.
After World War II
, the Haus des Rundfunks became something of a Cold War
issue: Though it was situated in the British Sector of West Berlin
, it was used by the Berliner Rundfunk
radio station, controlled by the Soviet occupation forces, until it moved to East Berlin
in 1952. Not until 5 July 1956 the building was handed over to the West Berlin mayor Otto Suhr
by the Soviet military command. After considerable renovation work, it was used from the end of 1957 as the home of Sender Freies Berlin
s broadcasting programmes, which on 1 May 2003 merged into the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.
s which possesses a diversity of acoustic characteristics.
Poelzig put a great deal of thought into the acoustics of the rooms. The chairs in the large broadcasting room were specially designed so that seats had the same sound-absorbing qualities whether they were occupied or not. In the smaller broadcasting room a hundred wall panels could be flipped. One side of the panels absorbed sound, the other reflected it. In this way very different reverberation effects could be created.
Westend (Berlin)
Westend is a locality of the Berlin borough Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf situated on the Spandauer Berg, the northern peak of the Teltow plateau between the river valleys of Spree and Havel...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, is the oldest self-contained broadcasting house in the world. It was designed by Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig was a German architect, painter and set designer.-Life:Poelzig was born in Berlin in 1869 to the countess Clara Henrietta Maria Poelzig while she was married to George Acland Ames, an Englishman...
in 1929 after winning an architectural competition. The building vis-à-vis the Funkturm
Funkturm Berlin
The Berliner Funkturm or Funkturm Berlin is a transmitting tower in Berlin, built between 1924 and 1926 by Heinrich Straumer. It is nicknamed "der lange Lulatsch" and is one of the best-known points of interest in the city of Berlin. It stands in the Berlin trade fair ground in the...
contains three large broadcasting rooms located in the centre, shielded from street noise by the surrounding office wings. It is now used by the local ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is an institution under public law for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, situated in Berlin and Potsdam...
(RBB) and produces radio programs for the channels radioBerlin, Kulturradio, and Inforadio. The building's broadcasting rooms are occasionally also used to host concerts.
History
The building, designed with a plan shape of a rounded triangle with a 150 m (492.1 ft) long façade of ceramic tiles, was constructed from 1929-1930 and inaugurated on 22 January 1931 as the seat of the Reichs-Rundfunk-GesellschaftReichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
The Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft , which can be loosely translated as the State Broadcasting Company, was a national network of German regional public broadcasting companies active from 1925 until 1945...
. The large, central broadcasting room was finished in 1933. On the 22 March 1935 the first regular television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
service in Germany Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow
Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow
The Fernsehsender "Paul Nipkow" Berlin was a television station in Germany. It was on the air from March 22, 1935 until it was shut down in 1944. Its headquarters were in Berlin, Germany. It was named after Paul Nipkow, the inventor of the Nipkow disk...
was started here, but moved to a separate building on nearby Theodor-Heuss-Platz in 1937. The Haus des Rundfunks also had an important influence on the development of Stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
and its adoption to broadcasting.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Haus des Rundfunks became something of a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
issue: Though it was situated in the British Sector of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, it was used by the Berliner Rundfunk
Berliner Rundfunk
The Berliner Rundfunk was a radio program set in East Germany. It had a political focus and discussed events in East Berlin. Today it is a commercial radio station broadcast with the name "Berlin Rundfunk 91.4".- History :...
radio station, controlled by the Soviet occupation forces, until it moved to East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
in 1952. Not until 5 July 1956 the building was handed over to the West Berlin mayor Otto Suhr
Otto Suhr
Otto Suhr was a German political figure as a member of the SPD. He served as the mayor of West Berlin between 1955 and 1957....
by the Soviet military command. After considerable renovation work, it was used from the end of 1957 as the home of Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003...
s broadcasting programmes, which on 1 May 2003 merged into the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.
The building
The Haus des Rundfunks was one of the first buildings in Europe solely dedicated to broadcasting, exceeded in age only by the Münchner Funkhaus. It is thus especially noteworthy that the building still offers ideal conditions for broadcasting productions today. At the time, Hans Poelzig had almost no examples to emulate, but he developed ideas which are still valid today: the office and editorial rooms are located on the outer areas of the building and surround the three large studio complexes. The largest broadcasting room comprises the heart of the building, and aside from this there is also a smaller broadcasting room and an area for radio dramaRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s which possesses a diversity of acoustic characteristics.
Poelzig put a great deal of thought into the acoustics of the rooms. The chairs in the large broadcasting room were specially designed so that seats had the same sound-absorbing qualities whether they were occupied or not. In the smaller broadcasting room a hundred wall panels could be flipped. One side of the panels absorbed sound, the other reflected it. In this way very different reverberation effects could be created.
External links
- Haus des Rundfunks Broadcasting House, Berlin, Goethe-InstitutGoethe-InstitutThe Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
, Washington, D.C. Haus des Rundfunks, rbb-online.de Haus des Rundfunks, berlin.de