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Embassy of Russia

Russian Embassy in Berlin

The Russian Embassy in Berlin.

The Russian Embassy resides in an imposing building on Unter den Linden in Berlin. The Stalinist building proved to be architecturally trend-setting.

Since Russia, as the legal successor, took over all the property of the former Soviet Union, the magnificent USSR Embassy Unter den Linden also fell to it. This embassy building was built in the years 1950 to 1952 according to the design of A. Stryshewski on the site of the old Russian embassy from the 18th century, which had been destroyed in the war. The new building was the only one at the privileged location Unter den Linden that was allowed to deviate from the "Linden Statute" laid down in 1909, both in terms of height and distance from the public street. The attached tower lantern is higher and its recessed entrance area is set back further than permitted by law.

Architecture of the Russian Embassy

The symmetrical complex is dominated by the lantern, which spans a large, richly decorated domed hall inside. It crowns the central wing, which, together with the two side wings, forms a forecourt of honor that is now rare for Berlin. Later buildings on Behrenstraße and Glinkastraße extended the complex by several buildings.

The Russian Embassy as a district in its own right

Separate residential buildings, a school and the swimming pool turned the already very large embassy building into a complete district for the embassy staff and their families. Inside, visitors enter the three flights of stairs via an entrance area that narrows for dramatic reasons. From here, it is not only possible to reach the large concert hall for 400 guests in the middle of the property, but also the three representative rooms facing the street: the domed hall with a height of almost 20 meters, 16 marble columns and its inlaid parquet flooring opens up to the coat of arms hall to its right and the hall of mirrors on its other side.

New building section created during renovation

At the end of the 1990s, the building was completely renovated. In addition to the general technical refurbishment, a rear section of the building was also created for the consular department. However, the tense financial situation of the world's largest country in terms of area made itself felt in the detailing and execution.

Influence of the Russian Embassy on GDR architecture

As the first reconstruction project after the war, this complex set the neoclassical course for later GDR architecture. The Stalinist style, known at the time as "National Tradition", attempted to draw on national building traditions - in this case Berlin Classicism - and monumentalize them in a coarsened form. The Russian Embassy also set the tone for Stalinallee (1951-1956), which had been under construction since 1951. Today's Frankfurter Allee refers architecturally to the embassy building.

Information

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 Address
Unter den Linden 63-65
10117 Berlin
Phone
+49 (30) 229 11 10
Internet
www.russische-botschaft.de

Public transportation

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Last edited: 24 January 2025