Foyer and the vestibule

Foyer im Roten Rathaus

Foyer

From the corners above the foyer, four marble figures watch over the grand staircase. They represent shipping, agriculture, fishing, and trade.

The figures were designed by the sculptors Ernst Herter, Otto Geyer, Adolf Brütt and Christian Peter Breuer at the end of the 19th century. They are among the few design elements that were preserved after reconstruction. Design elements from different eras throughout the foyer invite visitors to embark on a journey through time.

On the gallery opposite the foyer, a decorative wrought iron balustrade from the 1950s frames the staircase. It was designed by ornamental metalsmith Fritz Kuhn. Here you can find high stained-glass windows from the GDR era depicting people at work and the reconstruction of Berlin. The decorative windows lead to a balcony overlooking the courtyard in front of the Red Town Hall’s main entrance.

On the upper floor of the foyer in the gallery, visitors will find changing temporary exhibitions. The Red Town Hall’s ceremonial rooms and the Governing Mayor’s office are also located on this floor.

The grand staircase

The Red Town Hall boasts one of the city’s most beautiful staircases. Many notable personalities have walked the red carpet leading up the grand staircase: presidents, kings and queens, film stars like Helen Mirren or Tom Cruise as well as German champions from Berlin in basketball, ice hockey, and handball.

The 39 steps of the Red Town Hall’s grand staircase are made from black syenite, an igneous rock. From the main portal the grand staircase leads up to the Red Town Hall’s upper floor, which hosts the vestibule, the Hall of Arms, the Main Hall and the Hall of Pillars.

The vestibule

The vestibule houses an attraction that wows young and old visitors alike: the LEGO Town Hall. This unique miniature copy of the Red Town Hall is built of 78,750 LEGO pieces.

The vestibule also hosts temporary exhibitions.

Visitors pass through the vestibule to enter the Hall of Arms and the Main Hall and to access the cloakroom.

Die Unterschriften von Charles und Camilla im Goldenen Buch

Golden Book

The Golden Book, Berlin’s official visitors’ book signed by heads of state on their visits to the Red Town Hall, is exhibited in a display case in the gallery. More information

LEGO-Modell des Roten Rathauses

The Red Town Hall in LEGO format

It took 200 hours to build the LEGO Town Hall, a model of the Red Town Hall on a 1:60 scale. More information

"Reuters Reuter": Die von Erich F. Reuter stammende Büste Ernst Reuters im Roten Rathaus.

Bust of Ernst Reuter

A bust commemorates the first Governing Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Reuter. More information

Margot Friedländers Bronzebüste im Roten Rathaus

Bust of Margot Friedländer

Since 2023, a bust has paid tribute to Berlin’s honorary citizen, Holocaust survivor and witness to history Margot Friedländer (1921-2025). More information

Hermann-Waesemann-Büste im Roten Rathaus

Bust of Hermann Waesemann

The Red Town Hall is the most significant monument built by German architect Hermann Friedrich Waesemann. More information

Contact

The Governing Mayor of Berlin
- Senate Chancellery -