CHILEHAUS

This huge, dark brick building is probably the most famous and impressive example of Kontorhäuser architecture (counter houses, offices shared by several companies) in Hamburg. Its ten floors still house the offices of various companies today. The Chilehaus is the oldest building in the city's business district. Designed by the architect Fritz Höger between 1922 and 1924, the building was named after its owner, Henry B. Sloman, a German-British shipowner, who made his fortune trading with Chile. He was the richest man in Hamburg at the time. The Chilehaus is a magnificent example of German expressionist architecture and the symbol of a long Hanseatic trading tradition. Its construction required, among other things, 4.8 million bricks, 750 wagons of cement, 2,800 windows... The best way to see the building is to go to the corner of Burchardstraße and Pumpen Street, where you will see the real bow of the "ship", produced by its crown, and you will become aware of the spectacular angles of the building, which spans the Fischertwiete Street. The Chilehaus is at the center of a complex of buildings that are also part of the Kontorhausviertel (office and business district) designed in the 1920s by the architects Fritz Höger and Fritz Schumacher. The Chilehaus, like the rest of the district, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.