QUARTIERS DES COMPTOIRS (KONTORHAUSVIERTEL)

Located in the south of Hamburg's Old Town, the Counter District(Kontorhausviertel in German) is characterized by its large, Expressionist-style brick commercial buildings dating from the early ^20th century. In 2015, the district was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Notable buildings include

miramarhaus (1921-1922), the first building in the district, with its characteristic rounded shape.

The Chilehaus (see dedicated box in the guidebook).

Sprinkenhof (built in three phases between 1927 and 1943), for many years the city's largest office complex. Highlights include impressive staircases in pure Expressionist brickwork.

The Hubertushaus (1931), built for commercial use.

The Mohlenhof, an office complex built between 1927 and 1928. Distinguishable by its simplistic forms, it is the only building in the district to have escaped the bombardments of the Second World War unscathed.

The Bartholomayhaus (1938-1939), with its multiple gables, echoes traditional Hanseatic architecture.

The Helmut-Schmidt-Haus (1938), long known as the Pressehaus, was home to numerous publishing houses throughout its existence. A major national daily newspaper still has its headquarters here. The building was inhabited to house the offices of a Nazi daily newspaper. Worth a visit is the carved symbol that still stands on Curienstrasse, but from which the original swastika has been removed.