The building of the Czech Embassy in Berlin commemorates 50 years since the design

Berlin - The building of the Czech embassy in Berlin, which is a unique example of brutalism in the German metropolis, is commemorating 50 years since the first design by the couple Věra and Vladimír Machonin with an exhibition at the Czech Centre. They also designed the Prague department store Kotva, among others. The exhibition is titled Raumschiff Enterprise after the starship Enterprise from the sci-fi world of Star Trek.

"The building has deserved this name since it was constructed at the end of the 1970s, due to its appearance, because it essentially landed on no man's land and looks a bit like a starship because of its presence," said Simona Binko from the Czech Centre in Berlin in an interview with ČTK, who prepared the exhibition together with Helena Huber-Doudová.

Building the embassy in the area of former East Berlin near the Berlin Wall could indeed have felt like a revelation, as the building with its generous gilded glazing boasts massive and futuristic shapes. The embassy quickly acquired the nickname Enterprise, which has remained among Berliners to this day. Not everyone likes the building, but even due to the feelings and controversies it evokes, it is well-known in the metropolis.

"Every time I talk to Berliners, they immediately know what building it is; they know it is a very distinctive building, which somehow remains a mystery to them because they don’t know what’s hidden inside. Few know that it is the Czech embassy. But it definitely piques interest," Binko said. She noted that the construction deceives with its appearance, as it seems impregnable from the outside, but inside it stands out with its colors.

Binko is in daily contact with the building, as the Czech Centre is located at the embassy. "For me, it's a workspace with character, and I am really happy that we can be based here," she stated. She noted that even when she just passes by, she always thinks about how beautiful a building it is.

The embassy remains true to its nickname Enterprise even inside, with Binko pointing out the basement in particular. "There it really feels like being in a starship, because all the control centers for the entire building are there; it is truly an experience," she said.

The building can surprise visitors with its interiors, whose design was meticulously elaborated on paper. "The interior is thought out to the last detail," Binko explained. "The Machonins also designed the furniture, which is a significant part of the exhibition here," she says. A question during the preparation of the exhibition was whether to place the exhibited furniture on platforms as exhibits or to allow people to sit on it. "It ended up being something between the two," she added.

The exhibition, which will last until October 3rd, features plans for the building including a proposal for a building on Leipziger Strasse, where the embassy was originally planned. The location was ultimately exchanged for Wilhelmstrasse, for which a new project was developed in June 1972. Construction began three years later, and the building was completed in 1978.

From the street, the building takes on a cubic shape with diagonally cut corners. The fact that the embassy appears to passersby as a compact block is also confirmed by Binko. "But that is not entirely true, because on one side, from the parking lot side, the block is disrupted, and essentially the last three floors are just an open circle, if I can put it that way," she pointed out. This opens a view of the internal terrace, which was supposed to be green according to the Machonins but ultimately was not realized.

"Unfortunately, it is not green today; the terrace is also not accessible," she said, expressing her wish to revitalize this unused space. "My biggest dream, which is absolutely utopian, would be to have a summer cinema there or something similar because it is really a place in the middle of the city that no one expects," she added.

The building also has surprising nooks. Binko mentions the so-called submarine. "It is a place on the level of representative spaces, where there is the cinema hall and where there is a room where receptions are held. It is a completely hidden room that has access from several sides and was designed, or at least it is said, to allow different political parties and even spies to meet there," she explained.

The embassy building is set for a long-planned renovation in the coming years. The goal is not only to renovate the building but also to adapt its parameters to the 21st century. Currently, despite a high energy consumption, it is problematic to maintain a suitable temperature. The building was also designed for about 350 employees, but there are only about fifty there now. In the vacated spaces, there are plans for the ambassador's residence and apartments for employees.