Consider this: a building named after a mineral water. That is the Margon-Haus. Here we stand before a building with a story that is intertwined with local industry. The Margon-Haus is more than just an office building. It is a landmark.
The Margon-Haus is located on Budapester Strasse. It stands in the Seevorstadt-West district of Dresden. This nine-story building marks the end of the five-story residential buildings near Dippoldiswalder Platz. Across from it is the Centrum-Galerie.
Construction on this building finished in 1966. Architects Gerhard Müller and Hans-Georg Bedrich designed it. Hans Konrad oversaw the urban planning. It was built using prefabricated parts in a modular construction style. The building got a curtain wall made of aluminum. The gables were clad with exposed aggregate concrete slabs. Inside, the office building had space for 469 employees. It originally served as the administrative building for the Economic Council of the Dresden District.
After the political changes in the former East Germany, the building briefly housed Saxony’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. Today, various companies use it as an office building.
The Margon-Haus gets its name from the illuminated advertising on its eastern gable. This sign promotes Margonwasser. The ad was originally on the partially completed ruins of the Hotel Excelsior on Prager Strasse. After the hotel was torn down in 1967, they moved the sign to this new building. The sign shows a half-full glass of sparkling water. It includes the slogan: “Trink Margonwasser – prickelnd frisch,” meaning “Drink Margonwasser – sparkling fresh.” In 1998, the city protected it as a historic monument.
From 1999 to 2002, the TLG Treuhand Liegenschaftsgesellschaft renovated the building. Kajo Schommer, Saxony’s Minister of Economy and Labor, ensured the sign was preserved during the renovation.
Margonwasser is a well-known product from Burkhardswalde, Saxony. Almost 90 percent of people in the new federal states of Germany recognize it. The Margon brand has revived its famous illuminated sign. It is using the historic typography and stylistic details in its current advertising. This happened 50 years after its creation.
Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, about 300 illuminated signs lit up Dresden’s nights. They added color to the city. Margon had similar signs in Berlin, Leipzig, and Pirna. Today, only the Dresden sign remains. It is protected as a cultural asset.
The brand is also using the slogan from the illuminated sign. The slogan “Margon. prickelnd frisch” was used until the 1990s. Many people in Saxony still remember it. The campaign reinterprets the font from the 1950s. It also uses the stylized bubbles that have represented the brand since the 1930s.
The Margon-Haus stands as a testament to Dresden’s industrial and advertising history. It reminds us of a time when local brands shaped the cityscape. The Margon-Haus is more than bricks and mortar. It is a sparkling landmark in the heart of Dresden.