Can you imagine a time when the Hauptpost in Potsdam was personally opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II? That happened on March 10, 1900. Today we will explore the Hauptpost. This building has quite a story.
The Hauptpost stands impressively at Am Kanal 16-18. It faces Platz der Einheit. Its back extends towards the French Quarter. The Hauptpost even reaches the site of the former Old Synagogue.
Before this grand structure the Alte Post stood across Friedrich-Ebert-Straße. It was built between 1783 and 1784. As the Prussian postal system reorganized in 1850, the need for a larger facility grew.
The Reichspostamt’s technical building office began planning this new post office in 1893. Ernst Hake, a post construction advisor, led the design. He envisioned a neo-baroque style. The design included three corner domes.
Baumeister Siecke oversaw the construction. Because of the marshy ground, workers drove twelve-meter-long piles into the earth. They then laid a thick concrete foundation.
When completed, the Hauptpost bustled with activity. Over 300 people worked for the Oberpostdirektion. They also worked for the post and telegraph office. Its neo-baroque design featured side towers and a dome. The dome crowned the main entrance.
However in 1936, the towers and dome were removed. During World War II in 1943, the RPD Potsdam dissolved. Its responsibilities transferred to Berlin. The Hauptpost suffered heavy damage from bombing on April 14, 1945.
After the war, the Hauptpost was rebuilt in the early 1950s. The western facade was simplified. It resumed its role as the city’s main post office. In 1953, East Germany dissolved the Oberpostdirektionen. The Bezirksdirektion für Post- und Fernmeldewesen replaced it. It was located in the Hauptpost.
The Hauptpost boasts a three-story sandstone-clad structure. It features a large courtyard. Its neo-baroque decor once mirrored Potsdam’s late 18th-century architecture. The main facade faced the Stadtkanal. It had a classical column portico.
The domes atop the corner projections were removed in 1936. After war damage, some of the gable decorations were reduced. The Hauptpost continues to serve Potsdam. It stands as a testament to the city’s history. It has witnessed imperial inaugurations, wartime damage, and post-war reconstruction.