Hansahochhaus
Cologne's first skyscraper from 1925 — briefly the tallest building in Europe at completion, built in the Brick Expressionist style.
since 1925
The Hansahochhaus was Cologne's first skyscraper and one of Germany's earliest high-rise buildings. Upon its completion in 1925, it was briefly the tallest building in Europe.
At a Glance
- Type
- Office and commercial building, listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Location
- Neustadt/Nord, Innenstadt district, Hansaring 97
- Height
- 65 metres, 17 storeys
- Built
- 1924–1925
- Architect
- Jacob Koerfer
- Style
- Brick Expressionism (Klinkerexpressionismus)
The paternoster lift in the Hansahochhaus was, with 26 cabins, the tallest in the world upon its completion in 1925 – a record that stood until 1965, when the Axel Springer building in Berlin surpassed it with 36 cabins.
Things to do here
- Marvel at Cologne's first high-rise from 1925
- Photograph the striking brick expressionist façade
- Spot the animal and human heads above the ground-floor windows
- Seek out the historic paternoster lift, once the tallest in the world
- Stroll past it along the Hansaring on a city walk
Size comparison
Height compared with other landmarks in Cologne.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
Construction and History
Jacob Koerfer acquired the site through a land swap with the City of Cologne. He submitted his plans in early 1924, and the then Mayor Konrad Adenauer expressed written support for the project. Despite financing difficulties and strikes, the shell was complete by October 1924 and the building finished in June 1925. The actual construction took just 135 working days — faster than comparable American skyscrapers — though interruptions stretched the overall timeline to 15 months.
Architecture
The reinforced-concrete frame is clad entirely in dark-red hard-fired brick, giving it the appearance of solid masonry. The facade is designed in the Brick Expressionist manner, with implied piers, triangular window lintels, and Art Deco keystones. Above the pointed ground-floor windows, sculpted animal and human heads line the street fronts. Until the Second World War, five slender figures representing the five continents adorned the facade; these works by Joseph Pabst and Franz Albermann have since been lost.
The Paternoster Lift
Alongside the staircase and a conventional elevator, a paternoster lift by Cologne manufacturer L. Hopmann serves the upper floors. With 26 cars for two passengers each, running from the first to the 14th floor, it was once the tallest paternoster in the world — a record not broken until the Axel Springer building in Berlin in 1965.
Wartime and Today
The building's steel-concrete structure carried it through the Second World War largely intact. Between May 1944 and February 1945, the third and fourth floors served as a makeshift camp for forced labourers deployed mainly by Deutsche Reichsbahn. Today the complex includes an adjoining six-storey office and commercial building. The name recalls the address Hansaring 97, itself a reference to Cologne's historical membership of the Hanseatic League.
Timeline
- 11. Januar 1924Koerfer submits building plans to the city planning office
- 25. Oktober 1924Shell construction completed after just 135 working days
- Juni 1925Completion after 15 months; briefly the tallest building in Europe (65 m)
- Anfang 1930Cinema in the annex among the first in Cologne to show sound films
- Mai 1944 – Februar 19453rd and 4th floors used as makeshift camp for forced labourers of the Deutsche Reichsbahn
- 1945Annex cinema destroyed in World War II, never rebuilt
- 1961Saturn Elektro opens at Hansaring 79–81 on 120 m²
- 1965Paternoster world record (26 cabins) surpassed by the Axel Springer building in Berlin
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Hansaring 97
50670 Köln
Hours
Mo: 13:00–20:00
Di: 13:00–20:00
Mi: 13:00–20:00
Do: 13:00–20:00
Fr: 13:00–21:00
Sa: 13:00–21:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-06-25)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-24)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-24, rev 267184012)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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