Britannia Center Spandau

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View of the former shopping complex of the Britannia Center Spandau, May 2009

The former Britannia Center Spandau , previously known as the British Forces Families Center (BFFC), was built in Berlin between 1988 and 1990 by the Property Services Agency (PSA) for the British armed forces on the site of the former Spandau war crimes prison .

It summarized the main shopping, welfare, labor and broadcasting facilities for the British military community in Berlin.

The Britannia Center consisted of the new Shopping Complex and the new Cinema Complex as well as five pre-existing but completely refurbished two- and three-story buildings. It was opened in stages from September 1990 to mid-1991.

The buildings are located at the confluence of Wilhelmstrasse and Gatower Strasse, right next to the former Smuts Barracks, also known as Trainkaserne, in Wilhelmstadt in the Spandau district .

Facilities

The former Cinema Complex, May 2009

Shopping center

Cinema Complex

  • Jerboa Cinema (with 230 seats)
  • Public Information Area
  • Bus waiting area
  • Cash machine (ATM)
  • public toilets
Remnants of the Berlin Military Welfare Service (BMWS) at the demolished Cinema Complex

Pre-existing buildings

  • NAAFI - Area Administration
  • NAAFI - Imperial Staff Club
  • Wool shop
  • HIVE
  • YMCA Administration and Staff Facilities
  • Child Minding Center
  • BMWS - Berlin Military Welfare Service
  • Brigade Travel Office
  • thrift shop
  • RAOC Tailor Facility
  • Complex Manager
  • Station Staff Office (SSO)
  • Community RMP Office
  • PCLU
  • Anglo-German Club
  • SSVC engineering workshops
  • BFBS Studios and Offices

history

On August 1, 1946, the Summit House on Theodor-Heuss-Platz was opened as the NAAFI Club and gradually adapted to changing needs over the years. In 1977 a study proposed the construction of a new facility. At the same time diplomatic talks were held about the future of the Spandau prison . In 1982 a four-power agreement was reached that contained a statement by the Governing Mayor Richard von Weizsäcker , after the prison was to be demolished as soon as possible after the death of the only prisoner, Rudolf Hess .

Five weeks after Rudolf Hess died on August 17, 1987 at 4:10 p.m., the demolition of the Spandau prison began. The demolition was completed on November 4, 1987.

Construction of the new facility began in May 1988 and was completed on September 18, 1990. The name Britannia Center was chosen from more than 40 proposals in a competition.

Until the withdrawal of the British armed forces in 1994, the Britannia Center was protected by the 248 German Security Unit .

After the British left

After the Berlin Infantry Brigade was dissolved in mid-1994, the Britannia Center Spandau lost its name and became the only unnamed shopping center in Berlin. Until the end of 2011, it was only used by the Kaiser’s supermarket chain and a few small companies.

Media Markt left the former shopping complex at the end of 2008 . In 2011, the new owner, a development company, applied for a demolition permit for the former Cinema Complex, which was still used by Aldi until October 2011 . The contracts for both buildings (the Cinema Complex and the Shopping Complex) with Kaiser's had already been terminated at that time. Kaiser's was the last company to leave the shopping complex on December 31, 2011.

As of May 2013, the Cinema Complex has completely disappeared and the Shopping Complex has been so heavily rebuilt that very little is left. The glass dome was also torn down. A Kaufland Center opened there on June 20, 2013 .

Monument protection

The multi-storey outbuildings of the former Britannia Center Spandau, which today include a medical center, are all listed . However, the monument protection did not apply to the two main buildings, which is why the Spandau District Office's building department had no opportunity to refuse a demolition permit.

See also

Web links

Commons : Britannia Center Spandau  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Berlin Bulletin, March 2, 1990
  2. ↑ Berlin Bulletin, March 2, 1990, supplement page 3
  3. ↑ Shopping center in a new guise ( Memento of the original from March 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 9.9 MB) Spandauer Volksblatt of August 10, 2011, p. 4  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.berliner-woche.de

Coordinates: 52 ° 31 ′ 15 ″  N , 13 ° 11 ′ 8 ″  E