Rathaus Schöneberg (Schöneberg Town Hall)

The village of Schöneberg was granted town privileges in 1898. After 1920, when Schöneberg and Friedenau merged and became part of Greater Berlin, Schöneberg Town Hall also served as district town hall for these two districts. During the division of Berlin from 1949 on, Schöneberg Town Hall was also the official seat of the Governing Mayor, the West Berlin Senate, and the Berlin House of Representatives. President John F. Kennedy’s speech in front of the town hall on June 26, 1963, has become legendary. He famously affirmed his allegiance to Berlin, its bond with Western Europe, and his commitment to the transatlantic alliance with the words: “Ich bin ein Berliner”. One year after the reunification in 1990, the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the Senate Chancellery moved to the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). In 1993, the Berlin House of Representatives, too, left Schöneberg Town Hall and relocated to the building of the former Landtag of Prussia. Following the administrative reform of 2001, Schöneberg Town Hall is now seat of the town hall for the district of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, serving as the seat of the district mayor and the district council, and many departments of the district administration. In 2014, Schöneberg Town Hall will celebrate its centennial.