A life across the arts
Hans Poelzig was born on 30 April 1869 and died on 14 June 1936. He worked as an architect, painter and set designer.
Literature
Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig brought Expressionist architecture to Berlin in the building that contains the Babylon Cinema.
Hans Poelzig was a German architect, painter and set designer. His work crossed the boundaries between buildings, images and the stage. In Berlin, his story remains visible at the Babylon Cinema, housed within a building he designed.
Worth knowing
Beyond architecture
Poelzig did not limit his creative work to buildings. Painting and set design were also part of his professional life.
Poelzig at Babylon Cinema
As you stand by Berlin’s Babylon Cinema, you are looking at part of Poelzig’s architectural legacy. He designed the Expressionist building that contains the cinema.
Addresses you can still visit
Every place in this city with a documented tie to this person.
Created here
Babylon Cinema
The expressionist architect designed the building containing the cinema.
Created here
Haus des Rundfunks
Although the building stood in the British sector, Soviet-controlled Berliner Rundfunk continued broadcasting from it after the war, making it a political island inside West Berlin. The station departed in 1952, but Soviet guards remained until 1956, leaving the silent complex as a bargaining chip in the Cold War.
Follow the story on foot
These addresses are scattered across the city. Our routes and quests put them in an order that works.