The Eastern Administrative Building

The eastern administrative building was also called the Praesidialkanzlei. It was designed by Albert Speer to serve as a visual bridge between the historic Borsig Palais and the New Reich's Chancellery.The building consisted of a left and a right wing, seperated by a central portal. The right wing was divided into two levels, to match the two levels of Borsig Palais. Its height was also dictated by the height of the Palais and this, in turn, determined the height of the entire New Reich's Chancellery. The design and materials of the facade of the right wing matched those on the rest of the Chancellery building. The left wing of the Praesidialkanzlei was divided into three levels. The central portal served as a demarcation between the two- and three level wings of the building, and so marked the transition between the historical and modern buildings. Above the entrance was mounted an imperial eagle by the sculptor Professor Kurt Schmidt-Ehmen. The left wing of the building integrated harmoniously into the whole via the architectural link between the portal and the Borsig Palais. The repetition and variation of design elements on the left- and right wings of the building ensured that the discrepancy between the tree level and two level building halves were dynamic, rather than disturbing.