The Week in Germany: Current Affairs

October 13, 2006

Back Where it Belongs: Topping-Off Ceremony for New U.S. Embassy Building in Berlin

America came one step closer to the heart of Germany at a topping-off ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy building in Berlin on Tuesday.

At a time when German-American relations are as solid as ever, the new building is taking shape on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the center of the historic capital city. It will be completed in late 2007 and will officially open for business in early 2008.

"The concrete and mortar are giving dramatic shape to a building that symbolizes the spirit of the German-American relationship. We celebrated that spirit last week in a number of important anniversaries - the 16th anniversary of German reunification, the 60th anniversary of the 'speech of hope,' and over 300 years of German-American heritage," U.S. Ambassador to Germany William R. Timken said at the ceremony.

"As we approach our return to Pariser Platz, after an absence of almost 70 years, we are reminded of the enormous achievements resulting from our partnership. Remember the long years when this square was a no man's land. Recall the historic words of President Ronald Reagan when he stood at the Brandenburg Gate, 100 meters away from where we stand today, and made one simple demand: Tear down this wall," Timken added.

Ambassador Timken and Governing Mayor Wowereit, known to Berliners as "Wowi", at the topping-off ceremony, where a huge wreath was lowered from the sky by a massive crane. Photo:dpa

Berlin Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit meanwhile said Berlin had very much to be thankful for from all Americans, as reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The decision to build in the middle of Berlin, near the French, British and Russian embassies, was the right one. Open societies should not back down but "create openness", Wowereit said, adding that he hoped the U.S. Embassy would be "an open house" despite perpetual security threats.

Georg Boomgarden, the state secretary at the German Foreign Office, moreover said the embassy at the "best address in the Republic" was a visible expression of the importance ascribed to German-American relations. Americans have always supported German efforts for unity, peace and freedom, he underscored.

Security concerns in the wake of terror attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attacks on September 11, 2001 that shook the world forced a rethink on the site and the construction of the embassy in Berlin. The Behrenstraße street was even re-routed from the front to the back of the building.

It would have been easier "to build somewhere out in the woods" Timken said as reported by the FAZ. Luckily for Berliners - and all Germans and Americans - the embassy has remained at the heart of the old-new German capital. As the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel put it: "America has once again arrived in the middle of the capital."

Links:

The United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany (including photos of the ceremony)

The full text of Ambassador Timken's Speech

More about the embassy (article from the U.S. Mission)

Link to previous TWIG article about the Amerika Haus in Berlin (September 29, 2006)

Article in Der Tagesspiegel (in German)

About the Day of German Unity Celebration at the German Embassy in Washington

Podcast: German Unification Video Feature (a co-production of the GIC and Deutsche Welle)