The Hagen Impulse HOME

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SCHENKER FORWARDING AGENCY Fenster im Hagener Hauptbahnhof Übersicht Hagener Impuls weitere Bebauungspläne

Berliner Straße 14
An early collaborative project by the brothers Leopold and Heinrich Ludwigs is the administrative and warehouse building of the Lehnkering (now Schenker) forwarding agency, which was constructed in 1911. The four wings of the brick building are set on a massive natural stone base. However, numerous details of the early expressionist construction by the Hagen architects reveal the influence of Leopold Ludwigs' teacher, Peter Behrens. One remarkable feature is the narrow cylindrical staircase on the rear side which is reminiscent of the Cuno house. The circle and square motif occurs repeatedly in the decorative elements, such as the window grilles and the raised sandstone window profile on the broad main façade.
The two kneeling female figures under the projecting sandstone cornice, executed as a low relief in mock Egyptian style, symbolise trade and transport. The tower-like base on the roof is crowned by a globe as a symbol of the world-wide transport business.

Public entrance is not allowed

Only fragments remain of the stained glass windows in the staircase and main entrance. Traces of the original interior design can still be found in the tiled corridor floors and the office door frames. Several more villas were built according to plans by the Ludwigs brothers; the Kerckhoff villa, built in 1922, is the only completed construction of the planned expansion of the garden city beyond Haßleyer Straße (Lohestraße 3, restored in 1982).