City-Hochhaus Leipzig
| City-Hochhaus Leipzig | |
|---|---|
 City-Hochhaus Leipzig |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office, restaurant with observation |
| Coordinates | 51°20′15″N 12°22′46″E / 51.3375°N 12.37944°ECoordinates: 51°20′15″N 12°22′46″E / 51.3375°N 12.37944°E |
| Construction started | 1968 |
| Completed | 1972 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 155.4 m (510 ft) |
| Roof | 142.5 m (468 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 29 |
| Floor area | 800–850 m2 (8,600–9,100 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | Merrill Lynch |
| Management | CRE Resolution GmbH |
| Architect | Hermann Henselmann |
City-Hochhaus (literally: City High-rise), at a height of 142.5 metres, is the tallest building in the city of Leipzig, and the tallest multistory building erected in the former East Germany. It was designed by architect Hermann Henselmann in the shape of an open book, and built between 1968 and 1972. It followed Henselmann's idea to cap central places in cities with a prominent tower, such as the Jen-Tower in Jena and Fernsehturm in Berlin. It was originally part of the University of Leipzig campus at Augustusplatz, was sold by the state government of Saxony and is now owned by the U.S. investment bank Merrill Lynch.[1] The building was completely renovated between 1999 and 2002, when it lost its aluminium sheathing which was replaced by grey granite. The offices are now rented to private tenants including the public broadcaster MDR, the European Energy Exchange and the Panorama restaurant. The roof is equipped with a viewing platform.
The building is nicknamed in vernacular as "Weisheitszahn" (wisdom tooth) due to its form or after its previous function as "Uniriese" (university giant).
