Haus der Presse

If you go from Friedrichstrasse Station northwards towards Oranienburger Tor (Wilhelm-Pieck- Strasse) you will see on the right behind the S-Bahn underpass the "Haus der Presse" (1910 building) together with the Presse Cafe and the "Distel" (Thistle) cabaret. Entrance through a courtyard leads to the Admiral's Palace, built in 1910 by Heinrich Schweitzer and Alexander Diepenbrock as swimming baths and ice rink. Now badly in need of restoration, it has been the home of the Metropolitan Theater (operettas and musicals) since 1955. It was in this building that the KPD and SPD political parties merged to form the SED (Socialist Union Party of Germany) in 1946.