About this place
Rising from the Kontorhaus district, the Chilehaus is the definitive icon of German Brick Expressionism. Built between 1922 and 1924 to designs by the architect Fritz Höger, it was commissioned by the shipping magnate Henry Brarens Sloman, who grew fabulously wealthy trading saltpetre from Chile. Some 4.8 million dark, fire glazed Oldenburg bricks were laid across ten storeys, their surfaces catching the light in ever changing tones of brown and violet. The building's genius lies in its eastern corner, where two sweeping facades converge at a razor sharp point that mimics the bow of a ship slicing through the streets. In 2015 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District.
Key facts
- 4800000 bricks — Dark Oldenburg bricks were used to clad the entire ten storey structure
- 1924 year — The building was completed after just two years of construction
- 10 floors — Its height made it one of Hamburg's very first high rise office buildings
📍 Fischertwiete 1, 20095, Hamburg