With Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, Siemens CEO Roland Busch, Dr. Nathalie von Siemens as representative of the Siemens family and other guests of honor from politics and administration, business, science and culture - Siemens, Berlin and the district of Spandau celebrated the beginning of a new era in Siemensstadt: the transformation of the closed area into an open and lively place of the future, a blueprint for the city of the future. Production, research, learning, housing and living will soon be united here in one place.
The ceremony took place on 25.06.2024 on the construction site of the future entrance area. The guests were able to get a first impression of what is being created here: plenty of space for encounters with green areas, water features and seating. The central eye-catcher will be the 60-metre-high Siemen Tower with restaurants and a top floor with breathtaking views over Siemensstadt. There will also be a five-storey, light-flooded atrium building and an information pavilion for anyone who wants to stop by.
Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
During the ceremony, the guests of honor symbolically placed objects in a time capsule and sent them into the future. For example, one of over 50,000 historic bricks that were recently dismantled brick by brick and are now being reused. It stood for the project's vision of combining old and new and creating sustainable cycles.
Siemens employees around the world were also able to take part in this special event beyond the Berlin site. Immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, Siemens CEO Roland Busch addressed the entire workforce in a global live webcast.
The day concluded with a public information evening, where citizens and employees were given exclusive insights into the construction process and informed about topics such as housing, mobility, commercial space and gastronomy.
A "wishing tree" on the construction site - one of four Norway maple trees that will later form a natural gateway to Siemensstadt Square - gave guests the opportunity to leave cards with personal dedications. Many of the more than 1,000 ideas received from the public have already been incorporated into the planning.
What a day! The crowds were huge, the atmosphere summery, curious and open-minded. We were delighted with the lively interest.