| Embassy of Canada to Germany | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Address | Leipziger Platz 17 |
| Coordinates | 52°30′37″N13°22′39″E / 52.5103°N 13.3775°E |
| Ambassador | John Horgan |
| Website | Official website |
Canada House (German : Kanada Haus [1] ) is a diplomatic and office building in Berlin. It is the location of the Embassy of Canada to Germany, which is the diplomatic mission of Canada to Germany.
Unlike other western nations, Canada never had an embassy in Berlin when it was the capital from 1871 to 1945 (although there was a consulate). Canada's first embassy to West Germany was in Bonn, and Canada conducted diplomatic relations with East Germany through its embassy in Warsaw. [2]
The site of Canada House, Leipziger Platz, was once one of Europe's most elegant squares before it was damaged during the Second World War and later destroyed in preparation for construction of the Berlin Wall. [2]
The design for the new embassy was the subject of a national competition, for which the international jury selected the scheme proposed by Montreal-based Saucier Perrotte. However, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs at that time, Lloyd Axworthy, overruled the jury decision to appoint a multi-firm team headed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg and including additional architectural firms in the ridings of both Axworthy and the then-prime minister, Jean Chrétien. The overruling of the jury decision was severely criticized by many in the Canadian design community, media and architectural press, and it was widely considered to be government interference motivated by political factors. [3]
The new ten-storey chancery was inaugurated in April 2005 by Adrienne Clarkson, then Governor General of Canada.[ citation needed ]
It was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects with Gagnon Letellier Cyr architects and Smith Carter Architects + Engineers. The design has been praised by the German press for its "openness", particularly the walkway which allows pedestrians to short-cut through the property on their way to the nearby Potsdamer Platz U-Bahn station. However, this is primarily the result of German regulations. [2]
Other features of the building include a green roof featuring a scale model of the Mackenzie River Delta, a multimedia centre with wireless internet access and interactive kiosks, and an auditorium and conference centre. [4] Materials include Tyndall limestone from Manitoba on the exterior, with Douglas fir from British Columbia, black granite and maple from Quebec, and Eramosa marble from Ontario inside. The largest room, the "Timber Hall" is a twenty-sided multi-purpose room with a skylight. [5]
The chancery building is leased and has a mix of embassy offices in a secure zone, and private sector tenants in a public zone. About 100 Canadian diplomatic staff and locally employed personnel work at the embassy.[ citation needed ]
The media room is called the Marshall McLuhan Salon, named after Canadian media philosopher Marshall McLuhan. [6] which includes a multimedia information centre and an auditorium. [7] The centre hosts a permanent exhibition dedicated to McLuhan, based on its collection of film and audio items by and about him. [8] Apart from media events, The centre also hosts screenings, presentations and lectures, like the annual Marshall McLuhan Lecture of media theorists that is always organized on the evening before the opening of transmediale festival.
It was used to host an exhibition called NDN Survival Trilogy, by Thirza Cuthand, during the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 2022. [7]
Canada maintains consulates in Munich, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart.[ citation needed ]
Additionally, the Ministère des Relations internationales du Québec maintains a representative office next to the Brandenburg Gate.[ citation needed ]
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission, which is the main office of a country's diplomatic representatives to another country; it is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's capital city. Consulates, on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state. As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be a nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries.
Potsdamer Platz is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about 1 km (1,100 yd) south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park. It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km (16 mi) to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. Initially, the open area near the city gate was used for military drills and parades. In the 19th into the 20th century, it developed from an intersection of suburban thoroughfares into the most bustling traffic intersection in Europe. The area was totally destroyed during World War II and then left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected its location. Since German reunification, Potsdamer Platz has been the site of major redevelopment projects.
The Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. is Canada's main diplomatic mission to the United States. The embassy building designed by Arthur Erickson and opened in 1989 is located at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., between the United States Capitol and the White House, just north of the National Gallery of Art. In addition to its diplomatic role, the embassy provides consular services for Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It also hosts a Trade Commissioner Service office responsible for the states of Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the United States of America.
The Embassy of Japan in Ottawa is the diplomatic mission of Japan in Canada. Since 1978 the chancery has been located at 255 Sussex Drive near the Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa, Ontario. The ambassadorial residence is at Waterstone, one of Ottawa's largest mansions in Rockcliffe Park. Japan first opened a consulate in Vancouver in 1889 and the embassy opened in 1928. With the outbreak of war, the Japanese diplomats were expelled in 1941 and the embassy was not reopened until 1951. The embassy today also has consulates in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.
Bruce Bunji Kuwabara, is a Canadian architect and a founding partner of the firm KPMB Architects. He is an invested Officer of the Order of Canada and recipient of the RAIC Gold Medal. He is Board Chair of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.
Pariser Platz is a square in the historic center of Berlin, Germany, situated by the Brandenburg Gate at the end of the Unter den Linden. The square is named after the French capital of Paris to commemorate the anti-Napoleon Allies' victory at the Battle of Paris (1814), and is one of the main focal points of the city.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Berlin is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Federal Republic of Germany. It started in 1797, with the appointment of John Quincy Adams to Berlin, the capital of Prussia. There was no permanent building for the embassy until 1930, with the purchase of the Blücher Palace. During the United States involvement in World War II, the embassy ceased operations.
Canada's National Ballet School, also commonly known as the National Ballet School of Canada, is a classical ballet school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, it is a provider of professional ballet training in Canada. Mavis Staines has been the Artistic Director of the school since 1989.
The Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europe's "Big Three" film festivals alongside the Venice Film Festival held in Italy and the Cannes Film Festival held in France. Furthermore, it is one of the "Big Five", the most prestigious film festivals in the world. The festival regularly draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of The People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United States. It is located at 3510 International Drive, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Cleveland Park neighborhood. The embassy also operates Consulates-General in New York City, Los Angeles. and Miami.
The Embassy of Norway in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Norway to the United States.
KPMB is a Canadian architecture firm founded by Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne McKenna, and Shirley Blumberg, in 1987. It is headquartered in Toronto, where the majority of their work is found. Aside from designing buildings, the firm also works in interior design. KPMB Architects was officially renamed from Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects to KPMB Architects on February 12, 2013.
The Embassy of France in Berlin is the diplomatic mission of the French Republic in Germany. Designed by Christian de Portzamparc and completed in 2002, it is at the same address, Pariser Platz 5, as the former embassy which was destroyed in World War II. Prior to German reunification, France had an embassy in the German Democratic Republic at a different address in Berlin and an embassy in the Federal Republic in Bonn.
Marianne McKenna, OC, FRAIC, OAA, OAQ, AIA, RIBA is a Canadian architect and a founding partner of KPMB Architects, a Toronto-based practice established in 1987. She is an invested Officer of The Order of Canada "for her contributions as an architect, designing structures that enrich the public realm". Her projects include the renovation and expansion of The Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning and Koerner Hall. McKenna and KPMB were selected by The Brearley School, an independent all-girls school located in New York City, to lead the renovation of its building located on the Upper East Side. Her current projects also include for Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta and an expansion and renovation of historic Massey Hall in Toronto In 2010 she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and in 2014 she was named one of Toronto’s top 50 Powerful People by MacLean’s Magazine.
Shirley Blumberg is a Canadian architect. She is a founding partner of KPMB Architects in Toronto, a Canadian practice. In 2013, Blumberg was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to architecture and for her commitment to creating spaces that foster a sense of community." Notable projects include the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Campus, 2011 which is the recipient of the Royal Institute of British Architects International Award (2012), the Architectural Record “Good Design is Good Business Award” (2013) and the Governor General's Medal for Excellence (2014).
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Berlin is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to the embassy, Indonesia has two consulate generals in Frankfurt and Hamburg.
The Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa is Sweden's diplomatic mission in Canada. The Swedish embassy in Canada represents the Swedish government in Canada and The Bahamas. The embassy is located in ByWard Market in the downtown core of the capital of Ottawa. Ambassador since 2019 is Urban Ahlin. Sweden also has nine honorary consulates in Canada.
The Embassy of the Philippines in Berlin is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Federal Republic of Germany. First opened in 1955 as the mission to West Germany, it is currently located in the Mitte locality of central Berlin, just beyond the periphery of the Reichstag complex and near the Charité.
Embassies are shown in regular font, while consulates-general are shown as sub entries. | |
| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania | |
| International organisations | |
| Trade offices | |
| Former |
|
| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania | |
| Former |
|
