Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Goering's Ministry of Aviation), Berlin

Hermann Goering's air force headquarters, known as the Ministry of Aviation, stood as the largest office building in Europe at the time of its construction. Described as a prime example of National Socialist intimidation architecture by a writer, this imposing edifice had seven stories, a sprawling floor area of 112,000 square meters (1,210,000 square feet), 2,800 rooms, a network of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of corridors, over 4,000 windows, 17 stairways, and used stone sourced from no fewer than 50 quarries. It accommodated the expanding bureaucracy of the Luftwaffe, along with Germany's civil aviation authority, which also had its offices there, yet it took a mere 18 months to build, with laborers toiling in double shifts and even on Sundays. The first 1,000 rooms were completed in just eight months, with a total workforce of 4,000 bureaucrats and their secretaries occupying the premises upon completion.

Remarkably, the building was one of the few in central Berlin to escape serious damage during the Allied bombing offensive in 1944-45. Following World War II, it served as the headquarters for the Soviet military administration until 1948, and from 1947 to 1949, it housed the German Economic Commission, which functioned as the principal administrative body in the Soviet Occupation Zone.

Between 1950 and 1952, an extraordinary 18-meter (59-foot) long mural was crafted along Leipziger Strasse. Set back behind pillars and made out of Meissen porcelain tiles, it was created by the German painter and commercial artist Max Lingner together with 14 artisans, depicting the Socialist ideal of contented East Germans facing a bright future as one united and joyous family.

From 1991 to 1995, after German reunification, the former Ministry housed the Trust Establishment ("Treuhand"), responsible for privatizing enterprises previously operated by the East German government. Its chairman lost his life to Red Army Faction terrorists in 1991, and the building was renamed the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus in his honor. Starting from 1990, the office of the German Finance Ministry was also located here, and since 1999, following a vast refurbishment, the structure has continued to serve as the Ministry's headquarters.