Mannesmann House - Free Audio Guide

Mannesmann-Haus, also known as the Behrensbau, is an early 20th‑century administrative building on the Rhine in Düsseldorf, designed by Peter Behrens and erected in 1911–1912 for the Mannesmannröhren‑Werke AG. Architecturally it exemplifies Reformarchitektur with references to Neo‑Renaissance and Neoclassical models, featuring an iron‑skeleton structure, a monumental façade, a central marble main staircase and sculptural reliefs. Key collaborators in Behrens’s office included Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. After World War II the building housed the state chancellery and the minister‑presidential seat of North Rhine‑Westphalia (1946–1953); it has been a listed monument since 1982 and, since 2020, accommodates the Haus der Geschichte Nordrhein‑Westfalen. Main attractions are its exemplary historic architecture, preserved period interiors and museum exhibitions that explore regional industrial and political history. The site functions as a public exhibition venue, with regular opening hours, admission arrangements and accessibility provisions for visitors.