Sprinkenhof
office building in Hamburg-Mitte, Germany
The Sprinkenhof is a nine-storey office building built between 1927 and 1943 in Hamburg's Kontorhaus District. The complex borders the streets Altstädter Straße, Burchardstraße and Johanniswall, and the Springeltwiete runs through the inner courtyard. The Chilehaus is located directly to the northeast, separated only by the main road. As part of Kontorhaus District, the Sprinkenhof was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
History
The architects Fritz Höger and Hans and Oskar Gerson worked together on the planning and execution of the building. Planning began in 1925. The original design provided for 122 apartments with a total area of 10,600 m2, but this was not realized. Hamburg's first underground car park was built in the basement of the Sprinkenhof. The eastern wing at Johanniswall was built by Höger alone; Hans Gerson had already died in 1931 and Oskar Gerson was no longer allowed to exercise his profession. Between 1999 and 2002 the building ensemble was partially rebuilt and comprehensively renovated.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Sprinkenhof” is office building in Hamburg-Mitte, Germany. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Sprinkenhof, office and building, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “office building in Hamburg-Mitte, Germany” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2022. The linked authority identifier is Q2801439. VIAF identifies the subject as 311192667. Authority coordinates are 53.549, 10.004. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1927, 1943, 2015 and 1925.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sprinkenhof”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sprinkenhof primary sources, Sprinkenhof archive and Sprinkenhof research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sprinkenhof”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sprinkenhof” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.