DZ Bank

Ugly is actually a compliment for the characterless buildings that appeared on Pariser Platz, on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Hotel Adlon, the American Embassy, ​​or DZ Bank—none of them possess a distinct identity.

Even less reason to visit this tourist hotspot? No. For as a compromise to the external formlessness, architect Frank Gehry (known for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao among others) was allowed to have free rein inside. In his case, this means two organic, almost fish-like forms of glass and steel that serve as conference, meeting, and presentation spaces. You cannot get close, but it is certainly fascinating to enter a bank building and suddenly be confronted with architectural boldness. Nice detail: the back (on Behrenstraße) is much more playful than the front!