The hulking 1960 State Council Building is the only remaining Schlossplatz structure from the GDR era. It integrates the arched portal of the original, demolished Berlin City Palace, from which Karl Liebknecht proclaimed a socialist republic on 9 November 1918.
The colourful window in the foyer is by the East German socialist realism artist Walter Womacka and depicts scenes from the German workers' movement. Somewhat ironically, the building is now used by a private international business school financed by such blue-chip corporations as Bayer, Deutsche Bank and Siemens.
