This building, the Krausenhof at 38-39 Krausenstrasse, in Mitte, isn’t GDR-era. The railing on its windows, however, are. Have a closer look.
The building was erected in 1911, but due to damage sustained in WW2, it was later partially re-clad by the East Germans, who must have also added the railings.
The Krausenhof is in the former Fleet Street of East Berlin, and the building has housed several East German newspaper companies. Interestingly, it was also formerly the main offices of the Landesdenkmalamt (Federal office for the preservation of monuments), but they’ve moved now, and the Krausenhof is currently empty.
Fortunately it’s old & ideologically benign enough to be a protected building (perhaps the former occupants had a hand in that?), so even if the lovely railings get removed in a fit of Germanic ‘out with the old’ pique, the building aint going nowhere.
Empty lot next to Krausenhof. Probably not long for this world...
GDR design 