europe / originals

list of tall buildings in 1939



this collection includes buildings of least 40 meters tall that were completed before 1945. Buildings that are shorter than 40 meters but possess skyscraperesque features are included in this list, though they are not ranked

giraffes
during this period, a significant number of 'giraffe' buildings were constructed. A giraffe is defined as a low-rise building with a tower integrated into its design. To qualify for inclusion in this collection, the tower section must have habitable floors occupying more than fifty percent of its total height

color codes
  later reconstructed      later demolished

# name city height usage year
1 Royal Liver Building Liverpool 104 office 1911
2 Victoria Tower London 99 storage 1860
3 Edificio Telefónica Madrid 89 office 1929
4 Boerentoren Antwerp 88 office 1931
5 Torre Littoria Turin 85 office 1934
6 Ullsteinhaus Berlin 83 office 1927
7 Torre Dante Due Genoa 83 residential / office 1939
8 Baťův mrakodrap Zlín 78 office 1938
9 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 office 1931
10 Siemensturm Berlin 71 office 1918
11 Hotel Torni Helsinki 70 hotel 1931
12 Nebotičnik Ljubljana 70 residential / office 1933
13 Hôpital Beaujon Clichy 70 hospital 1935
14 Prudential House Warsaw 69 office 1933
15 Círculo de Bellas Artes Madrid 67 cultural 1926
16 Torre Locatelli Milan 67 residential 1939
17 Bau 36 Jena 66 office 1935
18 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 office 1925
19 Ginzburg House   Kyiv 63 residential 1912
20 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 office 1928
21 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 office 1931
21 Edificio Los Sótanos Valencia 62 residential 1931
23 Senate House London 62 office 1937
24 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 office 1924
25 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 office 1928
26 Shell Mex House London 61 office 1932
27 Gratte Ciel Est Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
27 Gratte Ciel Ouest Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
29 Résidence de la Cambre Brussels 61 residential 1937
30 Behrensbau Berlin 60 office 1917
31 Borsigturm Berlin 60 office 1924
31 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 office 1924
33 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 office 1929
34 Kharkiv National University Kharkiv 60 education 1932
35 Torre Duchi D'Aosta Sestriere 60 hotel 1933
36 Torre Snia Viscosa Milan 60 office 1937
37 Sankt Erikspalatset Stockholm 58 residential / office 1910
38 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 office 1921
39 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 office 1929
40 Sportpalatset Stockholm 58 residential / sports 1930
41 Rathaus Augsburg 57 city hall 1624
42 Midland Grand Hotel London 57 hotel 1873
43 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 office 1930
44 Torrione INA Brescia 57 office 1932
45 Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh 56 hotel 1902
46 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 office 1924
47 Europahaus Leipzig 56 office 1929
47 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 office 1929
49 Edificio Carrión Madrid 56 residential / hotel 1933
50 Tour Albert Brussels 56 residential 1937
50 Tour Léopold Brussels 56 residential 1937
52 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 office 1931
52 GEB-toren Rotterdam 55 office 1931
54 Bel-Air-Turm Lausanne 55 office 1932
55 Les Pavillons français Brussels 55 residential 1934
56 55 Broadway London 54 office 1929
57 Banco Vitalicio Madrid 54 office 1935
58 Drapacz Chmur Katowice 53 residential 1934
58 Palatul Telefoanelor Bucharest 53 office 1934
60 Palazzo Montecatini Milan 53 office 1938
61 Àrbori Palace Fiume 53 residential 1939
61 Palace Albanija Belgrade 53 residential / office 1939
63 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 office 1910
64 Sunlight House Manchester 52 office 1932
65 Hochhaus Herrengasse Vienna 52 residential 1933
65 Torre Balilla Massa 52 hotel 1933
67 68 King William Street London 51 office 1922
68 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 office 1924
69 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 office 1928
70 Europahaus Berlin 51 office 1931
71 Hôtel Principi di Piemonte Turin 51 hotel 1936
72 India Buildings Liverpool 50 office 1932
73 Palazzo and Torre Rasini Milan 50 residential / office 1935
74 Palazzo Lancia Bologna 50 residential 1937
75 Mathematische Turm Kremsmünster 49 observatory / museum 1758
76 Queen Anne's Mansions   London 49 residential 1890
77 Colonia Fara Chiavari 49 hotel 1936
78 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 office 1921
79 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 office 1923
80 Hotel Century Antwerp 48 hotel / retail 1930
80 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 office 1930
82 Torre Palazzo Municipale La Spezia 48 office 1933
83 Palazzo Gaslini Genoa 48 office 1938
84 Strand Hotel Stockholm 47 hotel 1912
85 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 office 1914
86 Bau 15 Jena 47 office 1915
87 Siemens Schaltwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 47 factory 1928
88 Le Saillant de l'Yser Brussels 47 residential 1930
89 12-verdiepingenhuis Amsterdam 47 residential 1932
90 Palác Všeobecného penzijního ústavu Prague 47 office 1934
91 Folketeateret Oslo 47 office 1935
92 Casa Alta Trieste 47 residential 1937
92 Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig 47 education 1937
94 Palazzo INA Genoa 47 office 1938
95 Tower Building Liverpool 46 office 1908
96 Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion Istanbul 46 residential 1911
97 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 office 1929
98 Albergo a Torre Sestriere 46 hotel 1932
99 Fairy-Tale House   Saint Petersburg 45 residential 1909
100 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 office 1911
101 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 office 1929
102 Residenza Bertola Turin 45 residential 1930
103 House on the Embankment Moscow 45 residential 1931
104 Faber-Hochhaus Magdeburg 45 office 1932
105 Obchodný a obytný dom Manderla Bratislava 45 residential 1935
105 Palazzo del Gas Bologna 45 office 1935
107 Apollo House Amsterdam 45 office 1939
108 The Langham London 44 hotel 1865
109 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 office 1930
109 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 office 1930
111 Casa della Fontana Milan 44 residential 1936
112 Grattacieli Gemelli 1 Milan 43 residential 1923
112 Grattacieli Gemelli 2 Milan 43 residential 1923
114 Adelaide House London 43 office 1925
115 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 office 1926
116 Grattacielo di via Vittorio Veneto La Spezia 43 residential 1927
117 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 office 1929
118 Ungerpleinflat Rotterdam 43 residential 1934
119 Palazza Moderno Bologna 43 residential 1935
120 Exchange Flags Liverpool 43 office 1939
120 Mali Neboder Fiume 43 residential 1939
122 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 office 1760
123 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 office 1898
124 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 office 1925
125 Wasserturm des Dortmunder Südbahnhofs Dortmund 42 water tower / residential 1927
126 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 office 1928
127 Flatbuilding Willemspark The Hague 42 residential 1931
128 Palazzi Federici Rome 42 residential 1937
129 Palazzo del Toro Milan 42 residential / office 1939
130 Nirnsee House Moscow 41 residential 1915
131 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 office 1925
132 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 office 1931
133 Rascacielos de Collblanc L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 41 residential 1932
134 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 office 1909
135 Beyer-Bau Dresden 40 observatorium 1913
136 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 office 1925
136 Mosselprom House Moscow 40 residential 1925
138 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 office 1927
139 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 office 1929
139 Otto-Moericke-Turm Konstanz 40 hotel 1929
141 Bamberger-Haus Bremen 40 retail 1931
141 Van Nelle Rotterdam 40 factory 1931
143 Columbushaus   Berlin 40 office / retail 1932
144 Komunalnej Kasy Oszczędności Chorzów 40 office 1937
145 Erasmushuis Rotterdam 40 office 1939
- Deutschlandhaus Essen 39 office 1929
- Budynek Feniksa Kraków 39 residential / office 1933
- Postitalo Helsinki 39 office 1938
- Palazzo Aedes Trieste 38 office 1928
- Haus Rheinpark 1 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Haus Rheinpark 2 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Candida Amsterdam 38 office 1932
- Palazzo Terzano Genoa 38 office 1938
- Gebouw Astoria Amsterdam 37 office 1905
- Hotel Savoy Łódź 37 hotel 1911
- Hochhaus am Albertplatz Dresden 37 office 1929
- Reichsversicherungsanstalt für Angestellte Berlin 37 cultural 1930
- Shell-Haus Berlin 37 office 1932
- Lietuvos geležinkeliai Vilnius 36 office 1903
- Market Street storehouse Dublin 36 storage 1904
- Handelshof Gera 36 office 1929
- Afremov House Moscow 35 residential 1905
- De Utrecht Amsterdam 35 office 1906
- The Yellow Building Sofia 35 office 1914
- Galeries Lafayette Lyon 35 retail 1925
- Mittnachtbau Stuttgart 35 office 1928
- Capitol-Hochhaus Hanover 35 office 1930
- Palazzo dei Sindacati dell'Industria Milan 35 office 1933
- Résidence Ernestine Brussels 35 residential 1936
- Hotel Admiralspalast Zabrze 33 hotel 1927
- Ämterhochhaus Würzburg 33 office 1930
- Gewerkschaftshaus Frankfurt am Main 33 office 1931
- Palais du Congo Brussels 32 residential 1930
- Immeuble Cateland Lyon 31 residential 1911
- Hochhaus Glückauf Hanover 31 residential 1927
- Trinity Compound on Ilyinka Moscow 30 residential 1876
- Tour Chicago Paris 30 storage 1912
- Industriehaus Düsseldorf 30 office 1923
- Flatgebouw Parklaan Rotterdam 30 residential 1933
- Prinz-Georg-Straße 100 Düsseldorf 29 residential 1925
- Stadtbibliothek Hanover 29 library 1931
- Mathenesserplein Rotterdam 28 residential 1929
- Karl-Bröger-Haus Nuremberg 27 office 1930
- Bergpolderflat Rotterdam 27 residential 1934
- 48 Rue de Valois Paris 26 hotel / residential 1781
- Nirwanaflat The Hague 25 residential 1929
- Garage Traversi Milan 25 car park 1939
- Kant-Garagen Berlin 24 car park 1930
- Oriel Chambers Liverpool 21 office 1864
- Ditherington Flax Mill Shrewsbury 17 factory 1797