The history of broadcasting in Hanover dates back to 1924 when the first radio programs were aired from a factory building of the engineering firm
Hanomag. After
World War II, that building was in the
British zone. A new office () was opened in the in 1945, and first concerts were aired from buildings of the (
school of education). Regular broadcasting, now by the
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) began in 1948, including symphony concerts and the series (radio images from Lower Saxony), which began with the second
Export-Messe. Plans for a new Funkhaus began end of 1948.
Rudolf Hillebrecht, responsible for municipal building, voted for the location, to set an example for buildings along the lake. After a competition, designs by ,
Gerd Lichtenhahn and
Dieter Oesterlen were combined. The first buildings were completed in 1950, and inaugurated on 20 January 1951. Due to the advanced technical equipment of the complex, it was immediately called the most modern Funkhaus in Europe. In 1955 the NWDR was split in the NDR in Hamburg and the
Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne. A redaction team of the NDR was installed in the Funkhaus in 1958. Oesterlen designed the concert hall which was built from 1960 to 1963. From 1 January 1981, the complex was called . In 1989, it became a registered monument of the
Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz. == Further reading ==