Royal Prussian mining headquarters

The building of the Royal Prussian Mining headquarters in St. Johann constructed by the architect and builder Martin Gropius (Berlin) from 1877 to 1880 is an expression of the flourishing mining industry around the Saar region. The neo-Renaissance style building was the administrative headquarters of the mines in the Saar coal-mining district until the 1970s. The building has accommodated parts of the Europa-Galerie shopping centre since March 2011, and has therefore been converted into a temple to consumerism. Despite protests from citizens, preservers of monuments and art historians, the very well preserved ensemble was gutted as part of renovation measures. The old staircase and the glass painting work of Ferdinand Selgrad were maintained.