The Second Republic

Reconstruction of the main entrance photo: BPD

The facade of the Baroque palace on Ballhausplatz was quickly restored, with work finishing in April 1946, while the rebuilding of the interior was completed in November 1950.

Karl Renner moved into the building on Ballhausplatz in 1945 as provisional chancellor. In the same year, Leopold Figl was elected Federal Chancellor and Karl Renner Federal President.

Christmas 1945 at the Federal Chancellery with the newly elected Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl. photo: BPD

In 1946, Renner moved his office to the Leopoldine Wing of the Hofburg to signal the Federal Presidency’s political distance from the Federal Chancellor.

The foreign policy portfolio that had long been dealt with in the building on Ballhausplatz 2 was in 1959 again assigned to a separate Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a few years ago finally moved out to Minoritenplatz 8.

Signing of the Marshall Plan Agreement in the Federal Chancellery — Signing of the Marshall Plan Agreement in the Cabinet Room of the Federal Chancellery on 2 July 1948 (John Erhardt representing the United States, Austrian Vice-Chancellor Adolf Schärf and Foreign Minister Karl Gruber) photo: Austrian National Library

The following years of the Second Republic were a period of continuing reconstruction during which "The Ballhausplatz" increasingly developed into the political decision-making centre of the Republic.

The administrative rooms are no longer limited to the building on Ballhausplatz 2. For example they extend to parts of the adjacent Hofburg, as well as to the Palais Dietrichstein on Minoritenplatz and the Palais Porcia (Herrengasse).