The original Rathaus Schoneberg (City Hall of Schoneberg) was built in 1914, hen at the time that it was built, Schoneberg was still an independent city and not yet incorporated into Greater Berlin. That happened a couple of years later in 1920. The Nazi party then soon began to take over the Rauthaus Schoneberg as one of their headquarters in 1938, as Nazi authorities had a series of war murals added to its interior when the Second World War was just about to begin in 1938. Through the course of the war the building was almost completely destroyed due to allied bombing and the final Battle of Berlin. After the War, the newly built city hall was placed in West Berlin, where it was to serve as a temporary measure to house the West government of Berlin, after they separated into a East and West side in September of 1948. In 1950 the Freedom Bell was then gifted to the city, by the United States of America, where the bell was then placed into the rebuilt tower. In front of the Rathaus Schoneberg building became a place where people gathered in protest rallies, particularly during such events including the Berlin Blockade, the Uprising of 1953, and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, U.S President John F. Kennedy gave a speech on the front steps of the Rathaous Schoneberg in June of 1963, where he famously proclaimed that he was a Berliner. When he was executed, people from Berlin gathered on those same steps and the square in front spontaneously to show their respects, and three days later it was officially renamed John F. Kennedy Platz, where a large memorial plaque is placed of him at the entrance to the building.The day after the Berlin Wall fell, there was a large assembly that gathered, that included prominent German Chancellors, Willy Brandt and Helmut Kohl. After Reunification the Rathaus Schoneberg reverted back to its original purpose of being the city Hall of the Schoneberg borough.

Why i felt that this sight was so significant to the whole counterculture movement of Berlin is that this building represented everything that the people of Berlin had gone through during the years that the Nazi Party took control over Germany and through the dark years, where they were forced to live divided from one another. What i mean is that during World War II, the Rathaus Schoneberg served as a place for the Nazi's contributing to Germany and Berlins dark history, however after the war and into the years where they were forced to live divided, the building was rebuilt and it represented that counterculture, where the government of Berlin were constantly attempting to reunify Germany, with help from Western Powers, such as the United States. Eventually they were successful as the Rathaush Schoneberg was a place that helped Berlin escape from the darkness and into the light, where they were once again unified and could move forward and forget about their dark history that has plagued them for years.

Cohen, Andrew. "JFK, Berlin, 1963: The Right Time, The Right Place, The Right Message." theglobeand mail.com (Acessed on March, 29th, 2019) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/jfk-berlin-1963-the-right-time-the-right-place-the-right-message/article12815970/

"Rathaus Schoneberg: Seat of the Governing Mayor Before Reunification" visitberlin.de (Acessed on March 29th, 2019) https://www.visitberlin.de/en/rathaus-schoneberg-schoneberg-town-hall

"Rathaus Schoneberg" wikepedia.com (Accessed on March 29th, 2019) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathaus_Sch%C3%B6neberg