The building now known as the Detlev Rohwedder Building took on a significant role in the history of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on 7 October 1949. It was on this day that the German People’s Council (a surrogate parliament for the Soviet occupation zone) declared itself the provisional People’s Chamber and put the constitution of the GDR into effect. The founding of the GDR, and hence the division of Germany, had been completed. After the People’s Chamber moved out, the building became the GDR’s House of Ministries.