If Berlin can’t seem to get its 21st-century airport built, it’s making good progress on a reproduction of a 15th-century palace in the center of the city. The project, a modern cultural center whose facades copy the old imperial City Palace, is set to open late next year.
The project has been a political football for years: The original building, heavily-modernized in the 18th century, was heavily damaged in World War II, and eventually the East German government replaced it with the modernist Palace of the Republic, a combination administration and public recreation building.
The StadtSchloss in the 1920s
After re-unification in 1990, there were new calls for rebuilding the palace. Eventually, the Palace of the Republic was demolished; many still doubt that it was necessary because of asbestos issues. And budget issues delayed and diminished the plan for the new old building.
Eventually a compromise was reached that limited public funding and changed the project from a total reconstruction to rebuilding the facade with museums, exhibit space and other cultural functions inside. It will be known as the Humboldt Forum.
Title Photo: Miriam Guterland/Wikimedia
