Culture

The return of Berlin's City Palace

A hole in Berlin's heart

It will take at least until 2018 for the site to regain not only its countenance, but also its cultural and historical significance. The Berlin Palace will complete the ensemble that is comprised of the Berlin Cathedral, the Museum Island, the Lustgarten park and the Zeughaus, an old arsenal building. The project carries a hefty price tag of 590 million euros ($780 million).

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Irontooth Castle

The story behind the Berlin Palace began in 1443. Prince-elector Frederick II of Brandenburg, nicknamed "Irontooth," began building a castle directly on the River Spree in order to gain control of the trade routes. Floor plans of the original structure have been lost. This painting depicts the second building constructed on this site, an impressive Renaissance-style castle from the 16th century.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

War and regression

Dating from 1652, this is the oldest existing map of Berlin. At the time, it consisted of two cities: Berlin in red and Cölln in yellow. When the map was drawn, Cölln-Berlin was an insignificant, run-down village. Destruction caused during the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648 had set the town back to the Middle Ages.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

A step forward

In 1701, Frederick III of Brandenburg was crowned King of Prussia and took the name Frederick I. He was in need of a dwelling that suited his new status, so he commissioned architect Andreas Schlüter to turn the Palace into Germany's largest Baroque residence.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Third time lucky

Schlüter built a 120-meter tower in 1706, but the foundation wasn't strong enough to support it. The tower had to be laboriously deconstructed, and Schlüter was fired. His successor, Eosander, wanted to crown the west gate with a large dome. Before he could finish it, the king died and Eosander was chased out of court. Finally, architects Stüler and Schinkel managed to build a dome in 1850.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Constant change

For nearly 500 years, the Palace was a permanent construction site. Every ruler had it rebuilt according to the current fashion, at least on the inside. But the outside was more stable: the outer structure remained largely true to Schlüter's plans of 1700. In the late 19th century, William II commissioned the last major renovations, including modern plumbing, heating and lighting.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

A historic moment

Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the Berlin Palace when Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914. A few minutes after this picture was taken, William II stepped onto the balcony to prepare the people for war. "I know no political party and no denomination; today we are all German brothers," he said in the historic speech.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Battered by the revolution

Emperor William II resigned on November 9, 1918. At the Reichstag, Social-Democrat Philipp Scheidemann declared the new German republic. Two hours later at the Berlin Palace, communist Karl Liebknecht declared a socialist republic. Revolutionaries occupied the Palace until the army pushed them out on December 24. Pictured are the spectators who came to gawk at the havoc left behind.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

War damage

Hit by Allied bombs on February 3, 1945, the Palace burned for four days, but its outer walls remained intact. When Berlin was divided up in the aftermath of World War II, the Palace was located in the Soviet sector, which would become part of communist East Germany. With the approval of the communist party, the SED, head-of-state Walter Ulbricht had the Palace demolished in 1950.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

A people's palace

In 1974, the Palace of the Republic, seat of the East German parliament and a cultural center, was built right next to the where the Berlin Palace had stood. The building was constructed with a skeleton made of steel - and 5,000 tons of poisonous asbestos to protect it from fire.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Poisonous problem

After German reunification in 1990, it was easier to once again refer to the site as Palace Square (Schlossplatz). The asbestos used in the Palace of the Republic was cause for concern and the building was closed in September 1990. It was too dangerous to demolish it quickly, since that would release cancer-causing asbestos into the air. Instead it was slowly gutted and finally torn down in 2008.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Too many opinions

Shortly after reunification, in 1991, a passionate debate began over the possible reconstruction of the Berlin Palace. Should it be rebuilt true to one of the historical versions, or should a new, modern palace be placed on the historical site? Design contests were held and architectural models were made, but it wasn't until 2002 that the German government decided to go ahead with reconstruction.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

Quick and small

This version by Berlin model builder Pascal Lenhard was constructed in only 1,000 hours and with a relatively small budget. Made of some 400,000 Lego pieces, his miniature Palace is a model of Italian architect Franco Stella's design for the life-size reconstruction. Stella won the international contest since, according to the jury, his design provided a modern response to a historical building.

The return of Berlin's City Palace

For culture and science

Three sides imitate the former Baroque facade of the Berlin Palace, while the fourth wall bridges the past and the present. The resulting complex is to be called Humboldt Forum, in the spirit of the famous German explorer. It will house important academic collections and host events that further intercultural dialogue.

Author: Birgit Görtz / kbm | Editor : Michael Lawton

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Jeans for the East

For many years, blue jeans were a symbol of Western capitalization. Nevertheless, the GDR purchased a million pairs of jeans from US manufacturer Levi's in 1978. East Germans snatched up the opportunity to buy them. Jeans produced in the GDR, with names like Wisent or Shanty, were slow sellers in comparison. The material did not feel real, and the wash-out effect left plenty to be desired.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Almost nylon

DeDeRon was the latest trend in 1972, as the model on this catwalk demonstrates. Dresses, stockings and aprons were made of the synthetic fiber. The man-made material could be likened to nylon from the west. The DDR insisted on this socialist nylon variety, that referred to the German abbreviation for the DDR.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Socialist cola

While West Germans could quench their thirst with Coca-Cola, the GDR offered citizens two socialist variations of the beloved carbonated drink: Club Cola and Vita Cola. Both were supposed to taste like the US version. But that was an impossible challenge that even Coca-Cola’s top competitor Pepsi could not achieve. Visitors from the West were not taken by the bitter flavor of Vita Cola.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

The East burger

In 1982, the Economization and Reseach Center for Restaurants introduced the Grilletta. The nifty kitchen device made it possible to copy another symbol of the Western culinary lifestyle - the hamburger. The recipe sounds familiar: a bread roll sliced in half, filled with a ground meat patty smothered in ketchup. The latter, however, was a scarce commodity, so an alternative was used.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Sweetening the socialist workday

A so-called sweet bar is concealed in this packet. The proportion of cocoa in this block of chocolate was only seven percent, meaning it could not officially be referred to as a chocolate bar. To cover up the absence of the key ingedrient, sugar, fat and a paste of hazelnut and peas were added. East German sweets makers, unlike their Western counterparts, had to learn to manage scarcity.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Rock 'n' roll

Through their record label, Amiga, the GDR was able to listen to Western music groups like the Beatles, even though the government labeled it “rubbish.” This album only distantly reflects the original. The records comprise a mix from different songs from the artists' various albums. No wonder the black market for Western records boomed.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

Aerobic television

Aerobics became hugely popular amongst East Germans in the 1980s, though it was considered taboo as it represented foreign capitalism. Instead, “Popgymnastik” emerged. The aerobics television program “Enorm in Form” on West Germany's ZDF television station soon found its match in the East with “Medizin nach Noten” (roughly, Medicine to Music).

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

A digital dud

This computer, from GDR manufacturer KC compact is based on a western model Amstrad PC made by Amstrad Schneider. As East German computer technological advancement was so far behind that of the west, DDR engineers were happy to copy models from the west. The KC compact came into production shortly before the fall of the wall in 1989 – and as a simple East German copy, it was a non-seller.

Close but no cigar: Product plagiarism in the GDR

East German nostalgia

East Germans were only able to buy products from the West from the chain store Intershop with West German money. Today, they sell items once available in the GDR, profiting from a boom in East German nostalgia. Many products are available in their old GDR-styled packaging but have been adapted to meet Western standards. The chocolate content in the sweet bar, for example, has been quadrupled.

Author: Marc von Lüpke-Schwarz / jlw | Editor : Kate Müser