The large-scale Berlin museum has been under construction since 2013. Its opening was postponed several times, but is now set to take place before the end of the year.
Image: SHF
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It is a well-known fact that large construction projects in Berlin tend to take a little longer than initially planned.
After the BER Airport, which is scheduled to start operating this month after a delay of more than eight years, a mammoth cultural project will soon open its doors: the Humboldt Forum.
A gradual opening is planned, explained director Hartmut Dorgerloh at a press conference on Wednesday.
As of December 17, 2020, only the lower lobby and the ground floor will be accessible to the public. The exhibitions on the second and third floors, as well as the viewing platform on the roof, will gradually be inaugurated over the coming year.
The opening was however postponed due to numerous construction delays of the Berlin Palace, which houses the Humboldt Forum. The building costs also increased by around €50 million ($59 million), with the overall expenses for the construction of the Humboldt Forum reaching a total of €644 million.
The cross installed atop the reconstructed Berlin Palace was another cause of controversyImage: picture-alliance/dpa/B.v. Jutrczenka
The coronavirus pandemic also affected the prominent construction site. Due to the Europe-wide lockdown, many workers could not enter Germany. The delivery of materials also came to a standstill. The coronavirus crisis meant that the opening, already pushed back to September 2020, had to be once again postponed.
Opening exhibition about the Humboldt brothers
The initial exhibitions in the underground and ground floors will provide information about the history of the Berlin Palace and about Alexander von Humboldt and his brother Wilhelm.
Three exhibitions developed for the first floor are set to be made public in January. An expanded program of events and educational workshops is to follow in the spring, while the opening of the west side of the second and third floors, which includes collections from the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art is set for the end of summer 2021. At the turn of the year 2021/2022, the opening of the east wing with the other exhibition areas of the two museums will follow.
Germany's most expensive cultural project
Financed by the federal government, the State of Berlin and private donations, at €644 million, the Humboldt Forum is the most expensive cultural building site in Germany.
Exhibits from Asia, Africa, America and Oceania as well as objects relating to the history of Berlin are to be showcased on its 40,000 square meters (431,000 square feet) of exhibition space. While construction work is still ongoing, the first exhibits are already being installed.
The reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace is based on a design by architect Franco Stella. Only three of the four outer walls of the former palace are reproduced in the new building, along with the dome and the three baroque facades of the so-called Schlüterhof. The interiors of the building are built in modern style.
The reconstruction of the palace has been a controversial project for years. The site of the museum has directly reflected Berlin's tumultuous history. The original baroque Berlin City Palace was destroyed during World War II and demolished in 1950/1951. The Palace of the Republic, which served as the parliament of the East German government as well as a cultural venue, was built on the site — only to to be demolished in 2008.
The history of the Berlin City Palace
Where the Prussian kings once resided, a new cultural center is being built in Berlin: the Humboldt Forum. Due to technical problems, it will probably not open until 2020 — too late for the Humboldt Year 2019.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
Berlin City Palace around 1900
The original cornerstone was laid in 1443, but the royal residence only began to take on its final form in 1701. Architect Andreas Schlüter designed the palace facades in the Italian style. With its 1,210 rooms, the City Palace subsequently became known as the biggest Baroque building north of the Alps.
Image: ullstein bild
War damage
During the Second World War the palace caught fire during an air raid. The fire destroyed virtually all of the state rooms in the north and south wing. Other parts of the building survived, including the outer walls with their sculptured decorations, the supporting walls, and the main stairwells.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
First neglected, then blown up
Exhibitions were held in the post-war years in the surviving parts of the building. In 1950, however, the communist East German government decided it wasn't part of German cultural heritage and gave the order for it to be destroyed, despite many protests. In its place the Marx-Engels-Square was created as a location for mass rallies.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Socialist interplay
In the 1970s, East German leader Erich Honecker had the Palast der Republik built on the site. It became the seat of the East German parliament, but the building also served various cultural purposes as well as being home to numerous bars and restaurants. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the building was closed because of its asbestos content, and later torn down.
Image: picture alliance/ZB
Deceptively real
After German reunification, there was a passionate discussion about the possible reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace. In 1993, a pro-construction lobby group landed a coup by erecting a scaffold with a life-size canvas mock-up based on historical pictures of the City Palace façade. In 2002, the German parliament voted to have the palace reconstructed.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/B. Settnik
Reconstruction in the original size
In 2008, the design by Italian Franco Stella won the architectural competition to rebuild the palace. His design combines the Baroque exterior with a more modern interior. The reconstructed Berlin City Palace is to house an international art and cultural center known as the "Humboldt Forum."
Image: picture-alliance/Xamax
Keeping an eye on the building site
The "Humboldt Box" has become a temporary Berlin landmark - since 2011 it serves as an information center on the past and future of the City Palace. It attracted 100,000 visitors in the first 50 days alone. Visitors can also enjoy a panoramic look at how the reconstruction work is progressing from the viewing platform.
Image: picture-alliance/D. Kalker
Things are underway
On June 12, 2013, German President Joachim Gauck laid the cornerstone, which has two numbers engraved on it: 1443 and 2013, the date when the cornerstone for the historical palace was originally laid and, of course, the date the reconstruction began.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
Old decorations for new walls
While the walls are being constructed the Schlossbauhütte palace builders' shed, is making Baroque façade decorations. Using historic designs, sculptors are creating some 3,000 original pieces. The palace façade cost about 80 million euros ($90 million), most of which will be financed with donations. The finished palace will cost some 590 million euros, most of which will be financed by the state.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/A. Burgi
Great expectations
In 2016, gray concrete dominated the site - but this will change when the Humboldt Forum is opened. Then, Berlin Museums will exhibit their non-European cultural treasures here, while the Humboldt University begins holding international conferences. The Palace courtyard will serve as a backdrop for music and theater performances.
