Opposition parties have slammed plans to put a cross on top of the rebuilt Stadtschloss, or City Palace, in Berlin. The Greens and the Left party say the plan endangers the open cultural dialogue intended for the site.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/360-Berlin
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The German Left and Green parties have both criticized plans to set a cross atop the reconstructed Stadtschloss in Berlin, which is to house the Humboldt Forum, a center for art and communication.
The Left's national parliamentary party's spokeswoman for cultural affairs, Sigrid Hupach, told Die Welt newspaper that the proposed cross went against the government's declared intent to erect "a museum of a new kind for the whole world community."
"It is meant to be a public building in which all feel welcome. But how is such an open dialogue of cultures to succeed when a cross on top of the dome already establishes the direction? I think this kind of hierarchization of cultures and religions is absurd," she said.
The leader of the Greens parliamentary party in the state of Berlin, Antje Kapek, said "reducing the Humboldt Forum to one religion" was not in keeping with the basic principles of humanism.
"The new Berlin Stadtschloss is intended to serve the exchange between all cultures," she said, adding that donations made for the building were meant to be used to put up the facades.
The Stadtschloss, seen here around 1900, once dominated the Berlin cityscapeImage: picture-alliance/Berliner Kurier
'Need for a secure identity'
The planned cross also has its supporters, however.
"Setting up an open house of the kind that the Humboldt Forum is meant to be is credible only if we are aware of our own roots and show them," said Monika Grütters, the German commissioner of cultural affairs, who belongs to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats.
"Only those who are sure of their own identity can give free scope to others without feeling threatened," she told Welt. "For me, that is what the cross stands for, and that is why I feel it is part of the the palace."
Grütters: "The German open culture has Christian roots"Image: REUTERS/A. Schmidt
The Catholic archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, also welcomed the planned cross, saying the symbol was "the sign of the good news of the Christian faith for all people."
However, he called on both sides in the debate to remain calm, saying that "the cross must not become a topic for quarreling over."
"We Christians believe that the cross embodies salvation and hope and life. Fighting and quarreling would take away its meaning," he told the Welt.
The controversy over the cross comes as a heated debate rages in Germany about a so-called "Leitkultur," or "dominant culture," advocated by some conservative politicians as a guideline for the integration of non-German nationals.
The building was severely damaged in the Second World WarImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Major landmark
The Stadtschloss, which in the original version had a cross on top of its dome, was once the most dominant building in the historical center of Berlin but was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in World War II. Although the damage could have been repaired, the palace was demolished in 1950 by East German authorities, who eventually built the Palace of the Republic on the site.
That building, which was found to be contaminated with asbestos, was finally demolished in 2009. The reconstruction of the entire exterior of the palace, except for one side, in the original style began in 2013 and is to be concluded in 2019.
The Humboldt Forum that it is to house is named after Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), a Prussian scholar, author and statesman, and his brother Alexander, a natural scientist.
The return of Berlin's City Palace
It will take at least five more years and 590 million euros for Berlin's City Palace to regain not only its countenance, but also its cultural and historical significance.
Image: Getty Images
Patience is a virtue
It's 580 years since its cornerstone was laid, 63 years since it was torn down and 20 years since the debate over its reconstruction heated up. Now, Berlin's City Palace is finally going to make a reappearance in the capital. The cornerstone was laid on June 12 in a ceremony with German President Joachim Gauck.
Image: ullstein bild - histopics
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).
Image: Getty Images
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.
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.
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.
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.
Image: ullstein bild
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.
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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.
Image: ullstein bild
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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.
Image: picture alliance/ZB
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.
Image: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images
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.
Image: CC BY-SA-Robert Schediwy
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.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
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.
