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The Humboldt Forum

May 27, 2021

A very German story has ended with the completion of the Humboldt Forum in a replica of Berlin’s former Royal Palace.

Deutschland | Eröffnung Humboldt Forum in Berlin
Image: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture-alliance

The site - where the Kaiser once resided and the Palace of the Republic of Communist East Germany once stood - sparked controversy from the start.

Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Krause

The Humboldt Forum in the capital’s newly rebuilt Berlin Palace is one of the most sensational and debated projects in recent years in Germany. Some critics ask why the Palace of the Republic was torn down to build a structure outwardly reminiscent of the Kaiser’s aspirations to global power and quest to secure Germany’s "place in the sun."

Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen


Others wonder if exhibitions of items that originated in a colonial context should be held here. Can the true intercultural dialogue the Forum wishes to initiate take place in these surroundings? And, behind its Prussian baroque façade, does the modern structure actually work? 

Image: SHF/Giuliani | von Giese


Like Hamburg’s Elbe Philharmonic Hall, the Berlin Palace creates ripples far beyond the bounds of its home city. This documentary follows the Humboldt Forum project from concept through construction, as well as the debates surrounding it. The film also gives viewers a taste of what awaits visitors behind the building’s baroque façade. 

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

WED 30.06.2021 – 01:15 UTC
WED 30.06.2021 – 04:15 UTC
THU 01.07.2021 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 03.07.2021 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 04.07.2021 – 08:15 UTC

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DW Deutsch+

THU 01.07.2021 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 04.07.2021 – 08:15 UTC 

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3 

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