Berlin's New Stadtschloss
Stadtschloss after bombing raids, May, 1945, Museum Berlin Karlshorst via Berlin, from 1925 to the Present,
Mark R. McGee /Artwork: designslinger]
Berlin's what? "Stadtschloss" means "City Castle" in German. This is one of those stories
about urban history, architecture and the changing fortunes of political regimes that I find fascinating. Our tale begins all the way back in the 15th century when the Hohenzollern family was in control of this part of Germany. They built a palace that grew and grew, burned down, fell apart during wars, grew even larger and finally compromised 1500 rooms, which made it larger than Versailles. The palace's popularity fluctuated depending on the whims of the reigning monarch, and by the end of WWI, and the fall of the House of Hohenzollern, the palace was mostly empty. The Nazi's weren't interested in the building, and Allied bombing forces nearly finished-off the place at the end of WWII.
stages of demolition, Vlastula via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
The ruined building sat in its forlorn state until 1950 when the Soviet government finally
demolished the remaining bits and pieces of the palace. The structure was located in the eastern quadrant of Berlin that fell under the control of the USSR at the end of the war. The site sat empty for years until 1973 when the Soviets began construction on the Palast der Republik (or Palace of the Republic). When Germany became one country again in 1989, the government made a decision to re-anoint Berlin as the capital of a unified Germany. In a literal expression of covering over the drab Soviet years, the building was wrapped in a gigantic canvas picturing a recreation of the facade of the old Hohenzollern palace. When the building was discovered to contain toxic levels of asbestos demolition plans soon followed. Not everyone was happy. A very vocal group of citizens and preservationists argued for asbestos abatement, then renovating and preserving the building as an example of iconic Soviet architecture. As of this posting, the demolition is almost complete.
via deconarch.wordpress.com /Artwork: designslinger]
Enter Italian architect Francesco Stella and a re-imagining of the Hohenzollern family
abode. Once again, a Stadtschloss will rise on the same piece of property, but this time it is also being called the "Humboldt Forum." The exterior will mimic the old palace, though it won't contain 1500 rooms for one family. The interior will be modern and up-to-date, and provide space for art exhibitions, sections of Berlin's Ethnographic museum, a hotel, and possibly a library. That is if it ever gets built. At $715 million, and what with the world economic crisis, the site may end up as a gravel parking lot for the foreseeable future.
Still, it makes for a good story. It's full of drama, sweeping scope, a little intrigue with some
political one-upmanship thrown in, and then comes full circle, almost back to where we started. Throw in the architecture and history, and you have a perfect storm for a design slinger.
Comments