https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021...oldt-forum
(Source: Paul Zinken/Getty Images/Above article)
Amuseum gift shop has never been such an ideological battleground. At one end of the store in Berlin’s new Humboldt Forum is a display of souvenirs adorned with the gilded silhouette of the Stadtschloss, the city’s former royal palace, which was bombed to pieces in the second world war. Racks of silk scarves and Christmas baubles hang above rows of candles in regal colours, emblazoned with an image of the stately Prussian pile.
At the other end of the shop is a rival range of merchandise, themed around the former East German parliament and leisure centre, the Palast der Republik, which was triumphantly built on top of the ruins of the palace in the 1970s. With its sharp white marble walls, bronze-mirrored windows and space-age chandeliers, it was designed to showcase the wonders of socialism. You can buy keyrings and enamel mugs in a retro Soviet style, as well as a model kit of the building in Formo, the East German version of Lego, for €250.
It makes for a ghoulish juxtaposition. The Palast der Republik was bulldozed in 2006 and in its place now stands a bizarre reconstruction of the baroque royal palace, built at a cost of €680m to house the new museum. Now, 19 years after that decision was made by the German parliament, it has never seemed so misguided.
I have to admit, I think it was a crying shame that the palace was torn down by East Germany, instead of being repaired after the war. It's nice to see it all rebuilt - although, I have to wonder whether it was the best use of €680m.
Still, I'm not bothered by the whole "imperial architecture" thing. I really don't see the rebuilding of it as a celebration of imperialism: rather, it was a part of Berlin's history, and a part that should be remembered and understood, rather than simply being erased. And besides, I just think it looks far more pleasing than [url=what East Germany built in its place!
(Source: Paul Zinken/Getty Images/Above article)
Amuseum gift shop has never been such an ideological battleground. At one end of the store in Berlin’s new Humboldt Forum is a display of souvenirs adorned with the gilded silhouette of the Stadtschloss, the city’s former royal palace, which was bombed to pieces in the second world war. Racks of silk scarves and Christmas baubles hang above rows of candles in regal colours, emblazoned with an image of the stately Prussian pile.
At the other end of the shop is a rival range of merchandise, themed around the former East German parliament and leisure centre, the Palast der Republik, which was triumphantly built on top of the ruins of the palace in the 1970s. With its sharp white marble walls, bronze-mirrored windows and space-age chandeliers, it was designed to showcase the wonders of socialism. You can buy keyrings and enamel mugs in a retro Soviet style, as well as a model kit of the building in Formo, the East German version of Lego, for €250.
It makes for a ghoulish juxtaposition. The Palast der Republik was bulldozed in 2006 and in its place now stands a bizarre reconstruction of the baroque royal palace, built at a cost of €680m to house the new museum. Now, 19 years after that decision was made by the German parliament, it has never seemed so misguided.
I have to admit, I think it was a crying shame that the palace was torn down by East Germany, instead of being repaired after the war. It's nice to see it all rebuilt - although, I have to wonder whether it was the best use of €680m.
Still, I'm not bothered by the whole "imperial architecture" thing. I really don't see the rebuilding of it as a celebration of imperialism: rather, it was a part of Berlin's history, and a part that should be remembered and understood, rather than simply being erased. And besides, I just think it looks far more pleasing than [url=what East Germany built in its place!
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