Art and Design in the Palast der Republik
Following contracted and controversial talks, one of East Berlin’s
most prominent buildings, the Palast der Republik (the Palace of
the Republic), was demolished between 2006 and 2008. Constructed
between 1973 and 1976 on the site on the site of the former Stadtschloss
(City Palace), it was not only the seat of the East German parliament,
the Volkskammer, it was also a cultural centre for a broad public.
Given its extensive use and its ornate interior, it was a highly
popular building in the East Berlin city centre and a key landmark
of the German Democratic Republic.
“The Palast der Republik will be a building for the people,
a place of lively political debate and cultural life.” (Cited
from a speech given by Erich Honecker at the palace’s topping-out
ceremony on 18 November 1974)
Following German reunification, the building was found to be contaminated
with asbestos and was closed in 1990. Legal succession was transferred
to the Federal Republic of Germany which still today manages parts
of the interior design. At the beginning of 2006, the subsequent
controversial discussions on the demolition of the building concluded
with the decision against retaining the palace. A new palace, called
the Humboldtforum, will be built on the site. The extent and design
of the elements to be reconstructed are also subject to lively
debate.
In the light of these current discussions, the idea was muted to
visualise the Palast der Republik using HyperImage, not only as
a whole but also in its details. The material foundation for this
is the comprehensive collection of slides gathered by the department
of art history at the Humboldt University, Berlin. This has been
supplemented by contemporary texts and images.
The consistent configuration of the Palast in terms of architecture,
art and design are illustrated further by links and annotations.
Unlike a book, the user of the HyperPalast project can interactively
retrace ground plans and interior design.
Project Director: Prof. Dr. Dorothee Haffner
Department of Art History, Humboldt University, Berlin
now at:
HTK Berlin, Department 5, Musem Studies
Wilhelminenhofstr. 75 A, D - 10313 Berlin
Phone +49 (0)30 / 50 19 43 01, Fax +49 (0)30 / 50 19 47 09
dorothee.haffner@htw-berlin.de
Contents: Dennis Jelonnek, Eva Britta Neumann
