In Berlin, the construction of the city palace has been completed, and sandstone statues adorned the cornices

photo: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, © SHF / GIULIANI | VON GIESE

Berlin - After 12 years, the construction of a replica of the city castle, which was damaged by bombing during World War II and subsequently demolished by the communists, has been completed in Berlin. Workers secured sandstone statues on the outer facade's cornice, and the project, costing 682 million euros (17 billion CZK), is now finished. The relevant foundation now wants to modify the area around the castle, which serves as a museum and cultural center. Among other things, stairs will be built to connect the building with the Spree River.

The noble residence stood on the so-called Museum Island in central Berlin since the mid-15th century, serving as the main residence of the Brandenburg electors and later the Prussian kings and German emperors from the House of Hohenzollern. It was heavily damaged by bombing during World War II, and in 1950, the communist leadership of what was then the German Democratic Republic (GDR) had it razed to the ground. In its place, the Palace of the Republic was later built, which housed the GDR parliament.

After years of discussions, construction of the castle replica began in 2013 on the original site, incorporating contemporary elements. While three facades strive to faithfully mimic the appearance of the original castle, the eastern facade facing Alexanderplatz is austere and the interior of the building is entirely modern. The replica of the former noble residence is now named the Humboldt Forum after German scholars Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt.

A group of enthusiasts has campaigned for the castle's restoration since the early 1990s, and in 2002, the Bundestag approved it. The vast majority of the funding came from the German state, with contributions from the city of Berlin and part of the costs covered by proceeds from collections organized by the Berlin castle foundation. However, not everyone welcomed the restoration of the royal residence from the beginning. According to some critics, the Hohenzollern castle was a symbol of German militarism and colonialism. Concerns were also raised regarding the architectural form of the replica.

The building designed by Italian architect Frank Stella was constructed over seven years and was officially opened in 2020. However, it was only now that it is officially completed. On its northern and southern cornices, construction workers secured the last of 19 sandstone statues on Monday, which are modern interpretations of baroque art. On average, the statues measure more than three meters. The original sculptural decoration of the castle by baroque artist Andreas Schlüter can be seen in one of the exhibition halls.

The Humboldt Forum opened digitally in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and opened for regular operations in July 2021. Among other collections, it features collections from the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art, and part of the collections of the Berlin City Museum. Last year, the replica of the city castle was visited by around 3.3 million people. This figure includes everyone who passed through the entrance portal to the freely accessible inner courtyard. Around 731,000 visitors viewed the collections themselves last year.

While the Berlin city castle building is finally finished after 12 years, other projects in its vicinity are still waiting for completion. On the western side of the castle, a 38-meter-wide staircase descending to the Spree River is to be built. Construction was supposed to start back in 2022, with completion expected in 2024. However, the Berlin city council halted the project before it began. Now, it's back on the agenda, with seven million euros (174 million CZK) allocated.

The staircase to the Spree should be finished by 2027. Next to it, a monument to freedom and unity is to be built, commemorating the fall of the communist regime in the GDR in 1989 and the subsequent reunification of Germany in 1990.

Improvements will also be made to the area behind the castle, named after philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. For this project, which is part of a larger revitalization in the center of the German metropolis, 34 million euros (844 million CZK) is allocated. Work on both projects in the vicinity of the castle is expected to begin this summer or fall.