final touches

Tags

art., culture, Empire, Germany, Hohenzollern, palace, Prussia

Daily I follow the changes around the final touches in the re-building of the Berlin City Palace now known as the Humboldt Forum which was set to open this September 2020, but now it has been postponed to October 2021. The Pandemic cut the working construction crews by 25% many unable to return to work after Easter. There is a lot of details to attend to in terms of landscaping and installing new central heating system which runs in huge pipes along the street on the South side of the Palace. On the North side facing the Lutheran Cathedral and the Museums, gardens and trees have been planted. The East facade looking at Alexander Platz across the Spree River is being completed. On the West facade which is the main gate of the Palace the last scaffolding is coming down on Portal III, one big element that is missing is the bronze cartouche at the top of the triple gate, which according to plans is in the making by the same group of artisans who made the lantern with the dancing angels for the dome of the palace. It is truly work requiring a lot of attention to detail and the artisans belong to another era. Lucky that such artists like Andreas Hoferick can still be found. He is responsible for all the baroque elements of the palace, the numerous statues and cartouche that can be seen. He has worked on many projects all over Germany involving historical reconstructions. www.hoferick.com

The draft design on paper before the casting in bronze.

the cartouche will be attached to the stone facade with hooks. Below is a photo of what it looked like in 1920.

The final recreated cartouche will also be embellished with gold leaf. It is a fairly large element and is part of the 105 million Euros raised through public donations for the portion paid by the public. Total cost of this project is 750 million Euros.

This Summer as the palace was approaching the final phase, a Court case made the headlines in newspapers in Germany. It turns out that the former Royal Family of Germany and it’s head, Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia are asking the German Government for the return of their palaces and art collections which includes art work in several German Museums some of which are just across the street from the Palace. In Potsdam alone there are 5 palaces of various sizes. In Berlin one is now the Presidential Palace, Bellevue, the other would be the Charlottenburg Palace. The City Palace was the main one but in its new incarnation it is a vast conference centre, library, museum and restaurant. The German Government have won the latest round in Court. The legal argument is in the German Constitution of May 1949 which establishes the new German Federal Republic and its basic Law. In it the text states that any claimant of former properties must prove that their family had no connection or did not belong to the NSDAP (Nazi Party). Though the Prince who was born in 1976 and his father had no links whatsoever, his grandfather the Crown Prince and his great grandfather the former Kaiser in exile, uncles and cousins had links or were members of the Nazi party until 1942. So the Court rejected his claim which was seen as an over reach by the public. The family is quite wealthy and has the ancestral Hohenzollern castle in Southern Germany including the Prussian Crown Jewels and many other assets.

Castle Hohenzollern in Baden-Wurttenberg. It is open to the public https://www.burg-hohenzollern.com/startseite.html

23:45 Berlin time

Tags

Architecture, art., City Palace, Hohenzollern, Humboldt Forum, Prussia

Because of the size of the lantern to be hoisted on top of the dome of the City Palace as of 6am on Friday 29 May, if the winds are calm, it was transported late this evening in 2 sections, bottom and top on large flatbed trucks through the streets of Berlin. It will stay in the front yard of the City Palace until Friday.

Here is a webcam shot take as it arrives at the Palace. This is the top part which is shame like Palm leaves.

this is the bottom part with balustrade, missing here are the 8 winged angels as caryatid holding up the top part with palm leaves and the gold plated cross. Probably will be brought tomorrow for the final assembly of all parts.

Will look for it in day light tomorrow to have a better view of the area.

I also found this photo of the artists/workers applying the gold leaf to the lettering around the blue ring at the base of the dome which is visible from afar. Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. The dome of the palace is his creation.

King Frederich Wilhelm IV was an evangelical Lutheran and a staunch conservative, unlike his uncle Frederich II the Great, who did not bother much with religion, his political decision in 1845 had repercussions on the history of Prussia and Germany for 100 years. This is an amalgamation of passages in Acts 4:12 and Philippians 2.9-11 the inscription says:

There is no other salvation, there is no other name given to men so that at the name of Jesus, in honor of the Father, every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth.  

 

More photos

Tags

Brandenburg, City Palace, Germany, Hohenzollern, Humboldt Forum, Prussia

The project of rebuilding the City Palace in Berlin is now coming to a close. Though a few days ago it was announced that there will be a delay to opening up the new museum because of Covid19 only 70% of workers are accessing the site at this time, social distancing etc. On the web cam you can see that all the workers outside are keeping a good distance from each other. Inside the building is pretty much completed what is missing now are the technical permissions from inspectors, sign off on all phases of this project and that is another delay. Given that this is a massive project and with many technical aspects, I am not surprised.

Here are photos of the completed dome minus the famous lantern on top which is coming in a few weeks to be installed by helicopter. I still want to see that and there will be a YouTube video about it for sure, not everyday you install a 16 ton lantern all the way up there.

Another fantastic project under way now, in Russia this time, is the completion of the renovations at the Alexander Palace in Tsarkoe Selo near St-Pertersburg.

The palace was the last residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family before their arrest and deportation to their place of execution. He and his family have been rehabilitated by the Russian authorities and deemed victims of Bolchevik terror in 1918. The restoration required an army of gifted artisans to recreate rooms from rumble. Though in that typical ghoulish aspect of Bolchevik thinking every object belonging to the Imperial family was saved and warehoused and archived.

I will put up some photos of that restoration, it is quite marvellous, so much hard work, the Palace is re-opening to visitors in 2022.

Berlin the copper clad dome of the City Palace free of its scaffolding.

This morning 13 May, view from the Crown Prince Palais. The blue ring inscription around the dome is a prayer to God, the dome area was a Lutheran Chapel.

A closer view from the Commandature Palace, housing Bertelsmann a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group. This company had the former palace of the Commandant of the guards re-built on Unter Den Linden avenue some 10 years ago.

View of the North Side of the City Palace from the Lust Garden. In this reconstruction of the Palace a restaurant has been added on the roof, it should have quite a nice view of the city. Looks like Spring has arrived in Berlin, the Linden trees are in leaf.

 

A bird’s eye view of Berlin

Tags

Germany, Hohenzollern, Kaiser, palace

This short video shows the City Palace Berlin AKA Humboldt Forum opening in September 2020. It gives a good idea of the sheer size of the former Palace of the Kaiser in Berlin, now destined to be in its reborn modern form a museum to world culture.

An accident

Tags

City Palace, Hohenzollern, Humboldt Forum, museum, Prussia

This morning at 10 am Berlin local time an accident happened at Portal I of the City Palace in Berlin.  As they are completing the construction and are doing paving and landscaping this week, a tar spreader broke down , there was a fire and a gas tank exploded. Luckily only one employee was slightly injured, some 80 firemen came to the site, the fire was put out in 20 minutes and the building only has soot traces with no damage. This project has been 20 years in the making at a cost of 750 Million Euros.

It looked bad from the air and the black smoke could be seen all over central (mitte) Berlin. The project has been slowed down because of the pandemic and a shortage of 200 workers is not helping. Opening day remains September 2020.

 

 

Opening Fall of 2020

Tags

City Palace, Germany, Hohenzollern, Humboldt Forum

Every day I peruse various German language sites to read and look at pictures of the reconstruction of the City Palace in Berlin now called the Humboldt Forum. One major element is missing and will be put into place in the next few weeks, that is the lantern on top of the dome of the palace.

The Palace was first started as a Residence in 1445 to house the Prince Elector of Brandenburg, then in 1701 Frederick I crowned himself King in Prussia (not of) to avoid antagonizing more powerful rulers and proclaimed his lands as the new Kingdom of Prussia. Then in 1870 Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of Germany at the Palace of Versailles following his victory in the Franco-Prussian War, a war started by the machinations of Chancellor Bismarck which was supported secretly by Queen Victoria. His grandson Wilhelm II will as of 1890 remodel the palace and enlarge it into a grander palace. The Palace was used mostly as an Official Residence in Berlin, the ruler and the Hohenzollern family lived in Potsdam 28 Km from Berlin.

In November 1918 the Palace was attacked after the Kaiser abdicated and left in exile for for the Netherlands. In 1944-45 it was badly bombed and burnt and the Communist of East Germany demolished it in 1958 wanting to erase any trace of the former Kingdom of Prussia.

In 1999 Wilhelm Von Boddien a business man and culture buff suggested to friends that the palace should be rebuilt with public donations and government monies. One part of the site was occupied by the now defunct East German Parliament. He proposed to reclaim all the land once occupied by the City Palace and rebuild the palace as it was on the outside in the baroque style so it would match the rest of the neighbourhood and make of the palace inside a modern forum for world civilization along the ideas of german philosopher Humboldt and his brother. This project fitted into the new philosophy of the German Federal Republic of promoting the ideas of the age of Enlightenment.

The now demolished former GDR Parliament with the huge parking lot in front on the site occupied by the City Palace.

So in the Fall of 2020 the rebuilt palace will open to the public in its new vocation as a centre for world civilization and Berlin’s City Library, Conference Centre, University learning centre and restaurant. I wonder if they will invite HIH Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia who is head of the Hohenzollern Dynasty. Will have to wait and see.

Here are photos of the Lantern to be installed on the top of the dome this month.

The Lantern is made of Bronze and Copper, it cost 19 million Euros to rebuilt it, all from individual private donation. It is 25 feet in height, it has a religious symbolism to it because the dome use to house the Lutheran Chapel of the Palace. The dome itself was surrounded by statues of Old Testament Prophets. The angels support the crown which is palm leafs and the cross in bronze. Under the Monarchy, the Kaiser was also head of the Lutheran Church.

The inside of the dome Chapel in 1900, none of this will be recreated in the rebuilt palace. The use of this space is not clear at this time.

Inside the dome currently, it appears that it will remain this way, the room below the suspended ceiling can be used for exhibits.

The Bronze Lantern in pieces waiting to be assembled and installed on top of the dome.

The dome 37 metres in height itself covered in its new copper sheeting. Originally the German Federal Government was only willing to pay for a plain dome of  metal sheeting. Again the public stepped in and enough donations were received to have copper with the Oeil de boeuf installed all around. In total so far the public around the world has given 125 million Euros for this reconstruction.  The total cost of rebuilding the City Palace is 750 Million Euros. It is the largest construction project in Germany today.

The Western facade Portal III (main gate of the City palace)

The South facade of the City Palace across the street from the German Foreign Ministry.

I really want to return to Berlin to see this and other sites in the reborn city.

 

 

Websites and comments

Tags

Hohenzollern, Humboldt, museum, palace, Russia, St-Petersburg

Readers of this blog will know that I have a fascination for historical renovations of famous places. Among the many blogs on architecture and history I am following, two blogs one in Russia and one in Germany have large number of followers from around the world. Gropus who specialize in architecture, people sharing ideas and photos of specific projects underway, some discussions are esoteric and interesting, many bring specialize knowledge.

Russia since 1990 has seen a full blown restoration of countless Orthodox churches, monasteries, palaces, monuments of Imperial Russia. Yes the Romanov are back with a vengeance.

Monthly a new monument, monastery, church or palace opens completely renovated to its former glory, even Putin has his own pet project, the former palace of Grand Duke Konstantin which he rebuilt as the Official palace of the Russian President. The Konstantinovsky Palace was destroyed in 1944 now it lives again.

St-Petersburg and its outskirts was occupied between 1942-1944 by the Nazi army, the region experienced the death of a million citizens and the virtual destruction of its most historical buildings. But since 1990 the Government of Russia has given back to the Russian Orthodox Church its monasteries and churches and helped them financially with restoration, all of which is complicated due to old building techniques and material used.

All this restoration is going towards tourism promotion, the Soviets destroyed on purpose many historical places, looting and selling off assets, in some cases using once beautiful gardens to bury the millions of victims of the purges of Stalin, thus polluting waterways and gardens with the stench of human decay.

Putin changed all that and St-Petersburg being his hometown lavishly benefitted from monies to massively rehabilitate the city and its sights. Armies of artisans, construction trades of all kinds, architects and historians are at work. Many have taken photos of their work and share them with the public, creating excitement in the process.

In Germany many cities have seen vast restoration in what was East Germany. Many of the websites I read are in German and great discussions take place on how to proceed or why not do this or that. Of course cost $$$ is always a huge factor and in most cases the public has made substantial monetary donations, the Federal Government cannot do it all and also the political aspect comes into play. Former communists and socialists oppose for historical and ideological reasons some restorations, an example the memorial to the first German Emperor Wilhelm I (1870). Same in Potsdam with the Garnison Church which is being rebuilt now with donations from the Lutheran Church and other members of the public. The socialist on the Potsdam town council oppose this project for ideological reasons. German Newspapers carry articles and opinion pieces and no project is not without controversy. In Brunswick the former ducal palace destroyed during the war was rebuilt however to make it economically viable the inside is a shopping mall.

Not to forget that many of the old nobility is still around and have opinions on what has happened to their former homes. In Russia the Romanov descendants some of whom have returned to live are paraded by the authorities who cater to them on the theme of the good old days, romantic mythology for the masses. The Church and Russian Christian Orthodox who support the Romanov Family is courted by Putin for votes and support through such endeavours. Finally the tourists also love to see the sights restored.

Germany does the same thing, the old nobles now have wineries, renovated castle turned into B&B or appear at public events, photoshoots etc to lend a sense of the authentic. Even the old Imperial family, Hohenzollern have gone into commercial ventures, one created a jazz band, appear at cultural events, run museums in their family chateau, talk to the tourists who are awe struck.

Here are some photos of today and yesterday to illustrate the point of the discussions going on websites. I find this interesting because we do not have those discussions here in Canada, no one is really interested, heritage is not understood in the same way.

It also gives an idea of what people are thinking and how they see their country and themselves today compared with 90 years ago in what was to become a very dark chapter for Germany.

One big discussion on the reconstruction of the City Palace now called Humboldt Forum. the Architect Franco Stella,  imagined a re-built palace with historical facade on 3 sides and one very modern facade on the East side. He wanted to show past and present and since this re-built palace will be a museum to world culture, there is a mix of two visions, from where we were to where we are now. The inside rooms will not be recreated, the rooms are designed for a modern museum with no reference to its imperial past. Again the contrast between former use and new use, it does not prevent the debate about why not recreate the historical rooms.

The East facade of 1445 on the Spree River around 1920 with its private garden.

The East facade of the Palace was the private living quarter of the Imperial Family. The Eastern portion of the Palace will expand as of 1701 when the Kingdom of Prussia is proclaimed.

The old Apothek or Pharmacy wing of the palace across the street from the Lutheran Cathedral. This oldest portion of the palace will not be rebuilt, instead we now have this modern new wing. This was a compromise with the various political parties in the Bundestag. It was never meant to be a reconstruction of the Imperial Palace or a memorial to the Kaiser. The three historical facade, South, West and North fit with all the other buildings in the area of the same era, whereas the Eastern facade is facing across the river the modern area of Alexander Platz.

The Humboldt Forum will open to the public as a Museum, conference centre, city library and a rooftop restaurant in October 2020.

 

 

Progress

Tags

City Palace, Germany, Hohenzollern, Humboldt Forum, museum

For the last 20 years I have been following the progress of the re-building of the old Royal Palace in Berlin. It stood in the centre of the City on the Island Museum from 1445 to 1944 when heavy fire bombing over the city at the end of the Second World War did great damage to it. After 1946 the Palace was in the Soviet Occupied Zone of Berlin it came under the puppet East German Regime and like so many buildings deem ideologically unacceptable it was demolished in the 1950’s, the ground became a parking lot and stage for military parade the Communist loved so much. There was opposition in Berlin and in Germany to the demolition of the Palace and its ruins, the palace was so well built that it took months to demolish and 19 tons of explosives. It was and had been a symbol of the city and much history was attached to it.

In 1989 with re-unification of Germany a fellow by the name of Wilhelm von Boddien proposed that the Palace be re-built as it was before the war with its Baroque facade, he further proposed that the palace be renamed Humboldt Forum for the famous German scientists and academics, the interior space would be modern and house a museum of civilizations, conference centre, 2 restaurants, a theatre and be used as a gathering place for all Germans. The financing of 750 Million Euros to be divided between the City of Berlin, the Federal Government of Germany and the public as donors.

In December 2018 here is the almost complete Palace now called Humboldt Forum, it will  re-open in the Summer of 2019.

The Western Facade of the Palace as of December 16, 2018.

The Eastern facade, modern as designed by the Italian Architect with its entrance of the Spree river. It was designed this way to symbolize that it is a reconstruction and a view on the future. The Palace sits next to the Lutheran Cathedral of Berlin on Island Museum.

For the opening of the Humboldt Forum it is likely that the current head of the Imperial Hohenzollern Family of Germany, Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia will be attending. He is the cousin of Prince Harry and Prince William of Great Britain. His great grand father Kaiser Wilhelm II was the favourite grandson of Queen Victoria.

 

 

Berlin City Palace tour

Tags

Capital, City Palace, Germany, Hohenzollern

This past weekend in Berlin a special opening tour of the City Palace for curious Berliners. This project is nearing completion after 18 years of preparation and work. The former City Palace of the Kings of Prussia and Emperors of Germany was very badly damaged in 1944. After the war the old Palace was now in Communist East Berlin, like most of all the great buildings of the German Capital. The Communist leadership decided in the 1950’s to destroy what was left, despite the fact the could have restored it. Since there had been a palace on the site for 500 years, the population was not happy with this decision. For decades the area the size of 3 football fields was a parking lot and parade ground for East German troops.

After German re-unification in 1989, the idea of re-building the City Palace was put forward and the plan was approved by the Federal Government of Germany, the City of Berlin and the State of Brandenburg. The financing budgeted at 800 million Euros is shared amongst levels of government and the public donations of 105 million Euros to re-build the South, North and Western facade in the Baroque style of the 18th century. The Eastern facade is modern as will be the interior. The old rooms of the palace will not be re-built as they are now dedicated to show the collections of diverse cultures, there will be a restaurant on the roof, lecture halls, a library and concert hall.

By re-building the City Palace it completes the architectural ensemble of the heart of the City as envisioned by Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786). Because they are Baroque facades on three sides, every element had to be carved by hand and in some cases gilded. The gilded balcony railings and many roof statues still have to be installed and the great dome and lantern need to be completed as is the landscaping.

The opening of the Humboldt Forum as the City Palace is now called is scheduled for Summer 2019. Situated next to the Lutheran Cathedral of Berlin and Imperial Mausoleum to the Hohenzollern Family and all the museums containing the wonderful collections, Unter den Linden avenue, and all the other palaces and university of the city is will certainly be a magnet.

 

Berlin

Tags

Bear, Berlin, history, Hohenzollern, MacDonogh

I am re-reading a book by Giles MacDonogh on Berlin, a portrait of its history. I read this book some years ago in 1997 the year it was published. This 20 year old book on Berlin is somewhat dated now given the incredible transformation the city has undergone since then.  My first visit to Berlin goes back to 1998 at a time when the City government, the Senate and Federal government of Germany where planning a massive re-construction of the Eastern sector now vacated from Communist rule.

I saw the first changes and re-construction of old building some of which had been completely obliterated during the war 1939-1945. We went back many times since to Berlin and it is truly a beautiful city, very people friendly.

Berlin today is a world city of culture, politics, media and science. Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities, media corporations and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail traffic and has a highly complex public transportation network. The metropolis is a popular tourist destination. Significant industries also include pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, clean tech, biotechnology, construction and electronics.

Modern Berlin is home to world renowned universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues and is host to many sporting events. Its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions. The city is well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts and a high quality of life. Since the 2000s Berlin has seen the emergence of a cosmopolitan entrepreneurial scene.

The city is first mentioned in 1237 as Berl, not a German word but a name derived from the old Slavic Wend word meaning Marsh or Marsh land. Slavs inhabited the area of Brandenburg for many centuries. German speaking population also lived in the area of Spandau around 900 and used the german word Bärlein or little bear as a name for the congregations of small villages around islands on the Havel and Spree rivers which cross the modern Berlin today. So the association of the little black bear became the symbol of the City of Berlin.

Berlin is dotted with lakes and forest and back then they were mostly fishing villages. The region was never part of the Roman Empire and did not benefit from Roman city planning schemes seen elsewhere in Western and Southern Europe. In the middle-ages no cathedral or great building existed, it was a backwater. The only significant buildings from the 13th century that can be seen today are the Nikolaikirche 1230 and the Marienkirche 1270 by Alexander Platz. The arrival in Berlin in 1415 of the Hohenzollern family will see the first construction of a Castle in 1443 on the Spree river and this will be the seat of the family until their fall from power in 1918. Enlarging many times their family palace as their power grew.

The Hohenzollern were Counts from the Southern region of Swabia in Bavaria where the family still has two large palace-castles Hohenzollern and in Sigmaringen. At first they were rulers of Brandenburg, then elevated to the dignity of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, then by 1701 Kings in Prussia and in 1871 Emperors of Germany. Not bad for a bunch of mercenaries who played their cards carefully ingratiating themselves with the Holy Roman Emperor in Nuremberg.

The book also speaks of the people of Berlin, the various ethnic groups and the economic and social development of the city. With the wars of religions raging across Europe with the Reformation movement, the rulers of Brandenburg invited all those feeling persecution to come and settle in Berlin, religious tolerance was the official policy of the State. First French Huguenots arrived by the hundreds from France but also from other parts of Western Europe where they were persecuted. Then Jews started to arrive from all over Europe and later by the 19th century from Russia fleeing the Tsarist Pogroms. Then the Turkish guest workers who form a large ethnic group in Germany today.

The goal of all this immigration was to make Berlin and the region of the Brandenburg and then the Prussian Kingdom an economic powerhouse, a centre of culture and the arts. The Hohenzollern followed a careful policy of mixing and integrating people.

MacDonogh weaves a very interesting picture of the city, rich in details on its politics, architecture, history and society.  He did a lot of research on the city with the help of his German friends who themselves have a close connection to the city. He ends the story of the city in 1989 with the fall of the wall. I wish he updated the book so many things have happened in the last 30 years.