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Reconstruction of the Berlin Royal Palace - Construction of the Humboldt-Forum in the grounds of the Palace
Steps to implement the decisions taken by the German Bundestag
Status of planning in autumn 2009
Prof. Dr. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development and the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger presented the current status of planning of the Humboldt Forum at the Altes Museum in Berlin, on 26 October 2009.
In the photo gallery you will find a selection of floor plans and elevations, illustrating the current status of designwork. Further designwork will be progressed based on this. The construction of the Humboldt Forum is planned to start by the end of 2010.
Foundation
The "Royal Palace-Humboldt Forum" Foundation began its work at the beginning of October 2009. The Foundation was the establishment of a central and responsible point of contact for all matters concerning the construction of the Palace. In addition to this, the Foundation allows for a holistic approach for raising private donations totalling the amount aimed for by the Bundestag, namely 80 million euros. Federal President Koehler is the patron of the Foundation.
Architectural competition
The final decision in the architectural competition was taken on 28 November 2008. The design submitted by the architecture firm Francesco Stella, Vicenza, won the first prize.
Other prize winners:Third prize: Eccheli e Campagnola Architects, Verona
Third prize: Prof. Christoph Mäckler, Frankfurt am Main
Third prize: Kleihues + Kleihues, Berlin
Third prize: Prof. Kollhoff Architects, Berlin
NRS Tchoban Architects, Berlin
Reimer Herbst Architects, Berlin
Kühn Malvezzi Architects, Berlin
Detailed design and construction planning started immediately after the conclusion of the competition. The architect's contract of service for the realization of the Humboldt Forum was signed in mid-June between the Federal Building Administration and Prof. Franco Stella. Construction is planned to begin in 2010.
Documentation of the competition:
On 18 June 2009, the Federal Ministry of Construction published the documentation of the "2008 project competition Berlin Royal Palace/Humboldt Forum". The book illustrates the history of the place and the political decisions taken, from the demolition of the Royal Palace and the Palace of the Republic (Palast der Republik) to the reconstruction of the historic facades of the Royal Palace. Reconstruction is discussed in several articles written by experts. The future users, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Berlin Central and State Library and the Humboldt University outline the utilization concept of a joint Humboldt Forum.
More information on the book and on how to order can be found in the right-hand column, under external links.
Steps to implement the decisions taken by the German Bundestag
With the third decision taken by the German Bundestag on 13 December 2007, the Parliament again defined and concretized the main objectives and requirements of the project. The Federal Government was given the mandate to take any further planning steps. Previous decisions had been taken by the German Bundestag in the years 2002 and 2003. Based on the recommendations of the "Historical Centre of Berlin" International Expert Commission, the decision to build the "Humboldt-Forum" in the grounds of the former Berlin Royal Palace was taken by a large majority transcending party lines.
Before, on 7 November 2007, the Budgetary Committee of the German Bundestag had approved funding for the project submitted by the Federal Minister of Building, Wolfgang Tiefensee, to reconstruct the Berlin Royal Palace and build the Humboldt-Forum. The Committee fixed a binding cost limit of 552 million euros for the project. This includes the total construction costs of 480 million euros. Another 72 million euros will be made available for the initial furnishing of the building and its exhibition. Both the Federal Government and the federal state of Berlin will make available land for the realization of the Humboldt-Forum. In addition, the federal state of Berlin agreed to make a financial contribution of 32 million euros for its own cultural uses of the building. Private initiatives and donors are expected to contribute 80 million euros for the reconstruction of the historic facade.
5,000 square metres of the Humboldt-Forum will be made available for cultural uses of the federal state of Berlin. A total of around 40,000 square metres of usable floor space will be available for cultural amenities of the Federal Government and the federal state of Berlin.
The decisions on the future of the Berlin Palace Square area were taken by a large majority of the German Bundestag transcending party lines on 4 July 2002 and 13 November 2003. Based on the recommendations of the "Historical Centre of Berlin" International Expert Commission, the concept for the use of the Humboldt-Forum is to be put into practice.
Following the demolition of the Palace of the Republic (Palast der Republik), the grounds of the former Royal Palace are currently being used as public green space. For two years, the federal state of Berlin will be carrying out archaeological excavations of the remains of the previous buildings.
