Demolition of the Palace of the Republic begins
Despite suffering serious damage in the last days of the Second World War, the large Hohenzollern City Palace in the historic centre of Berlin could still have been rebuilt. Instead, the new Communist government took the decision in 1950/51 to demolish this “symbol of Prussian Absolutism”. The elaborate modernist edifice erected to replace it – the “Palace of the Republic” – doubled as the East German Parliament and an entertainment venue with concert halls, restaurants and cafés. Large crowds flocked to the Palace, which was colloquially known as “Erich’s Lamp Shop”, a name referencing both Party leader Erich Honecker and the brilliance of the Palace lighting.
The Palace was closed to visitors in 1990 after the discovery that it was riddled with asbestos. Many in the new Germany wanted to preserve the Palace as a symbol of the past, but the authorities decided that the cost of any refurbishment would be prohibitive. Beginning on 6 February 2006, demolition of the former Palace of the Republic was completed in 2008. Today, the Hohenzollern City Palace has been “rebuilt” and now houses the Humboldt Forum.
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