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{{Short description|Former seat of GDR parliament and cultural center}}
{{Other uses|Palace of the Republic (disambiguation){{!}}Palace of the Republic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Palace of the Republic
| native_name = Palast der Republik
| native_name_lang = de
| former_names =
| alternate_names =
| image = [[File:Berlin, Palast der Republik -- um 1990 -- 2.jpg|250px|Palace of the Republic]]
| image_alt =
| caption = The Palace of the Republic in July 1990, three months prior to [[German reunification]]
| ___location = [[Mitte (locality)|Mitte]], Berlin, Germany
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|31|03|N|13|24|10|E|region:DE-BE_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| start_date = 1973
| completion_date = 1976
| inauguration_date = {{start date|1976|04|23|df=yes}}
| demolition_date = 6 February 2006 – 2008
| status = demolished
| destruction_date =
| architect = [[Heinz Graffunder]] and the Building Academy of the German Democratic Republic
| landlord =
| owner =
| cost = 485–1,000 million [[East German mark]]s
| floor_area =
| top_floor =
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| awards =
| references =
| map_type =
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| map_caption =
| altitude =
| building_type = Cultural building, Parliamentary building
| architectural_style = [[Modern architecture|Modernist]]
| structural_system =
| ren_cost =
| client =
| renovation_date =
| height =
| antenna_spire =
| roof =
| other_dimensions =
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| diameter =
}}
The '''Palace of the Republic''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Palast der Republik}}, {{IPA|de|paˈlast deːɐ ʁepuˈbliːk|pron}}) was a building in [[Berlin]] that hosted the ''[[Volkskammer]]'', the parliament of [[East Germany]], from 1976 to 1990.
Also known as the "People's Palace", it was located across the [[Unter den Linden]] from [[Museum Island]] in the [[Mitte (locality)|Mitte]] area of [[East Berlin]], on the site of the former [[Berlin Palace]] between the [[Lustgarten]] and [[Schloßplatz (Berlin)|Schlossplatz]], near the [[West Berlin]] border. The palace was completed in 1976 to house the ''Volkskammer'', also serving various cultural purposes including two large [[auditoria]], [[art museum|art galleries]], a theatre, a cinema, 13 restaurants, five [[beer hall]]s, a [[bowling|bowling alley]], [[billiards room]]s, a rooftop [[ice skating rink]], a private gym with [[spa]], a [[casino]], a medical station, a post office, a police station with an underground cellblock, a fire station, an indoor basketball court, an indoor swimming pool, private [[barber]]shops and [[Beauty salon|salons]], public and private [[restrooms]] and a [[discothèque]]. In the early 1980s, one of the restaurants was replaced by a [[amusement arcade|video game arcade]] for children of ''Volkskammer'' members and staff. The palace also had its own subway station, secure underground parking garage reserved for [[Central Committee]] members and a [[helipad]] reserved for [[Politburo]] members.
In 1990, the palace became vacant following [[German reunification]] and was closed for health and safety reasons, due to there being more than 5,000 tonnes of [[asbestos]] in the building (despite asbestos having been outlawed in construction in East Germany in 1968).<ref>Stasi Museum, East Berlin</ref>{{nonspecific|date=August 2025}} In 2003, the [[Bundestag]] voted for the demolition of the palace and replacement with a reconstruction of the [[Berlin Palace]] which had been demolished in the 1950s, after being heavily damaged by [[Bombing of Berlin in World War II|Allied air raids]]. The building was demolished between 2006 and 2008, and the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace began in 2013 and was completed in 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Varvantakis |first=Christos |date=2009-01-01 |title=A monument to dismantlement |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750698008097393 |journal=Memory Studies |language=en |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=27–38 |doi=10.1177/1750698008097393 |issn=1750-6980|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== History ==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R0821-400, Berlin, Palast der Republik.jpg|thumb|307x307px|Eastern face of the Palace of the Republic at night in August 1976, shortly after its completion]]
=== Construction ===
Construction of the Palace of the Republic ({{langx|de|link=no|Palast der Republik}}) began in 1973,<ref>{{cite web |title=Palace of the Republic Berlin |url=https://architectuul.com/architecture/palace-of-the-republic-berlin}}</ref> with a cost stated at 485 million [[East German mark]]s according to an internal list of [[Wolfgang Junker]], the Minister of Construction, although other estimates suggest about 800 million to 1 billion marks. It was built on the site of the [[Berlin Palace]] (''Stadtschloss''),<ref>{{cite web |title=Palace of the Republic Berlin |url=https://architectuul.com/architecture/palace-of-the-republic-berlin}}</ref> the former [[royal palace]] of [[Prussia]], located on [[Museum Island]] in East Berlin, less than {{convert|2|km}} along [[Unter den Linden]] from the [[West Berlin]] border at the [[Brandenburg Gate]]. The Berlin Palace had been controversially demolished in 1950 after suffering extensive damage during the [[Battle of Berlin]] in [[World War II]], as the government had no budget in the post-war years for the restoration and it was viewed as a symbol of Prussian [[imperialism]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Berlin 'resurrects' its Palace of the Republic |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-resurrects-its-controversial-palace-of-the-republic/a-47806839}}</ref> The site was used as a [[parade ground]] and [[parking lot]] during the 1950s and 1960s until its designation as the ___location for a new building to seat the ''[[Volkskammer]]'', the [[unicameral]] legislature of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was provisionally seated at the Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus at 58/59 Luisenstraße.
Considered a sister building to the [[Kulturpalast]], the palace was designed in a [[Modernist architect|modernist]] style by [[Heinz Graffunder]] and the Building Academy of the GDR (''Bauakademie der DDR''), with distinctive bronze-mirrored windows as a defining architectural feature. It consisted of two massive outer blocks and a middle piece inserted between them, which together gave the building the shape of a [[cuboid]] with a length of {{convert|180|m}}, a width of {{convert|85|m}}, and a height of {{convert|32|m}} which was based on that of the neighbouring buildings. The new building took up the eastern half of the plot while the western half was intended as a military parade ground, though tremors from the heavy vehicles were found to endanger the glass façade on the unstable grounds of Museum Island. Instead, the western half was used mainly as a parking lot and military parades were moved to [[Karl-Marx-Allee]].
In addition to housing the ''Volkskammer'', the palace was intended as a multiple-use structure influenced by the concepts of [[Palace of Culture|Palaces of Culture]] and [[People's House]]s popular with socialist movements. Such cultural buildings were common not only in the Eastern Bloc, but examples can also be found in Belgium, France ([[Centre Pompidou|Centre Georges Pompidou]]), the Netherlands and Sweden (House of Culture in Stockholm). In the young Soviet Union in particular, cultural centers became symbols of the new state power. The palace contained a large [[bowling alley]] at the lower level, from which the canal-side terrace along the [[Spree (river)|River Spree]] could be accessed, and featured [[Brunswick Corporation|Brunswick]] lane equipment and a bar. The part of the palace open to the public featured numerous cameras for the surveillance of staff and visitors by Stasi officials.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Müller|first=Andreas|date=25 May 2019|title=Palast der Republik im Humboldt Forum|url=https://www.bauen-aktuell.eu/palast-der-republik-im-humboldt-forum/|access-date=2 December 2020|website=Bauen Aktuell|language=de-DE}}</ref> It was the first building in the GDR to feature a self-supporting steel skeleton and contained 5,000 tons of [[asbestos]] used for [[fire protection]].
===Seat of the ''Volkskammer''===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1983-0325-037, Festveranstaltung SV Dynamo, Erich Mielke.jpg|thumb|right|300x300px|[[Erich Mielke]], chief of the ''[[Stasi]]'', speaking on 25 March 1983 as the club president of [[SV Dynamo]] who regularly held parties at the Palace of the Republic]]
[[File:19860503400NR_Berlin_Palast_der_Republik_Marx-Engels-Platz.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The front façade of the Palace of the Republic in 1986 from [[Unter den Linden]]]]
The palace was officially opened on 23 April 1976 and its facilities were opened to the public two days later.
Numerous important cultural, political, academic, and social events of the German Democratic Republic occurred at the palace after its opening. Events were held in its Great Hall, a large hexagonal room some {{convert|67|m}} wide and {{convert|18|m}} high. The Great Hall was notable for its versatility; lifting devices under the floor allowed for a stage of variable height and size. The surface area of the stage could therefore range anywhere from {{convert|170 to 1000|sqm}}, and the hall could seat between 1,000 and 4,500 attendants. Many editions of the GDR television entertainment program ''Ein Kessel Buntes'' were recorded in the Great Hall. Concerts of famous orchestras such as the [[Gewandhausorchester Leipzig]] under [[Kurt Masur]], modern interpretations of classical music such as the [[Messiah (Handel)|''Messiah'']] of [[George Frideric Handel]], and performances by [[Bulat Okudzhava]] (29 November 1976), [[Harry Belafonte]] (25 October 1983), [[Karel Gott]] (1983),<ref name="programm.ARD.de 2019">{{cite web |title=Stars im Konzert: Karel Gott |website=programm.ARD.de |date=18 October 2019 |url=https://programm.ard.de/TV/mdrfernsehen/stars-im-konzert--karel-gott/eid_282292272459630 |language=de |access-date=22 April 2022}}</ref> 1986 with [[Dara Rolins]] and [[Heidi Janků]], 1987) or of the rock-band [[Purple Schulz]] (21 January 1989). German electronic music group [[Tangerine Dream]] performed a concert recorded live at the palace on 31 January 1980 which also was [[Johannes Schmoelling]]'s first live performance with the band. [[Erich Honecker]], [[Willi Stoph]] and other members of the [[Central Committee]] were in attendance. The concert was unique in that Tangerine Dream was the first Western group who was allowed by the GDR government to play in East Berlin at the time and was dubbed "the performance behind the [[Iron Curtain]]". An album of this recorded concert was released titled ''[[Quichotte (album)|Quichotte]]'' on East German record label Amiga, and later released to the rest of the world on [[Virgin Records]] six years later and renamed ''[[Pergamon (album)|Pergamon]]''. In October 1983, the West German rock star [[Udo Lindenberg]] was permitted to perform in concert at the palace. At the concert, Lindenberg did not sing one of his best-known songs, "[[Sonderzug nach Pankow]]" ("Special Train to Pankow"), which satirized East German leader [[Erich Honecker]], as he was ordered not to play it under threat of arrest and imprisonment by the [[Stasi]]. Additionally, in April 1987, American [[Latin rock]] band [[Santana (band)|Santana]] performed two concerts here.
The [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Socialist Unity Party]] (SED), the ruling party of the GDR, held party congresses at the palace and a state gala was held on the eve of the 40th (and final) anniversary of the GDR in October 1989, at which Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] was present. During the night of 22–23 August 1990, the ''Volkskammer'' decided in the palace on the accession of the GDR to the [[Federal Republic of Germany]] with effect from 3 October 1990, known as [[German reunification]].
The palace had many nicknames in the [[Axel Springer SE|Springer]] press in West Berlin and among East German citizens, such as "Palazzo Prozzo" (a wordplay, as 'protzen' means 'to show off ostentatiously') or "Erichs Lampenladen" ([[Erich Honecker]]'s lamp shop<ref>{{cite web |title=Negotiating the past in Berlin: the Palast der Republik |url=https://smarthistory.org/palast-der-republik/}}</ref> - a pun on the many tall chandeliers inside it). "Ballast der Republik" (Ballast having the same meaning as in English - burden) was popular as well.
===Closure and demolition===
The palace was closed to the public on 19 September 1990 by decree of the ''Volkskammer'' when it was found to be [[pollution|contaminated]] by asbestos, only two weeks before the accession date. On 2 October 1990, the ''Volkskammer'' was dissolved and the palace became vacant. By 2003, the asbestos was considered to have been removed along with internal and external fittings allowing either safe reconstruction or safe deconstruction, and the shell of the building was opened for visitors in mid-2003. In November 2003, the [[Bundestag]] decided to demolish the palace and reconstruct the Berlin Palace, leaving the area as parkland until funding could be found. The majority of former East Germans opposed the demolition and various protests were held by people who felt the building was an integral part of Berlin's culture and the historic process of the German reunification.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="wb">{{Citation |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1862424,00.html |title=Berlin's Palace of the Republic Faces Wrecking Ball |access-date=10 September 2011}}</ref><ref name="pp">{{Citation |url=http://www.pdr.kultur-netz.de/palace_e.htm |title=The Palace of the Republic in Berlin |access-date=3 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025159/http://www.pdr.kultur-netz.de/palace_e.htm |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref>
Beginning in early 2004, the palace was used for events, such as housing an exhibition of the [[Terracotta Army]] and a special concert by the famous Berlin-based band [[Einstürzende Neubauten]]. Afterward, the palace fell into disuse and disrepair. Demolition started on 6 February 2006, and was scheduled to last about 15 months at a cost of €12 million; however, the demolition was delayed after more asbestos was discovered in various locations, and the estimated completion date was pushed back to the end of 2008. About 35,000 tonnes of steel which once held the building together were shipped to the [[United Arab Emirates]] to be used for the construction of the [[Burj Khalifa]].<ref name="dw">{{Citation |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3554502,00.html |title=Berlin's Demolished Socialist Palace is Revived in Dubai |access-date=13 August 2008 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |date=11 August 2008}}</ref> Although the original structure in Berlin has been demolished, its sister building, the [[Kulturpalast (Dresden)|Kulturpalast]] in [[Dresden]], is still intact and currently used as a symphony orchestra hall.
===Berlin Palace reconstruction===
In January 2006, about two years after the Bundestag decided for the rebuilding of the Berlin Palace, a second definitive vote re-approved the plans. It was decided three of its sides would be exact replicas of the original, but the fourth side and interior would be modern. Called the [[Humboldtforum]], the rebuilt palace houses the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Humboldt]] collection and gallery of non-European art. In November 2008, the Italian architect Francesco Stella was chosen for the project.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/arts/29arts-ARCHITECTCHO_BRF.html?_r=2&scp=4&sq=architecture&st=cse Architect Chosen for Berlin Palace], The New York Times, 28 October 2008</ref> Reconstruction began in 2015<ref>{{cite web |title=Negotiating the past in Berlin: the Palast der Republik |url=https://smarthistory.org/palast-der-republik/}}</ref> and was completed in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2020 |title=Eröffnung des Humboldt Forum: Der dritte Palast {{!}} Weltkunst |url=https://www.weltkunst.de/kunstwissen/2020/12/humboldt-forum-eroeffnung-der-dritte-palast|access-date=10 October 2021|website=Weltkunst, das Kunstmagazin der Zeit}}</ref> The building was opened to the public in 2021. Some items from the Palace of the Republic are on display, such as globe chandeliers and an original sign.<ref>{{cite web |title=Berlin's bizarre new museum: a Prussian palace rebuilt for €680m |work=The Guardian |date=9 September 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/sep/09/berlin-museum-humboldt-forum |last1=Wainwright |first1=Oliver }}</ref>
== Artworks ==
Sixteen monumental pictures by GDR artists ([[Walter Womacka]], [[Willi Sitte]], [[Wolfgang Mattheuer]], [[Werner Tübke]], and [[Bernhard Heisig]]) presented ''Dreams of Communists''. The pictures were shown in Potsdam 20 years later.<ref>{{cite news |title=DDR-Staatskunst aus dem Palast |url=https://www.pnn.de/potsdam/ddr-kunst-im-museum-barberini-ddr-staatskunst-aus-dem-palast/21331190.html |access-date=9 October 2021 |work=[[Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten]] |date=29 July 2017 |language=de}}</ref>
== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="210" heights="210">
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R0423-036, Berlin, Palast der Republik, Eröffnung, Tanz.jpg|[[Erich Honecker|Erich]] and [[Margot Honecker]] at the banquet-ball for the palace's opening in 1976
Image:Palast der Republik DDR 1977.jpg|Palast der Republik in 1977 with the [[Fernsehturm Berlin|Fernsehturm]] in the background
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R0706-417, Berlin, Palast der Republik, Jugendtanz.jpg|The entrance foyer of the palace and its many lights
Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1986-0417-414, Berlin, XI. SED-Parteitag, Eröffnung.jpg|Opening addresses were given in the palace's central hall at the start of East Germany's 11th Party Congress in 1986
Image:Palast der Republik.jpg|The remains of the central hall in 2003 following the removal of all [[asbestos]] and interior furnishings
Image:Palast der Republik und Fernsehturm.jpg|The Palace of the Republic during its demolition in September 2007
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[Centre Georges Pompidou]]
*[[Finlandia Hall]]
*[[Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin]]
*[[State Kremlin Palace]]
*[[Great Hall of the People]]
*[[Prague Congress Centre]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Palast der Republik}}
*[http://www.murmur-de-berlin.com/ Stop motion video of the demolition of the Palace of the Republic].
*[http://www.the-berlin-wall.com/videos/palace-of-the-republic-opens-646/ Opening of the Palace of the Republic in 1976]. {{in lang|en}}
*[https://archive.org/details/Brokedown_Palast Brokedown Palast] – documentary film about the destruction of the palace {{in lang|en}}
*[http://www.schlossberlin.de/geschichte_des_ortes/palast_der_republik/ Palace of the Republic, at Schlossplatz, Historic Centre of Berlin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929034159/http://www.schlossberlin.de/geschichte_des_ortes/palast_der_republik/ |date=29 September 2007}} {{in lang|de}} (with pictures)
*[http://www.zwischenpalastnutzung.de/ Zwischenpalastnutzung (Temporary Palace Use)] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/06/germany_heart_o.html Documentary at Frontline/World] {{in lang|en}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025159/http://www.pdr.kultur-netz.de/palace_e.htm A site about the Palace] {{in lang|en}}
*[http://www.berliner-verkehrsseiten.de/schloss About the Palace in Berlin] {{in lang|de}} (with a lot of pictures)
*[http://www.publicspace.org/en/works/d208-zwischenpalastnutzung-volkspalast Volkspalast, Special Prize of the Jury of the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2006]
*[http://www.fensterzumhof.eu/bilder/key/Schlossplatz fensterzumhof.eu: Deconstruction of the Volkspalast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222161943/http://www.fensterzumhof.eu/bilder/key/Schlossplatz |date=22 February 2017}} (photo series)
*[http://vimeo.com/39147237 "Dismantling, not Demolishing" (Short Ethnographic Film on the Deconstruction of PdR)]
*[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/memories-of-east-germany-s-showcase-new-book-reveals-last-photographs-of-berlin-s-palast-der-republik-a-717697.html Memories of East Germany's Showcase: New Book Reveals Last Photographs of Berlin's Palast der Republik]{{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.orte-der-einheit.de/en/palace-of-the-republic ''Palace of the Republic: A New Parliament at the Old Location''.] In: [https://www.orte-der-einheit.de/en/ Sites of Unity] ([[Haus der Geschichte]]), 2022.
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1976]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Mitte]]
[[Category:Convention centres in Germany]]
[[Category:1970s in Berlin]]
[[Category:Legislative buildings in Europe]]
[[Category:Seats of national legislatures]]
[[Category:Volkskammer]]
[[Category:Former palaces in Germany|Republic]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in East Germany]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2008]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures of East Berlin]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Berlin]]
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