The Palast der Republik in 2003

Inside the Palast der Republik in 2003, after asbestos and interior furnishings were removed

Demolition work on the Palast der Republik, 2006

The Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic) was a building in Berlin, on the bank of the River Spree between Schlossplatz and the Lustgarten (both referred to jointly as Marx-Engels-Platz from 1951 to 1994). It served primarily as the seat of the East German parliament, the Volkskammer, but it also housed two large auditoriums, art galleries, restaurants and a bowling alley. The Palast der Republik, Berlin, taken in 2003 by C. Ford. ... The Palast der Republik, Berlin, taken in 2003 by C. Ford. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2160x1440, 870 KB) Summary Inside the Palast der Republik in 2003. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2160x1440, 870 KB) Summary Inside the Palast der Republik in 2003. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1624 KB) Summary Demolition work on the Palast der Republik, Berlin, 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1624 KB) Summary Demolition work on the Palast der Republik, Berlin, 2006. ... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... The Spree (Slavic Špreva or Špreja, older form Sprevja, Sorbish Sprowja) is a river in Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany. ... Schlossplatz (in English, Palace Square) is a square in the centre of Berlin in Germany. ... Lustgarten, Germany is situated on the banks of the River Spree and crowned by two of Berlins most impressive buildings - the Altes Museum and Berliner Dom - the Lustgarten is one of the most atmospheric spots in the city. ... Schlossplatz (in English, Palace Square) is a square in the centre of Berlin in Germany. ... GDR redirects here. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and red—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ... The Volkskammer (Peoples Chamber) was the de jure Legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... Venus de Milo exhibited in the Louvre museum, France. ... gallery may be short for Art gallery a gallery is an element in architecture, a long hallway flanked with walls or rows of columns Gallery is an open-source package that allows users to create and manage image galleries on their web sites. ... Toms Restaurant, a restaurant in New York made familiar by Suzanne Vega and the television sitcom Seinfeld For other uses, see Restaurant (disambiguation). ... Bowling is the common name for several sports that involve rolling a ball towards a target or to knock down pins. ...

Noteworthy events held at the Palast

Some of the most noteworthy events hosted at the Palast der Republik included the party congresses of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and the state gala on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the GDR in October 1989, at which Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was present. In October 1983, the West German rock star Udo Lindenberg was surprisingly permitted to perform in concert at the Palast der Republik. At the concert, Lindenberg sang one of his best-known songs, Sonderzug nach Pankow ("Special Train To Pankow"), which satirized East German leader Erich Honecker, and which he had been asked not to play. The logo of the SED The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... (Russian: , IPA: , commonly anglicized as Gorbachev; born March 2, 1931) was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... Udo Lindenberg (born May 17, 1946 in Gronau) is a german rock musician and composer. ... Erich Honecker (25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German Communist politician who led East Germany (German Democratic Republic) from 1971 until 1989. ...

History

The Palast was constructed from 1973 to 1976 in the prevailing architectural style for East German buildings, with bronze mirrored windows. The grand opening ceremony was held on 23 April 1976, and the building was opened to the public on 25 April 1976. It was built on the site of the old Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace), which was damaged during World War II but finally demolished by the GDR authorities in 1950, as they regarded it a symbol of Prussian imperialism. It was sometimes nicknamed "Ballast der Republik" ("Ballast of the Republic"), "Erichs Lampenladen" ("Erich's Lamp Shop", referring to Erich Honecker and the 1001 lamps hanging in the foyer), or "Palazzo Prozzo." The Berlin City Palace (German: Berliner Stadtschloss) was a palace in central Berlin, on Schlossplatz, next to Alexanderplatz. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: Prūsa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires. ... A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Tom is short for Thomas). ...

Asbestos contamination

Just prior to German reunification in October 1990, the building was found to be contaminated with asbestos and was closed to the public on 19 September 1990 by decree of the Volkskammer. By 2003, all the asbestos had been removed along with internal and external fittings and was ready for demolition. The shell of the building was opened for visitors in the summer of 2003, and a pressure group campaigned for temporary use of the building for cultural events until its eventual demolition. Beginning in the spring of 2004 the building was used for events such as housing an exhibition of the Terracotta Army or a special concert by the famous Berlin-based band Einstürzende Neubauten that seemed to be fitting very well into the debate about the deconstruction, as the band's name means "collapsing new buildings" in English. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, in English commonly called East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, in... The Lachine Canal, in Montreal, is badly polluted Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Fibrous asbestos on muscovite Asbestos Asbestos Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos quicklime from Greek ἄσβεστος: a-, not; sbestos, extinguishable) describes any of a group of fibrous metamorphic minerals of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety. ... The Volkskammer (Peoples Chamber) was the de jure Legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... View of the largest excavation pit of the Terracotta Army. ... Einstürzende Neubauten is an ever-changing experimental music band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: English, english The language of English started in Europe and came to the US with the British immigrants. ...

Demolition

In November 2003, the German parliament decided to demolish the building and leave the area as parkland until funding for the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss (City Palace) could be found. Demolition started on 6 February 2006 and is scheduled to last about 15 months. The demolition will be carried out as a careful and slow process in order not to endanger neighbouring historical buildings such as the Berliner Dom. The cost of the demolition is estimated at 12 million euros. Funding for the planned reconstruction of the City Palace is still being arranged. The official cost estimate starts at 400 million euros, although a much higher figure is suggested by some. The Bundestag (Federal Diet) is the parliament of Germany. ... Berliner Dom Berliner Dom by night The Berliner Dom or Berlin Cathedral in Berlin, Germany was built in 1905 facing the Lustgarten and the Berlin City Palace). ... The euro (symbol: €; banking code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union and single currency for over 300 million Europeans in the following twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain; collectively also known as the Eurozone. ...

See also

• Japanese General Government Building, Seoul
• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw

The Japanese General Government Building (often referred to outside Korea as the Seoul Capitol) was the chief administrative building in Seoul during the Japanese occupation of Korea and the seat of the Governor-General of Korea. ... Photograph of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw shortly after completion in 1912. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Palast der Republik

• Zwischenpalastnutzung (Temporary Palace Use) (in German)
• A site about the Palace (in English)
• Berlin webcam with view of the Palast der Republik
• About the Palace in Berlin (German with a lot of pictures)
• Article about the Palast der Republik (in English)