New exhibition documents the rise and fall of East Berlin's famed Palast der Republik

2019-06-10T14:33:00-04:00

Berlin’s Palast der Republik, the asbestos-riddled home of the powerless East German parliament that was demolished more than a decade ago, is being commemorated in a new exhibition at the Rostock art museum, a building also constructed under the Communist regime that narrowly escaped the same end.

"Built between 1973 and 1976 on the site of the former Berlin City Palace, the Palace of the Republic was the seat of the GDR’s government or Volkskammer (People’s Chamber), but also served as a public cultural center with a plethora of event spaces and culinary offerings," reads the description of the new exhibition Palast der Republik: Utopia, Inspiration, Politics at the Kunsthalle Rostock.

The iconic building in 1977. Image via Wikipedia.

"Daily activities took place in the Great Hall, the restaurants, the disco in the youth club, the theater, and the Spree Bowling Alley. In 1990 the Palace of the Republic was closed due to the emission of carcinogenic asbestos fibers, and the building was demolished from 2006 to 2008. In 2019 the Humboldt Forum will open in the reconstructed Berlin Palace at the same site."

The exhibition opened on May 31 and will run through October 13.

Memories of East Germany's Showcase

2010-09-21T14:19:00-04:00

The Palast der Republik was a showpiece building in East Berlin, a congress hall as well as a center for public entertainment. By 1993 it had been sealed off to the public. Thorsten Klapsch was the last photographer to capture its interiors before a long period of demolition began.

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New exhibition documents the rise and fall of East Berlin's famed Palast der Republik

Memories of East Germany's Showcase