Post #1: Palast der Republik & East German Architecture

In Fridolin Schley’s “The Heart of the Republic” we see the Palast der Republik—its construction, its Golden Age and its destruction—through the eyes of Fabian. Fabian, according to Schley’s narrative, is the son of the architect of the edifice. “In the eighties,” Schley writes, Fabian’s father “had been the chief architect for blocks of flats in Marzahn and Hellersdorf, but the palace was undoubtedly his masterpiece” (Schley, 179). The palace was built between 1973 and 1976 as the seat of government for the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) and as a home for “the people” of East Berlin.

Palast der Republik, circa late 1970s

The palace was constructed as part of the GDR’s grand plans for urban architecture that sought to achieve “centralization and monumentality” in the East German capital (Ladd, Ghosts, 190). The palace was built over the ruins of the Hohenzollern palace—irreparably damaged from World War II—which, to the new government, smacked irredeemably of Prussian militarism. In typical Berlin fashion, a contest was held to find a suitably grand design to occupy the space of the old Stadtschloss on the newly dubbed Marx-Engels-Platz. According to Ladd, one design entry, Hermann Henselmann’s controversial television tower, was deemed unsuitable but was constructed ten years later near Alexanderplatz, and remains today the tallest building in reunified Berlin (190).

Foyer of the Palast der Republik, circa late 1970s

The blocks of flats mentioned by Schley, and the satellite cities they comprised, were also a large part of the GDR’s urban architectural program. These apartment blocks were constructed of pre-fabricated concrete slabs and, while depressing to look at, proved very attractive to East Berliners. As Ladd cites in his Companion Guide to Berlin, East Berliners “welcomed the opportunity to move from deteriorating inner-city buildings with nineteenth century plumbing and heating to centrally heated flats with full bathrooms” (419). The Marzahn of Schley’s mention, with 57,000 units, was the “first and largest” of its kind (Ladd, Guide, 418).

Marzahn, circa 1987

In “The Heart of the Republic,” Schley subtly reminds us of the socialist milieu of which the palace was both geographically and metaphorically the heart. Despite an obvious pride in his father’s accomplishments, Fabian recalls that “the fact that his father had been the architect of the Palace of the Republic wasn’t supposed to be more important than working in a factory” (179). The far leftist stance of the GDR government played a very important role in urban planning and architecture in East Berlin. Concepts of equality, modernity, centrality and utilitarianism were all manifested in the socialist capital’s cityscape.

Center, Professor Heinz Graffunder, chief architect of many GDR projects including the Palast der Republik and housing construction in Marzahn and Hellersdorf

Berliner Dom cathedral is center, across the street to the North is the Palast der Republik (facing the parking lot with its back to the canal)

For a government that sought to distance themselves from the old Prussian militarism of the nineteenth century, they certainly succeeded. The apartment towers of Marzahn and Hellersdorf, the iconic TV tower on Alexanderplatz and the mirrored façade of the Palast der Republik were all antithetical to the baroque ostentation of bygone days. To some—especially those of us in the United States—the palace resembles nothing more than the typical, non-descript office buildings we regularly pass on the highway. To East Berliners it was a place of gathering, commraderie, recreation and identity; an association that Fabian reached desperately back into the depths of childhood memories to retrieve.

Berliner Dom is visible at the bottom left corner and in the center you can see Alexanderplatz and the TV tower. The upper right corner of the photo displays concrete apartment towers typical of late 20th century GDR housing projects.