exhibition center
Before the “coronation” – Humboldt Forum receives a huge crown
The crown of the cartridge lies on the shelf of a transporter. The cartridge with a crown costs around two million euros. photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
It should be a cultural flagship with international glamor in the heart of Berlin. But the criticism of the Humboldt Forum does not stop. The baroque palace facade is meanwhile being completed.
The Humboldt Forum in Berlin is now also getting a huge crown in its controversial reconstruction of the baroque palace facade. The gold-plated piece of art, measuring two by two meters, is said to sit on a cartridge weighing around four tons. This was installed today above the Eosander portal, the main entrance to the culture and exhibition center, with the help of cranes and facade climbers.
Two million for the cartridge with a crown alone
Like the entire facade of the 680 million euro building, the around two million euro cartouche with a crown was financed from private funds. This raising of funds repeatedly brought negative headlines for the Humboldt Forum. After donations from controversial sources for one of the most important German cultural projects, the origin of the funds should therefore become more transparent.
The eight by eight meter cartouche made of embossed copper with a gilded coat of arms in the center was created in the past two years in a Berlin art forge, taking around 30,000 hours of work. The initials FR in the coat of arms stand for Fridericus Rex (King Friedrich), Friedrich I (1657-1713) was the first king of Prussia. The ensemble also includes a religious cross at the lower end.
Some still original parts
This part comes as an original from the Hohenzollern city palace, which was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century. After being damaged in World War II, the building was blown up in 1950 in the GDR. Later, the Palace of the Republic was built on part of the square, which was not rebuilt after extensive asbestos removal.