http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=71922&d=18&m=10&y=2005&pix=community.jpg&category=Features
Tuesday, 18, October, 2005 (15, Ramadhan, 1426)
Time Running Out for East German Communist Palace
Alexandra Hudson, Reuters
BERLIN, 18 October 2005 - The end is nigh for Berlin's most
famous eyesore, a colossus of concrete and steel which once housed East
Germany's Communist government and now stands derelict on the city's main
tourist drag. Demolition of the Palace of the Republic is set for December to
the dismay of eastern Germans nostalgic for its Socialist heyday and a legion
of artists and beatniks who have used the ruin's vast spaces in recent years to
provoke and entertain.
Now the graffiti-daubed building, whose fate stirs lingering
divisions between eastern and western Germans, is taking leave of the city with
one last defiant gesture - an exhibition about death.
"It's heartbreaking to see it now," said 72-year-old Gisela
Plock, whose daughter held her wedding reception in one of the building's
restaurants.
"I can't bring myself to pass it too often," said the Berlin
pensioner, a frequent patron before the palace was found to be riddled with
asbestos in 1990 and closed. Three years ago, Parliament voted to tear down the
palace to enable the reconstruction of the old Prussian "Schloss," the stately
residence of the last Kaiser, Wilhelm II, that stood on the site until 1951.
Supporters of the Schloss argue it will restore the city center's historical
layout and architectural coherence.
Opponents point to the massive cost of demolition for the
cash-strapped city - the palace stands in a concrete basin in the River Spree
which cannot easily be removed without adversely affecting the water table.
They also highlight the troubling symbolism of effacing an East German icon,
when 16 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall many East Germans feel
reunification failed them.
Inside the palace, a visitors' book lies ready for remarks
about the contemporary art installation on display. Yet few visitors devote
comments to the artworks. "It is a tragedy this beautiful building should have
been allowed to become such a ruin. West and East will never be reconciled,"
writes one visitor in huge emphatic script.
Plock has vivid memories of the palace which was opened with
much pomp in 1976 but served just 14 years. "When you came in on every floor
there were the most beautiful plants and indoor flower beds among the stylish
leather seats. The scent was incredible. It really hit you." Ripping down the
palace is an affront to all those who used and enjoyed the building, ensuring
it was never just the haunt of the Communist elite, Plock argued.
"We East Germans paid for it ourselves from our taxes and
East Germany was not a rich country. All the natural resources were in the
West." "It is a part of Berlin's history, of East German history, and we cannot
allow it to be simply swept aside and ignored."
Since the eerie shell of exposed girders and copper-colored
glass reopened in 2003 it has inspired some innovative projects. The current
show by little-known contemporary artists offers disquieting reminders of human
mortality. A wall of grainy photos depicts the pained dead faces of men, women
and children. An airport arrivals and departure board mocks visitors, reminding
them of the uncertainty of their own departure date.
Over the last year, the building's basement was flooded,
allowing people to tour it in rubber dinghies. Visitors have sat on the former
entrance staircase huddled in blankets to watch old East German propaganda
films, or have danced to blistering electronic music, echoing through the void.
Organizers have staged operas and glamorous balls, as well as
ironic tours of the building pretending it is half-way to completion rather
than reaching the end of its life. During last year's dark winter months, a
huge light installation on the top of the palace spelled out the word "doubt" -
visible from a kilometer away. It captured the spirit of a nation beset with
insecurity about its future, commentators said. "I think when it comes to the
day of the demolition we'll see people from both camps outside protesting,"
said 30-year-old actress Ulrike Recknagel.
"It will be an outrage if it goes. Berlin has a unique edge
at present, yet city planners are sucking the life out of it with all the new
hotels and smart buildings for tourists."
"Here artists have had a prominent site and have done some
remarkable things. This is not a wealthy city and precisely when people are
suffering economically is when they most need accessible art and culture."
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