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46-595: In 1977, the sculptor Ludwig Engelhardt was appointed as director of the project to redevelop the park as a tribute to Marx and Engels. While the adjacent Nikolaiviertel was to be rebuilt, the GDR authorities in 1977 set up plans for a green space between the Palast der Republik and the Fernsehturm . It consists of a rectangular wooded park with a large, circular paved area in the center with Engelhardt's sculpture of Marx and Engels. Behind

92-472: A bar. The part of the palace open to the public featured numerous cameras for the surveillance of staff and visitors by Stasi officials. It was the first building in the GDR to feature a self-supporting steel skeleton and contained 5,000 tons of asbestos used for fire protection . The palace was officially opened on 23 April 1976 and its facilities were opened to the public two days later. Numerous important cultural, political, academic, and social events of

138-400: A cinema, 13 restaurants, five beer halls , a bowling alley , billiards rooms , a rooftop ice skating rink , a private gym with spa , a casino , a medical station, a post office, a police station with an underground cellblock, an indoor basketball court, an indoor swimming pool, private barbershops and salons , public and private restrooms and a discothèque . In the early 1980s, one of

184-578: A cost stated at 485 million East German marks according to an internal list of Wolfgang Junker , the Minister of Construction, although other estimates suggest about 800 million to 1 billion marks. It was built on the site of the Berlin Palace ( Stadtschloss ), the former royal palace of Prussia , located on Museum Island in East Berlin, less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) along Unter den Linden from

230-562: A humble, solemn manner, which is sometimes interpreted as symbolizing the waning power of East European Communism. Minister of Culture Hans-Joachim Hoffmann said of the monument, “We will soon have a Karl Marx monument and this Karl Marx monument will make clear the contrast with this Frederick the Second that is about to be erected, because it will be clear that we will not be looking up Karl Marx’s nostrils; rather, we will be able to hold conversations with him and with Friedrich Engels and there will be

276-407: A middle piece inserted between them, which together gave the building the shape of a cuboid with a length of 180 metres (590 ft), a width of 85 metres (279 ft), and a height of 32 metres (105 ft) which was based on that of the neighbouring buildings. The new building took up the eastern half of the plot while the western half was intended as a military parade ground, though tremors from

322-504: A new spirit, a new art, a new understanding of the portrayal of great social issues of the time.” The Marx-Engels-Forum lies on the eastern bank of the Spree river. It is bound on the south-west by the river, to the north-west by Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, to the north-east by Spandauer Straße and to the south-east by Rathausstraße obliquely opposite of the Rotes Rathaus. Across the river it faces

368-562: A range of reactions since its construction. Immediately after the statue was erected, the artist expressed his discontent with the little attention it was receiving. Engelhardt said in a letter written within the first six months of the statue’s appearance, “the silence surrounding our work was nearly unbroken.” Soon after, however, the monument to the two leaders became well-liked by the Berlin public. Its main audience consisted of locals, travelers, artists, and academics, who liked and somewhat pitied

414-556: Is the Straße des 17. Juni (formerly Charlottenburger Chaussee ), which in turn is extended to the west by the straight sequence of Bismarckstrasse and Kaiserdamm , an axis, widened in 1904, that runs from Berlin Palace more than 10 kilometers across the city to the western outskirts where, slightly elevated, one can survey the length of the axis. The extension of the Linden alley to this gigantic axis

460-505: The Berlin Palace , the former main residence of the royal House of Hohenzollern , reconstructed (after the demolition of the communist Palace of the Republic ) on its old site opposite the Lustgarten park, to Pariser Platz and Brandenburg Gate . Major north–south streets crossing Unter den Linden are Friedrichstraße and Wilhelmstrasse , both meeting at Mehringplatz and running across

506-607: The Bundestag decided to demolish the palace and reconstruct the Berlin Palace, leaving the area as parkland until funding could be found. The majority of former East Germans opposed the demolition and various protests were held by people who felt the building was an integral part of Berlin's culture and the historic process of the German reunification. Beginning in early 2004, the palace was used for events, such as housing an exhibition of

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552-719: The Crown Prince's Palace (the former palace of the Hohenzollern crown princes), at No. 3, opposite the Neue Wache war memorial, No. 4, Karl Friedrich Schinkel ’s masterpiece built in 1817. Further along, on Bebelplatz , the Berlin State Opera , No. 7, colloquially called Lindenoper , St. Hedwig's Cathedral and the Altes Palais , No. 9, ( Old Palace, Berlin ) a favourite Neoclassical residence of Emperor Wilhelm I ; next, on

598-634: The Friedrichstadt , a city expansion founded in 1691. Eastward the boulevard crosses the Spree river, slightly kinked due to the oblique position of the long side of the palace compared to the boulevard, at the Lustgarten with Berlin Cathedral , and continues as Karl-Liebknecht-Straße , itself continued as Prenzlauer Allee , to the northern outskirts. The western, dead straight continuation behind Brandenburg Gate

644-585: The Springer press in West Berlin and among East German citizens, such as "Palazzo Prozzo" (a wordplay, as 'protzen' means 'to show off ostentatiously') or "Erichs Lampenladen" ( Erich Honecker 's lamp shop - a pun on the many tall chandeliers inside it). "Ballast der Republik" (Ballast having the same meaning as in English - burden) was popular as well. The palace was closed to the public on 19 September 1990 by decree of

690-465: The Terracotta Army and a special concert by the famous Berlin-based band Einstürzende Neubauten . Afterward, the palace fell into disuse and disrepair. Demolition started on 6 February 2006, and was scheduled to last about 15 months at a cost of €12 million; however, the demolition was delayed after more asbestos was discovered in various locations, and the estimated completion date was pushed back to

736-490: The Volkskammer when it was found to be contaminated by asbestos, only two weeks before the accession date. On 2 October 1990, the Volkskammer was dissolved and the palace became vacant. By 2003, the asbestos was considered to have been removed along with internal and external fittings allowing either safe reconstruction or safe deconstruction, and the shell of the building was opened for visitors in mid-2003. In November 2003,

782-649: The West Berlin border at the Brandenburg Gate . The Berlin Palace had been controversially demolished in 1950 after suffering extensive damage during the Battle of Berlin in World War II , as the government had no budget in the post-war years for the restoration and it was viewed as a symbol of Prussian imperialism . The site was used as a parade ground and parking lot during the 1950s and 1960s until its designation as

828-591: The linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte district of Berlin , Germany. Running from the Berlin Palace to the Brandenburg Gate , it is named after the linden trees (known as lime in the UK and Ireland and basswood in North America, not related to citrus lime) that line the grassed pedestrian mall on the median and the two broad carriageways . The avenue links numerous Berlin sights , landmarks and rivers for sightseeing. Unter den Linden runs east–west from

874-499: The "People's Palace", it was located across the Unter den Linden from Museum Island in the Mitte area of East Berlin , on the site of the former Berlin Palace between the Lustgarten and Schlossplatz , near the West Berlin border. The palace was completed in 1976 to house the Volkskammer , also serving various cultural purposes including two large auditoria , art galleries , a theatre,

920-594: The 19th century, as Berlin grew and expanded to the west, Unter den Linden became the most renowned and grandest street in Berlin. In 1851 the famous equestrian statue of Frederick the Great , designed by Christian Daniel Rauch , was erected on the central strip. Johann Strauss III wrote the waltz " Unter den Linden " in 1900. In the course of the building of the Nord-Süd-Tunnel for the Berlin S-Bahn in 1934–35, most of

966-581: The Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit has recently launched a discussion whether to rebuild the medieval quarter afterwards. [REDACTED] Media related to Marx-Engels-Forum at Wikimedia Commons Palace of the Republic, Berlin The Palace of the Republic (German: Palast der Republik ) was a building in Berlin that hosted the Volkskammer , the parliament of East Germany , from 1976 to 1990. Also known as

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1012-612: The Bundestag decided for the rebuilding of the Berlin Palace, a second definitive vote re-approved the plans. It was decided three of its sides would be exact replicas of the original, but the fourth side and interior would be modern. Called the Humboldtforum , the rebuilt palace houses the Humboldt collection and gallery of non-European art. In November 2008, the Italian architect Francesco Stella

1058-693: The Eastern Bloc, but also find examples in Belgium, France (Centre Georges Pompidou), the Netherlands and Sweden (House of Culture in Stockholm). In the young Soviet Union in particular, cultural centers became symbols of the new state power. The palace contained a large bowling alley at the lower level, from which the canal-side terrace along the River Spree could be accessed, and featured Brunswick lane equipment and

1104-528: The German Democratic Republic occurred at the palace after its opening. Events were held in its Great Hall, a large hexagonal room some 67 metres (220 ft) wide and 18 metres (59 ft) high. The Great Hall was notable for its versatility; lifting devices under the floor allowed for a stage of variable height and size. The surface area of the stage could therefore range anywhere from 170 to 1,000 square metres (1,800 to 10,800 sq ft), and

1150-416: The demolition of the palace and replacement with a reconstruction of the Berlin Palace which had been demolished in the 1950s, after being heavily damaged by Allied air raids . The building was demolished between 2006 and 2008, and the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace began in 2013 and was completed in 2020. Construction of the Palace of the Republic (German: Palast der Republik ) began in 1973, with

1196-624: The end of 2008. About 35,000 tonnes of steel which once held the building together were shipped to the United Arab Emirates to be used for the construction of the Burj Khalifa . Although the original structure in Berlin has been demolished, its sister building, the Kulturpalast in Dresden , is still intact and currently used as a symphony orchestra hall. In January 2006, about two years after

1242-751: The hall could seat between 1,000 and 4,500 attendants. Many editions of the GDR television entertainment program Ein Kessel Buntes were recorded in the Great Hall. Concerts of famous orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Kurt Masur , modern interpretations of classical music such as the Messiah of George Frideric Handel , and performances by Bulat Okudzhava (29 November 1976), Harry Belafonte (25 October 1983), Karel Gott (1983), 1986 with Dara Rolins and Heidi Janků , 1987) or of

1288-464: The heavy vehicles were found to endanger the glass façade on the unstable grounds of Museum Island. Instead, the western half was used mainly as a parking lot and military parades were moved to Karl-Marx-Allee . In addition to housing the Volkskammer , the palace was intended as a multiple-use structure influenced by the concepts of Palaces of Culture and People's Houses popular with socialist movements. Such cultural buildings were common not only in

1334-455: The linden trees were cut down and during the last days of World War II the remaining trees were destroyed or cut down for firewood. The present-day linden were replanted in the 1950s. As the location of the pre-1914 German Foreign Ministry building, "the Under den Linden" was sometimes used as a shorthand for the German government when talking of German foreign policy. Since 1937, the numbering of

1380-595: The location for a new building to seat the Volkskammer , the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was provisionally seated at the Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus at 58/59 Luisenstraße. The palace was designed in a modernist style by Heinz Graffunder and the Building Academy of the GDR ( Bauakademie der DDR ), with distinctive bronze-mirrored windows as a defining architectural feature. It consisted of two massive outer blocks and

1426-512: The monument; 67 percent of respondents were in favor of keeping the monument standing while 23 percent advocated for its removal. The former view eventually prevailed. The statues are now a tourist attraction, and a steady stream of people sit on Marx's knee to have their photos taken. With the planned extension of the U5 line of the Berlin U-Bahn turning the park into a construction site for several years,

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1472-697: The north side lies the main building of the Humboldt University , No. 6, and House I of the Berlin State Library , No. 8. At the western end are the Russian Embassy (former Soviet Embassy, Nos. 63-65, the Hungarian Embassy, No. 76, standing at the junction with Wilhelmstrasse, and finally the Hotel Adlon , No. 77, at the corner of Pariser Platz, which has been completely rebuilt on the site of

1518-535: The palace on the Spree river island itself. Bebelplatz itself was planned by Frederick the Great as a much larger Forum Fridericianum , albeit on a smaller scale actually realized with his State Opera , St. Hedwig's Cathedral , the Old Library Building and the Palace of Prince Henry , today the main building of Humboldt University , giving the square an almost complete surround of 18th-century buildings. By

1564-504: The palace. At the concert, Lindenberg did not sing one of his best-known songs, " Sonderzug nach Pankow " ("Special Train to Pankow"), which satirized East German leader Erich Honecker , as he was ordered not to play it under threat of arrest and imprisonment by the Stasi . Additionally, in April 1987, American Latin rock band Santana performed two concerts here. The Socialist Unity Party (SED),

1610-608: The properties on the street has started at the Schlossbrücke (Palace Bridge), which connects Unter den Linden with the Lustgarten and Museum Island . The reconstructed Alte Kommandantur is at No. 1, standing opposite the Zeughaus arsenal, the oldest building on Unter den Linden, built between 1695 and 1706, now the seat of the Deutsches Historisches Museum , No. 2. Buildings along the street include (from east to west)

1656-455: The restaurants was replaced by a video game arcade for children of Volkskammer members and staff. In 1990, the palace became vacant following German reunification and was closed for health and safety reasons, due to there being more than 5,000 tonnes of asbestos in the building (despite asbestos being outlawed in construction in East Germany in 1968). In 2003, the Bundestag voted for

1702-476: The rock-band Purple Schulz (21 January 1989). German electronic music group Tangerine Dream performed a concert recorded live at the palace on 31 January 1980 which also was Johannes Schmoelling 's first live performance with the band. Erich Honecker , Willi Stoph and other members of the Central Committee were in attendance. The concert was unique in that Tangerine Dream was the first Western group who

1748-580: The ruling party of the GDR, held party congresses at the palace and a state gala was held on the eve of the 40th (and final) anniversary of the GDR in October 1989, at which Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was present. During the night of 22–23 August 1990, the Volkskammer decided in the palace on the accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany with effect from 3 October 1990, known as German reunification . The palace had many nicknames in

1794-484: The site formerly occupied by the Palast der Republik (now demolished) and the reconstructed Berliner Stadtschloss. Before World War II the area now occupied by Marx-Engels-Forum was a densely populated Old Town quarter between the river and Alexanderplatz, named Heilige-Geist-Viertel after Heiligegeiststraße (Holy Ghost Street) which ran across it between Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße (now Karl-Liebknecht-Straße) and Rathausstraße. This

1840-476: The statues is a wall with reliefs showing scenes from the history of the German socialist movement. The inauguration took place in 1986. The bronze sculpture, larger than life-size, depicts Marx seated and Engels standing upon a small platform, gazing fixedly towards the east, “past the stelae and toward a socialist paradise.” In Engelhardt’s statue, Marx and Engels are situated at eye level, accessible to pedestrians and available to touch. The leaders are depicted in

1886-459: The two modest looking figures, at one point even nicknaming them ‘The Pensioners.’ After German reunification in 1990, the future of the Marx-Engels Forum became the subject of public controversy. The sculpture was vandalized with the phrase Wir sind unschuldig (we are innocent) scrawled on the pedestal. A survey conducted by the Berlin art journal Pan inquired about the public’s thoughts on

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1932-594: Was allowed by the GDR government to play in East Berlin at the time and was dubbed "the performance behind the Iron Curtain ". An album of this recorded concert was released titled Quichotte on East German record label Amiga, and later released to the rest of the world on Virgin Records six years later and renamed Pergamon . In October 1983, the West German rock star Udo Lindenberg was permitted to perform in concert at

1978-629: Was chosen for the project. Reconstruction began in 2015 and was completed in 2020. The building was opened to the public in 2021. Some items from the Palace of the Republic are on display, such as globe chandeliers and an original sign. Sixteen monumental pictures by GDR artists ( Walter Womacka , Willi Sitte , Wolfgang Mattheuer , Werner Tübke , and Bernhard Heisig ) presented Dreams of Communists . The pictures were shown in Potsdam 20 years later. Unter den Linden Unter den Linden ( German: [ˈʊntɐ deːn ˈlɪndn̩] , "under

2024-512: Was inspired by the Boulevards of Paris . The Kurfürstendamm , the magnificent shopping mile in the historically elegant west of Berlin, was similarly inspired. Unter den Linden, which sits at the heart of the historic section of Berlin, developed from a bridle path laid out by Elector John George of Brandenburg in the 16th century to reach his hunting grounds in the Tiergarten from his palace. It

2070-665: Was replaced by a boulevard of linden trees when the Electress Dorothea Sophie planned a new suburb in 1674, named after her Dorotheenstadt . She is said to have planted the first linden tree in 1680. Parts of the fortification of Berlin built in the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War (the baroque Berlin Fortress ) were later integrated into the boulevard, around the historic Opernplatz , the present-day Bebelplatz , visible until today as there are no trees on this stretch up to

2116-619: Was supposed to finish the center appearance around the Berlin Stadtschloss (Berlin Palace) fitting in with the planning of the pre-war Berlin. However, this area, including the main post office, was heavily bombed during Allied air attacks in 1944/45 and most of its buildings were reduced to ruins. After the war the ruins were cleared but nothing replaced them until the Marx-Engels-Forum was constructed. Engelhardt’s sculpture has elicited

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