In Berlin, construction work on the replica of the castle has begun

Berlin - Excavation work on the project to build a replica of the former emblem of the German metropolis, the imperial palace, began in Berlin today. The German Minister of Culture Bernd Neumann stated, according to the DPA news agency, that it is the largest cultural project in Germany in this century.
     Ten years after the decision of the Bundestag to construct the palace, today the first ram was jointly launched by pressing a button by Neumann, Minister of Construction Peter Ramsauer, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, and the project's architect Franco Stella. Ramsauer stated that it is the largest construction project in Germany.
     Preparatory work on the area, which was dominated until recently by the Communist Palace of the Republic, began back in April. Five meters below the surface, centuries-old oak trunks were found, which served as reinforcement for the foundations of the former palace. The trunks had to be pulled out.
     The foundation stone for the new palace is expected to be laid in May next year. The actual construction is then scheduled to begin in 2014, which is three years later than initially planned due to government savings.
     The construction of the replica of the former residence of the Prussian monarchs, with three baroque and one modern façade, is expected to cost 590 million euros (over 15 billion crowns).
     The palace, under the name Humboldt Forum, will be a cultural center, primarily used by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation with collections of non-European art.
     Near Alexanderplatz stood the Hohenzollern palace until 1950. However, during World War II, it was heavily damaged by bombing, and therefore the East German government decided to demolish it. Twenty years later, the Palace of the Republic was built in its place, where the parliament of the former GDR met. Due to dangerous levels of asbestos, this symbol of socialist East Germany also disappeared in 2008.