In Berlin, the Humboldt Forum has opened, but only digitally

photo: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, © SHF / GIULIANI | VON GIESE

Berlin – The Humboldt Forum, a new cultural institution located in a replica of the Berlin City Palace, is structurally completed and the first exhibitions are also prepared. However, today's long-awaited opening was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. No celebration could take place due to quarantine reasons, and the first visitors could only take a digital look at the forum's space online.

The forum had originally planned to open its gates on Thursday, December 17, when it intended to gradually begin making the exhibition spaces accessible. At the end of November, when it became clear that the coronavirus situation in the country would derail all plans, the forum's spokesperson Michael Mathis told ČTK that an alternative plan was in preparation. And that was today's digital opening.

"The Humboldt Forum impressively complements the museum institutions in Berlin’s center, both architecturally and in terms of content," stated Berlin's mayor Michael Müller. He noted that the palace's façade, which combines modern and historical faces, has great symbolic importance for Berliners 30 years after reunification. "The face of Berlin is now receiving a new and at the same time historical facet; it's a gift to the city," Müller added.

Behind the Humboldt Forum as a cultural institution stands the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation with collections of non-European art, Humboldt University, and Berlin. A partial replica of the Hohenzollern Palace, which was heavily damaged during World War II, was chosen as the location for the new institution. In 1950, the communist regime had the ruins leveled and later built the Palace of the Republic on its site, where the parliament of the former GDR met and which was colloquially referred to as Erich's chandelier shop due to the enormous number of light fixtures and a reference to East German leader Erich Honecker.

After the reunification of Germany, reconstruction was considered. However, the building was heavily contaminated with health-threatening asbestos, so demolition was decided. The construction of the new building, which is a partial replica of the original palace of the Prussian rulers, began with preparatory work in 2012. The work, featuring three baroque and one modern façade, required an investment of 677 million euros (17.7 billion crowns). A large part of this amount, specifically 105 million euros, was contributed by 45,000 donors, which Müller appreciated today. "I want to explicitly thank the donors who made this possible," he stated.

The forum's head Hartmut Dorgerloh said that the institution is ready for visitors. "From today, the Humboldt Forum is part of many cultural institutions that hope to welcome guests as soon as possible," he said, adding that for now, it can only provide electronic insight.

German Culture Minister Monika Grütters stated that the forum will breathe new life into the legacy of brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt in the heart of the German capital. "Their legacy of viewing the world through one’s own eyes and meeting with strangers instead of rejecting and belittling them is more relevant today than ever," she said. "In addressing cultural objects with a colonial past, the Humboldt Forum should be a standard and a model in Germany," she added.

Although the building is completed, the exhibitions prepared, and the program ready, the forum will remain closed for the rest of this year. The coronavirus has disrupted the schedule for next year as well, when an exhibition on the history of the site was to be complemented by presentations for children and a cultural project called Berlin Global. As soon as it is possible, the forum plans for a gradual opening of the exhibition spaces, but full access is not expected until the turn of 2021 and 2022.