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Palast Der RepublikThe Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic) is a building in Berlin, on the bank of the River Spree, and on Schlossplatz (called Marx-Engels-Platz from 1951 to 1994). It served as the parliament building for the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was constructed in the 1970s in the prevailing style for East German buildings, with bronze mirrored windows. In 1976 the Volkskammer moved in. It was built on the site of the old Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace), which was damaged during World War II but finally demolished by the GDR authorities in 1950 as a symbol of Prussian imperialism. It was nicknamed by some East Germans Ballast der Republik ("Ballast of the Republic"), Erichs Lampenladen ("Erich's Lamp Shop", referring to East German leader Erich Honecker and the 1,001 lamps hanging in the foyer), or Palazzo Prozzo. The Palast der Republik was not used only for parliamentary business - it housed restaurants, art galleries, and a theatre. After German Reunification, in 1990 it was found to be contaminated with asbestos and dangerous, and is scheduled to be destroyed. By 2003, all the asbestos had been removed, and all internal and external fittings removed, ready for demolition. The demolition will start in 2005 and be completed in 2006. Funding for the decided reconstruction of the City Palace (estimated at €400,000,000) has not been found yet. In November 2003, the German parliament decided to demolish the building and leave the area as a green space until funding for the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss could be found. The shell of the building was opened for visitors in the summer of 2003, and a pressure group Temporary Palace Use group is campaigning for temporary use of the building to be allowed for cultural events until it is demolished. Palast der Republik 300px.jpg (larger version) External links
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