Berlin Palace (Stadtschloss)

The Berlin Palace served as the principal winter residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty from the 15th century until the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918. The building as it stood before its destruction was the result of multiple construction phases: the Renaissance core built by Elector Joachim II in the 1530s, the Baroque expansion under Elector Frederick III between 1699 and 1713 directed by Andreas Schlüter, and the addition of the dome in 1845 by Friedrich August Stüler. The palace was heavily damaged by Allied bombing on 3 February 1945. The East German government demolished the building in 1950 as a symbol of Prussian militarism, leaving only a small fragment of the facade preserved. The reconstruction began in 2013 and was completed in 2020, financed by a federal budget of approximately 680 million euros. Three of the four Baroque facades were reconstructed according to historical plans, while the fourth facade facing the Spree was left in a simplified modern design. The interior was built as a modern museum and event space, housing the Humboldt Forum — a cultural institution named after Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt — which presents ethnographic and non-European art collections from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The building occupies the north side of the Lustgarten directly opposite the Berlin Cathedral, forming the eastern edge of Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The dome can be climbed for panoramic views over the Spree, the Berlin Cathedral, the Fernsehturm, and the Museum Island ensemble.