SCHLOSSFREIHEIT (CASTLE FREEDOM) OR THE RE-DEMOLITION OF BERLIN’S CASTLE
Jens Fischer
2005: As we can no longer stop the demolition of the Palace of the Republic and the reconstruction of Castle appears to be inevitable, creative people could start to contemplate the re-demolition of the Castle.
2050: We can reasonably assume that at this point in time, Germany’s era of facades will have come to an end and we can, once again, begin to think about content. Politicians, if they have survived as a species, will no longer selfishly attempt to connect their own carriers with the initiation of large building projects. The people, now Pisa-tested and media resistant, will no longer allow themselves to be taken for a ride.
Because Berlin’s Castle has been officially abandoned, the structure is inhabited and used. Those who could not find an appropriate housing solution on the subsidized or free market, have begun to use the building’s envelop. Housing, celebrating, working – the area has already become a lively post-castle landscape.
The stripped and wildly transformed building no longer serves as a representative reminder of the once rich and honourable Prussian tradition: all stucco and decoration has long been sold off to American and Chinese tourists. But it lives! Its bustling with energy…!
