Marble for the people: Palace of the Republic opened 50 years ago

"The palace was used to stage a kind of socialist affluent society; people could leave their everyday problems behind," says historian and GDR researcher Stefan Wolle. Even the telephone booths always worked - not a matter of course in the GDR. "The SED's goal of demonstrating the unity of the people and the party was achieved back then."

Dying in installments

In 1989/90, the Palast der Republik became a place of history before its death in installments was heralded. On the 40th anniversary of the GDR on October 7, 1989, Honecker and his guests toasted with champagne at a ceremony inside, while demonstrators outside demanded freedom and reforms in the face of the People's Police and Stasi.

At the first and last free election in the GDR on 18 March 1990, the palace became a media center, with TV stations from all over the world reporting. The new People's Chamber was tasked with abolishing itself and paving the way for reunification. On August 23, 1990, it decides in the palace that the GDR will join the Federal Republic with effect from October 3. The GDR coat of arms on the façade and in the plenary chamber had long since been dismantled.

Asbestos in the Marble Palace

The People's Chamber meeting planned for September 19, 1990 no longer took place in the Palace: The GDR Council of Ministers ordered the entire building to be closed due to asbestos contamination. More than 700 tons had been used to encase the steel beams during construction for fire safety reasons. "When the palace was closed, it was clear to me that it would be demolished," recalls waiter Roland Pröh in the RBB documentary "Palast der Republik - Honeckers Traum aus Marmor und Asbest", which Das Erste is broadcasting on Monday (April 20) at 11.50 pm.

This is exactly what happens: After a long back and forth, after asbestos removal, as a result of which only a kind of shell remains, after art projects, protests and discussions about alternatives, the Bundestag decides in 2002 to demolish the palace and reconstruct the City Palace.

Although the palace was only open for 14 years, 4 months and 27 days, many people still associate it with personal memories - perhaps mixed with a dash of nostalgia for the East. "The palace is a symbol of GDR memory, precisely because it has disappeared," says historian Wolle.

Should GDR testimony be removed?

To this day, the theory persists that asbestos was not the real reason for the demolition, but rather that the intention was to erase a piece of GDR history. "That's nonsense," says Berlin's former governing mayor Eberhard Diepgen (CDU). The decisive factor was the high level of asbestos contamination. Keeping the Palast would have been more expensive than building a new one in its place.

"The fact that the Palast der Republik was heavily contaminated with asbestos is undisputed and was the reason for its closure before reunification," says Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director of the Humboldt Forum. However, after reunification, the architectural heritage of the GDR did not receive greater public appreciation. The fact that many people identified strongly with the Palace of the Republic was also not recognized and acknowledged.

Dorgerloh's museum, which opened in 2020/2021, brings world history to life in the shell of the palace. Originals from the Palace of the Republic are also on display in various places. These include design objects such as the wayfinding system, a Stasi monitor, a wall relief and other works of art.

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved