Tschuss, Palast der Republik

Berlin was divided into east and west according to what was occupied by the Red Army when the war ended in '45 and what was occupied by the Brits, U.S., and French (yes, they gave the French a zone of occupation). The Red Army fought the battle of Berlin, so they had the best parts of the city under their control. As the 1940s wore on, the split became permanante. So, the DDR got the best parts of the city--the main drag (Unter den Lindin) with the major government buildings, the cathedral, the university, the opera house, and the library. West Germany built new versions of these things.

The communists tore down a baroque 19th Century castle to build their new capital building, the Palast der Republik. (Down with the monarchy, up with socialism!) But it was the 1970s: it's got bronze curtain walls, and clashes with its 19th C surroundings. After communism fell, the Palast was deserted save for the occasional rock concert. They found asbestos in it. It sat across from the cathedral and rotted away, the ruins of East Germany. I thought it was grand.

But now, they're tearing it down. There was a big debate over whether to keep it as a historical monument (I mean, duh, obviously that's the way to go). But, guess what. The parliment voted to demolish the Palast and to reconstruct the 19th Century castle that it replaced. Talk about whitewashing German history. Below, it's the demolition work from the canal side. You can see in the first image that they've torn the whole front off it. Do you still believe in socialism?