Palace of the Republic

Palace of the Republic
Palast der Republik
The Palace in 1990, during reunification
Location within Berlin
General information
Type	Cultural building, Parliamentary building
Location	Berlin, Germany
Coordinates	52°31′03″N 13°24′10″E / 52.51750°N 13.40278°E / 52.51750; 13.40278Coordinates: 52°31′03″N 13°24′10″E / 52.51750°N 13.40278°E / 52.51750; 13.40278
Construction started	1973
Completed	1976
Inaugurated	23 April 1976 (1976-04-23)
Demolished	6 February 2006–2008
Design and construction
Architect	Heinz Graffunder and Karl-Ernst Swora

The Palace of the Republic (German: Palast der Republik) in Berlin was the seat of the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (also known as East Germany), the Volkskammer (People's Chamber), and also served various cultural purposes. Located between Schlossplatz and the Lustgarten (referred to jointly as Marx-Engels-Platz from 1951 to 1994) on an island in the River Spree, it also housed two large auditoria, art galleries, a theatre, 13 restaurants, a bowling alley, a post office, and a discothèque. On 23 August 1990, the Volkskammer ratified the treaty on German reunification, which was later also confirmed by the Bundestag in Bonn. The building was constructed between 1973 and 1976 on the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss (City Palace), and was completely demolished by 2008 to make room for a reconstruction of the Stadtschloss, which began in 2013.

The Palast was constructed from 1973 to 1976, having bronze-mirrored windows as a defining architectural feature. The grand opening ceremony was held on 23 April 1976, and the building was opened to the public two days afterwards on 25 April 1976. It was built on the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace), which was heavily damaged during World War II and eventually demolished by the government authorities in 1950, as they had no budget in the post-war years for the restoration of what they in any case regarded as a symbol of Prussian imperialism.