Stones of Contention

The row over what to build in place of East Germany's old parliament--

IT IS easy to see why Germany's parliament has decided to tear down the Palast der Republik, a communist-era landmark in Berlin. Historically and aesthetically, the building, once home to East Germany's parliament, has all the charm of a second-world-war bunker. It is also unsurprising that an alliance of ex-communists and progressive artists hoped to keep it. With only a skeleton of steel beams left inside after asbestos had been stripped out, it has become a cool venue for parties and exhibitions.

But why have more than four years passed since a commission first recommended demolition? Any why might it take another six before reconstruction begins on the site of the Berlin Schloss, the baroque residence of Prussian kings that was dynamited in 1950?

One answer is the difficulty of taking down such a huge building. It took until May 2003 to strip out the asbestos. Demolition will take another 18 months. The ground is unstable. Indeed, as one firm dismantles the structure, another will be filling the basement with a mixture of water and sand. Then there is money. Estimates for the cost of rebuilding the castle range from EUR670m to 1.2 billion. Neither the federal government nor the city of Berlin has spare cash, and they cannot agree how to split the bill. A foundation set up to raise money to rebuild the baroque facade has collected only a little.

Germany's fondness for consensus also slows things down. The new building is considered the "final stone of unification", says Wolfgang Tiefensee, the construction minister. Many people want their say. Whether, the building will ever house the planned "Humboldt Forum" (a mix of cultural and scientific institutions) is anybody's guess.

Expect more heated debate. When Mr. Tiefensee, a Social Democrat from the east, suggested that the building might house a hotel and the next step should be to pick a private investor, not an architect, some critics talked darkly of a Cinderalla castle and muttered about the Disneyfication of Berlin.

Visitors will not see any new building at all for many years. For now, the city plans to lay down a lawn. Only in 2018, at the earliest, might the Humboldt Forum open its doors, says Mr. Tiefensee. At least unified Germany may act faster than its ex-communist part. More than 25 years elapsed between the demolition of the old Prussian pile, badly bombed in the war, and inauguration of the Palast in 1976.
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Will anybody cast doubt on the slowness in demolishing and reconstructing East Germany's old parliament? Please don't, 'cause this is so true. I live in a well-developed residential area in Frankfurt, where the 3-storey petite building next to ours has been revamped for over 12 months, yet has no signs to unwire the crane and dismantle the fences in the foreseeable future. Our pathetic neighbors have to close the windows all day long- no dust, no daylight and of course no sunshine, which they don't really care, I bet, since Frankfurt is always cloudy and gloomy in winter.

The weirdest thing was I barely saw anyone working in daytime. Three weeks ago, I received a letter calling for neighbors' patience and understanding on the upcoming noise and other inconvenience, which I never experienced so far. Workers must be either on vacation or invisible all thanks to their mighty Labor Union, I reckon. :)

Speaking of Germany's fondness of consensus, I was aware of their endless debates and complaints over political issues even among civilians. Reserved as Germans are, it's sort of shocking to see them go to the opposite when it comes to politics.

Tomorrow, let me find out the underlying reasons from a bunch of local Germans.