Reconstruction
Baroque today
In 2002, the German parliament approved the partial reconstruction of the Berlin Palace, which was severely damaged during World War II and demolished in 1950. The reconstruction of the three Baroque outer facades and the dome of the Berlin Palace, as well as the three Baroque facades of the Schlüterhof, honours the exceptional artistic achievement of Andreas Schlüter (1659–1714), the Baroque master builder.
Our thanks to all the donors!
The reconstruction of the Baroque facades has been an overwhelming success, both in terms of artisanal expertise and artistic merit. It was made possible by widespread support from the general public, and has been entirely funded by donations. The many donors from across Germany and the wider world are thanked by name in several of the Humboldt Forum’s portals. This active support from the friends’ association Förderverein Berliner Schloss e.V. was instrumental to the success of the fundraising campaign. In the summer of 2025, the installation of 19 figures on the balustrade marked the completion of the final reconstruction project financed by the friends’ association. The Foundation Council of the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, which comprises representatives of the federal government, the state of Berlin, and all the participating institutions, approved the resolution in 2023 as the final step in the reconstruction. With the facades completed, the cooperation with the friends’ association has come to an end, just as planned.
Precision Craftsmanship
The reconstruction of the Baroque facades was a feat involving sculptors, plaster moulders and stucco artists: Based on preserved fragments, historical photos and the reconstruction plans by Stuhlemmer Architekten, they created over 2,800 figures and around 23,000 sandstone elements.
Using surviving fragments of the original building and historical photographs, it was possible to achieve a faithful reconstruction of Schlüter’s Baroque facade.
From Quarry to Sculpture
At 5.8 metres in height, 7.3 metres in width and weighing around 56 tonnes, the corner cartouche is one of some three thousand decorative elements to be found adorning the Berlin Palace. In artistic and sculptural terms it is probably the most ambitious of all. The process of its creation is a perfect example of the approach used for all the sandstone elements on the reconstructed Baroque facades.
You can read the entire story of the reconstruction of the corner cartouche in our illustrated book Barock in Arbeit. Die Kunst der Rekonstruktion (“Baroque in Progress: The Art of Reconstruction and the Berlin Palace”).
The Schlossbauhütte
Most of the reconstruction is carried out at the Schlossbauhütte (masons’ lodge), founded in 2011 in Berlin Spandau. Since then, piece for piece, the sculptors have been shaping the decorative elements – some of them colossal – of the Baroque facade, casting them in plaster and, in a final step, carved in sandstone using the time-honoured hammer and pointwork technique.
The Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss set up the Schlossbauhütte in 2011, adopting the structure of a traditional construction workshop. The appropriate space for the Schlossbauhütte was found in a former Allied car repair shop in Berlin Spandau.
Expert Commission
An expert commission comprising art historians and other specialists will appraise the completed models and sculptures in conjunction with the sculptors.
Modern Handicraft Technology
For the modelling, traditional craftsmanship is being aided by high-tech processes and materials. For example, sections of the surviving entrance Portal IV, which had been integrated into the nearby Staatsratsgebäude, were duplicated as a model for the sculptors by means of 3D printing. In addition, restorers are hard at work on the remaining original sculptures and fragments, which will then either be incorporated into the facade or displayed in the Skultpurensaal (sculpture hall) of the Humboldt Forum.