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.

All 2,300 figures on the reconstructed facade are truly unique.
© SHF / Stephan Falk
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.

Discover the site