FAQ

The Humboldt Forum is a new center of culture and science in the historical heart of Berlin. It brings together arts, cultures, areas of knowledge, people, communities and perspectives, creating spaces for surprising experiments and inspiring encounters. The outstanding collections that have been assembled under one roof and the varied programme of exhibitions, events and educational and digital offerings inspire visitors to gain new insights into the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The project was named after Alexander und Wilhelm von Humboldt. Their curiosity and their ability to explore the world with open eyes and comprehend it as a web of connections between nature and culture provides the inspiration for our artistic and scientific programme.

The architect’s plan is in line with the 2007 decision by the Bundestag stipulating that only three of the four outer facades, including the cupola, are to be reconstructed, as well as the three Baroque facades of the Schlüterhof. No guidelines were set for the historical transverse wing between the Schlüterhof and Eosanderhof courtyards and the Renaissance wing to the east. This is where the Belvedere will be erected as a freestanding and consciously modern structure.

Yes, in fact that’s the whole idea. Architecturally, the Humboldt Forum is characterized by the contrast between contemporary elements and the reconstructed Baroque facades of the Berlin Palace. The building reflects not only the breaks in the site’s history, but also points to the theme of connecting differences that will be the leitmotif of the Humboldt Forum’s programme.

The historical interiors will not be reconstructed, but the future reconstruction of individual rooms such as the Rittersaal, the Elisabethsaal or the Schweizersaal remains feasible.

In September 2011 the Palace Workshop, run by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, was opened in Berlin’s Spandau district. Here and in other external workshops, half a dozen sculptors, stonemasons and model builders are at work on the Baroque facade decorations for the Berlin Palace. This is where all the decorative elements are designed: from colossal statues down to leaf garlands. Original architectural elements that survived the demolition of the palace in 1950 are also stored in the Palace Workshop.

The overall costs for the construction of the Humboldt Forum amount to a total of EUR 644 million, of which the federal government takes over EUR 532 million and the state of Berlin EUR 32 million. The remaining EUR 80 million for the reconstruction of the baroque facades will be financed exclusively by donations from private sponsors. Additional costs for the reconstruction of the dome and optional facade elements amount to a total of EUR 19 million (July 2020).

Depending on the amount donated, donors will be acknowledged at a prominent spot inside the Humboldt Forum. Elements of the decorative facade can also be symbolically purchased through the friends’ association Berliner Schloss e.V., giving donors the chance to immortalize themselves in the very fabric of the palace.

The Humboldt Forum will show the diverse historical facets of this special site through unique exhibits on over 1,500 square metres throughout the building.

The Schlüter Courtyard as well as the adjacent Passage will be open to the public around the clock.

Yes, the banks of the Spree will remain publicly accessible. This is one reason why the east wing of the Humboldt Forum will have a modern design rather than following the layout of the Renaissance structure, which used to extend all the way to the river.

The aim of Collections Online is to offer a digital view of all the exhibits you can currently see at the Humboldt Forum.

In order to display an image, we have to obtain legal permission alongside the digitisation. We continuously strive to keep all information and images related to the objects current and complete. If no image is currently available, please try visiting the website again later.

Visitors should be aware that certain photographs are deliberately not shown in Collections Online. For example, images that depict people in a degrading and hurtful way. We wish to avoid reproducing the racist and otherwise discriminatory content seen in these photographs.

Collections Online may also contain images that are initially published only with reservations. Certain content and images may cease to be accessible or may only have limited accessibility as a result of the ongoing research and social debate on historical collection holdings and the way in which they are received.

Should you wish to inspect original documents, please contact the relevant institution.

There could be several reasons for this. For example, if it is a hands-on model or a media station, these are not available as an online resource. Sometimes there can be a delay to the digitisation of the works, or it may take place during the course of the exhibition. Similarly, augmenting the related information or obtaining rights clearance may lead to a delay in the provision of the data. If necessary, please contact [email protected].

We are continuously working on making our digital holdings accessible to all interested parties via Collections Online; this is happening successively, and in parallel to the objects being put on display at the Humboldt Forum.

Please contact [email protected]. To enable us to process your request quickly, please provide as much information as possible, eg inventory number or object title.

Information on the provenance of the objects can be found on the detail page for each object under the ‘Provenance’ tab. Initially, information on the owning/managing institution, the lenders and the inventory number of the object are listed here. As our provenance research progresses and the data obtained is processed, more detailed information will gradually be made available. If you have any questions regarding the provenance of objects exhibited in Collections Online, please contact [email protected]. To enable us to process your request quickly, please provide as much information as possible, eg inventory number or object title.

For information on the status of ongoing provenance research within individual stakeholder institutions, click here for more information:

Museum für Asiatische Kunst/ Ethnologisches Museum (SMB-SPK)

https://www.smb.museum/forschung/provenienzforschung/

Stiftung Stadtmuseum zu Berlin

https://www.stadtmuseum.de/provenienzforschung

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Collections Online is a newly-developed product, and its functionality is continuously being expanded and updated. We plan to make a search function available by the end of 2021.