Why the reconstruction of the Berliner Schloss divides opinion

More than 30 years after reunification, Germans are still struggling to decide if there are any aspects of their imperial past they can be proud of. William Cook explains

Elaborate fake? The Berliner Schloss (Getty)

In the centre of Berlin, in the middle of Museum Island, there’s a building that sums up the strange history of this Faustian metropolis. From a distance the Berliner Schloss looks ancient, a landmark that’s stood here for centuries, but when you take a closer look you start to suspect that something’s not quite right. Sure enough, as soon as you step inside the architectural style shifts abruptly, from baroque to modernism, and you realise this monumental structure is really an elaborate fake.

The reconstruction of the Berliner Schloss is a project that’s divided popular opinion here in Germany. Some Germans see it as a rightful restoration of the city’s historic heritage. Others regard it as an unwelcome reminder of an imperialist era that’s best forgotten. As a German citizen (and a frequent visitor to Berlin), personally I think it’s fabulous, but I can see why lots of Germans regard it as nostalgic kitsch.

So why has this building become the focus for such fierce debate? The answer to that question reveals a deep, enduring fissure in German society, between those who consider German reunification a triumph and those who consider it a mixed blessing, between those who see Hitler’s Third Reich as a freakish aberration and those who see it as a consequence of Bismarck’s Second Reich. More than 30 years since the Berlin Wall came down, and Germany was reunited, Germans are still struggling to decide if there are any aspects of their imperial past of which they can feel truly proud.