The Kaiser's men’s medals

[TabsTabs1964]

The Revolution of 1918


Liebknecht's speech (the false myth of the proclamation)

This scene is a symbol, the choice of balcony is a sign.

As we just said, on July 31, 1914, from the balcony of the narrow portal V, Wilhelm II called on all parties to defend the fatherland, an offer that the SPD (except Liebknecht) fatally followed. On August 1, the emperor declared general mobilization from a window of the Palace's Portal IV.

Liebknecht's speech in the same place is a direct rejoinder. The revolutionary takes the place of the overthrown government. This appearance marks the end of the old regime and indirectly also of the SPD's truce policy. A perfect image. But it was not like that.



November 9, 1918: The Emperor in Belgium, at the Grand Headquarters in Spa. The war is lost and there is a revolution in Berlin. It's a cloudy day, there's hardly any sunshine, about ten degrees. At noon, the Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann (1865-1939) proclaims the Republic on a balcony of the Reichstag.

[TabsTabs1964]

Two hours later, around 4:00 p.m.: twilight begins to fall slowly over the city. But in the Schloss there is a lively crowd.


Those days Liebknecht usually gave his speeches on the roof of a car, so that he could be seen by the masses.

A small car with Karl Liebknecht (1871-1919) on its roof under a large red flag made its way through the cheering crowd and stopped in front of the main gate of the palace. Here Liebknecht, leader of the Communist Spartacus League, now proclaims the republic: "The old is no more. The rule of the Hohenzollerns, who lived in this palace for centuries, is over. At this hour we proclaim the free socialist Republic of Germany."



The proclamation was not on the balcony of the north portal, but the legend persists that Liebknecht proclaimed the Republic from there. He did speak on the balcony on November 9, but he did not proclaim the Republic.

Liebknecht announced that the Workers' and Soldiers' Council had taken the palace under his protection. It is no longer arbitrary private property, but public property. The guard has strict orders to prevent any attempt to attack the building with weapons. From then on, the palace will no longer be the palace of the Hohenzollerns, but the palace of the Republic

[TabsTabs1964]

The building survived relatively undamaged by the riots of the revolution. On Christmas Eve 1918 there was an exchange of fire between the troops of the People's Representative led by the Social Democrat Ebert and the revolutionary Marine Division camped in the castle, in which the façade of the castle was also damaged; and there was also massive looting, but overall the palace was in good condition.


Christmas Eve 1918. The sailors of the Marine Division have barricaded themselves inside.







The fact is that the so-called Liebknecht portal was preserved relatively intact and in 1951 it was dismantled in pieces and stored in East Berlin. Ten years later it served as the entrance to the GDR's State Council building, built in front of the blown-up castle. A new building was built around the Liebknecht portal, this socialist relic, where state guests were received from then on….

This is how history is written, sometimes....


Das Liebknecht Portal


Foreground, the National Monument base at the Spree Canal....in the background, the in the background, the Liebknecht Portal

[TabsTabs1964]

Two aerial views of the Berliner Schloss. One from 1918 and another from 1925





During the Weimar Republic, dozens of institutions of all kinds had their headquarters in the enormous Berlin palace (cultural, musical, sports, museums, residences, etc, etc

National Socialist era




Unter den Linden 1937-1938

The Palace remained there, at the end of Unter den Linden...

Some images from 1939....









From May 1932 there were open-air concerts. The series of concerts continued during the war years; the Philharmonic even gave three more concerts in June 1941.

[TabsTabs1964]

The Nazis and the castle

When NSDAP took power in 1933, the "new Germany" cautiously seized the castle; The building was not used largely for administrative or protocol purposes.

Interestingly, while during the demonstrations in the Lustgarten during the Weimar Republic speakers used to use the castle as a backdrop, now the Nazi regime reversed the situation. The speakers were now in front of the old Schinkel Museum and the masses were turning their backs on the castle.


May 1, 1938. Looking out onto the terrace of the palace, the grand party ceremony in the Lustgarten, with the Altes Museum in the background

Culture and science continued to be cultivated in the castle. A new museum was even created: the Museum of Prussian State Theatres.

The Prime Minister of Prussia, Hermann Göring, was the responsible for the State Theatres. That is why he was also interested in knowing how to best accommodate the theater collection created since 1929. In doing so, Göring wanted to "play his own card" against Goebbels, who had placed great demands on Berlin culture.



Therefore, Göring decided to use 16 rooms in the Lynar wing, the central building between the two large courtyards. The large collections could thus be properly displayed.


This image is actually from the first work session of the Prussian State Council at the New Palace’s Marble Gallery (Postdam), 16 September 1933. But some of the large rooms of the Berlin palace looked very similar.

The museum's inauguration on January 6, 1937, was relatively modest. Neither Göring nor Goebbels showed up, which is perhaps also an indication that the castle only played a secondary role during this era.


Image from 1941

The war was getting closer and closer. The museums were finally closed in 1943/44, when the city centre was increasingly bombed. However, the castle remained largely intact for a long time.

Only during an air raid on February 3, 1945 at noon was it massively attacked by numerous explosive and incendiary bombs. It was then badly damaged: the castle burned down for four days. The fire destroyed nearly all of the state halls in the north and south wings. Other damage to the façade was caused by artillery bombardments in April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.

And yet, it was far from being destroyed. Important parts were preserved almost in their entirety, especially in the northwest wing with its representative White Room.

[TabsTabs1964]

1945. The end of the war


The Berlin Palace after the end of fighting in early May 1945. The anti-tank barriers can still be seen in the foreground.


Soviet soldiers pose for the camera with the palace in the background


The car of U.S. President Harry S. Truman passes(distance view) through the Wilhelmstrasse during President Truman's tour



I end this part of the thread with this historic photo, which seems to have been taken from the roof of a building opposite. The first thing that catches your eye is the castle's bridge over the Spree, on which at the time of taking the photo an American jeep and a team of motorcyclists were circulating.

Further in the background you can see the tower of the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus); further to the right rises the tower of the Altes Stadt Haus (the Old City Hall). it is impossible not to see the 70-metre-high dome of the Berlin Palace, which stood out in Berlin's cityscape since the 19th century…… Although that will definitely change five years later....

[Pauls1970]

So interesting to read Santi, thank you
Paul

[VtwinVince]

Yes indeed, I have a strong family attachment to Imperial Berlin, as my great-grandfather was an Imperial architect there, and his three sons all volunteered for the 5. Garde-Regiment-zu-Fuss the first week of August, 1914. They were clearly patriots. My grandfather fought the communists after the war, including during the Kapp Putsch.

[TabsTabs1964]

This photograph from LIFE magazine allows us to change the perspective and contemplate the Unter del Linden avenue from the Brandenburg Gate. Now we see the background clearly:

1. The dome of the cathedral
2. The tower of the Rotes Rathaus
3. The palace with its dome
4. The tower of the Altes Stadt Hhaus

The rest of the history of Berlin Palace was short and tragic.



It's true that the enormous Palace was quite damaged (like so many other important buildings in the City of Berlin). The entire center and many neighborhoods are in ruins due to the combined destruction of aviation bombings during years and artillery during the battle to conquer the city.

But the ideology of the new regime will be the condemnation of the Palace (and many other monuments)

The ruined building will remain standing for exactly five years...


An image from 1947


A communist propaganda poster in 1948/49


A great carousel in 1948

[TabsTabs1964]

Although the palace was a central building and one of the largest in Berlin, it was blown up by the former GDR regime in 1950, despite international outcry, initially to create an area for a parade ground, which was later replaced, at least partially.

The leaders of the GDR wanted to erase the history of Prussia for ideological reasons. That is why the palaces of Berlin and Potsdam, as well as the garrison church of Potsdam, were blown up, although their reconstruction would have been possible, as can be seen in the examples of the Charlottenburg palace, the Wartburg residence and many architectural works rebuilt after the war.



When the GDR Council of Ministers decided to blow up the castle in July 1950, protests erupted everywhere...... But the decision stood



Starting on September 9, 1950, the palace began to be blown up in sections....




A part of the building was blown up and the clearing began


A popular image: Demolition of part of the south façade. The sweepers did not hear the warning and were startled by the sound of the explosion.


Prussia is dead! long live the GDR!....