The Humboldt Forum

The Humboldt Forum is the newest and most debated landmark in central Berlin. It stands on the site of the Berlin Palace, the city residence of the Prussian kings and German emperors, which was damaged in the war and demolished by the East German government in 1950. The GDR built its own Palace of the Republic on part of the site, which was in turn torn down after reunification, and in 2013 work began on a new building that reconstructs three of the old Baroque facades and the great Schlueter courtyard around a modern interior, with a plain contemporary facade facing the Spree. It opened in stages from 2021, named after the brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt, the explorer-scientist and the scholar. Inside, the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art of the State Museums fill the upper floors with collections from Africa, the Americas, Oceania and Asia, from Pacific boats and a reconstructed meeting house to Buddhist cave paintings from the Silk Road and Japanese and Chinese art. The building is also at the centre of the debate about colonial collections, and the museum is open about it: the Benin Bronzes, for example, have been transferred to Nigerian ownership, with some remaining in Berlin on loan, and many displays discuss how objects were acquired. On the first floor, BERLIN GLOBAL looks at the connections between Berlin and the world through themes such as revolution, borders, entertainment and fashion, in a lively, interactive exhibition. Several spaces are free: the palace cellar with the archaeological remains of the old palace, the sculpture hall with original statues from the facades, a video panorama and an exhibition on the Humboldt brothers. The standard exhibition tickets are modest, around 9 euros each, under-19s are free, and the roof terrace costs a few euros. The Forum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10:30am to 6:30pm and closed on Tuesdays.

How to visit: decide whether you want the world cultures, Berlin, or both. The Ethnological Museum and Asian Art floors are vast, and a focused visit of two hours, picking two or three regions, is better than trying to see everything. BERLIN GLOBAL works well for families and first-timers who want a playful introduction to the city. Do not miss the free palace cellar, where the foundations of the old palace and the earlier medieval buildings on the site are displayed, and the roof terrace, which looks straight across to the dome of Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island and the TV Tower and is one of the best inexpensive viewpoints in the centre.

Timing and practicalities: the Forum is closed on Tuesdays, which makes it a useful choice on Mondays, when most of Museum Island is closed. It keeps longer hours than many museums in the area. Tickets can be booked online, and admission is free for visitors under 19. The building also has restaurants and cafes, a shop, and an events programme of talks, concerts and festivals in the evenings. In the run-up to Christmas, a Christmas market sets up in front of the palace and in the Schlueter courtyard, from mid-November into the New Year.

Understanding the debate: the reconstruction of the palace divided Berlin. Critics argued that rebuilding a Prussian royal palace while demolishing the Palace of the Republic erased an East German landmark, and that putting colonial-era collections behind Baroque facades was problematic; supporters saw it as restoring the historic centre. Whatever you conclude, the Forum is now part of the great ensemble of Museum Island, the Lustgarten and Unter den Linden, and visiting it is an essential part of seeing how Berlin is still rebuilding and rethinking itself.