Berlin is getting its City Palace back. During the war, the palace in the center of the city was badly damaged, and in 1950, it was demolished. After the Wall came down, parliament agreed to reconstruction of the palace. The opening is scheduled for next year.
Meanwhile, the National Monument to Freedom and Unity, which is to go in front of the palace, has been a bitterly contested model of disunity for a decade. Critics would prefer the memorial in front of parliament, where reunification was formalized, and the design is for a 50-yard-wide crescent that can be walked on and moved by visitors. The design has been mocked as a seesaw, a banana peel and a golden bowl.
The papers warn that time is running out to get building permits and meet construction timetables for an unveiling November 9, 2019 — the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall.
