Berliners feeling unchristian towards cross on Humboldt Forum

For once in Berlin it's not a führer furore but palace malice. Or, to be more precise, a fuss over the Humboldt Forum: a massive brick, plaster and stucco building site set to mimic the former residence of the Prussian kings and kaisers.

When completed in 2019 the forum will be a retro facade housing a modern, interdisciplinary museum using exhibits, science and the arts to address the big questions about life, death, migration and globalisation.

Dedicated to the restless genius of Alexander von Humboldt – the Prussian explorer, scientist and artist – one of the Humboldt Forum’s most striking features will be its western portal and reconstructed dome, topped with a cross.

In Berlin’s historical minefield, however, the devil is in the detail, particularly if that detail is a cross that has made many Berliners very cross indeed.

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Critics say the Christian symbol undermines the Humboldt Forum’s mission as a meeting place for all cultures and traditions. A cross has no place on a publicly funded building, argues Berlin city cultural secretary Klaus Lederer, of the Left Party. His party’s East German predecessor, the SED, demolished the original palace in 1950 as an unwanted symbol of imperialism and militarism.

German church leaders and conservatives have hit back, accusing cross critics of historical amnesia.

“Our culture of openness, freedom and mercy has its roots in our Christian human image,” said Monika Grütters, federal state secretary for culture.

Deft move

In a deft move, Humboldt Forum codirector Neil MacGregor has embraced the cross row as an allegory for the new museum’s mission: to spark debate over whether Europe’s old traditions can be reconciled with a new global culture.

"This contradiction is its strength," said Mr MacGregor and two fellow directors of their institution in Tuesday's Frankfurter Allgemeine daily.

In a peace offering, they propose installing on the forum's eastern side, in big illuminated letters, the German word Zweifel – doubt.

This art installation was created by Norwegian artist Lars ø Ramberg and was last seen on the roof of the East German Palast der Republik in 2006. Its “doubt” message struck a chord with many Berliners who were unsure about razing the Palast a decade ago for the Humboldt Forum.

The new institution’s directors hope their cultural bookends – the dome cross and the “Doubt” installation – will reflect Europe’s religious and enlightenment traditions while reminding visitors to “not just view the world alone through one’s own eyes”.