Humboldt Forum at Five: Weimer Sees Room for Growth

Five years after opening, the Humboldt Forum in Berlin's reconstructed city palace is entering a new phase, according to Germany's Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer. He stated that the founding and construction phases are complete, and now the more demanding task begins: developing the institution into a cohesive entity with a shared identity. Weimer emphasized that success will be measured not by administrative responsibilities but by the visitor experience. The Humboldt Forum houses collections from the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, alongside spaces used by the Stadtmuseum Berlin and Humboldt University. The original palace was demolished in 1950; the GDR's Palace of the Republic stood on the site from 1976 until its closure in 1990 due to asbestos. The Bundestag approved the partial reconstruction in 2002, a decision that faced significant criticism.