Humboldt Forum's Colonial Collections Spark Debate in Berlin's Costliest Cultural Building

Berlin's Humboldt Forum, opened in 2021 on the site of the former Berlin Palace and Palace of the Republic, has become Germany's most expensive cultural building at over 600 million euros. The institution houses ethnographic collections from German colonial territories acquired since the 1885 Berlin Conference, with two-thirds of objects originating from colonial times. Exhibitions like the Ethnological Museum and Museum for Asian Art, along with specific displays such as 'A Question of Perspective' and 'Open Storage Africa', critically examine colonial history through artifacts, photographs, and archival materials. Objects include weapons, ivory adornments, musical instruments, and spiritual items from Africa and Oceania, with provenance research conducted in partnership with institutions from their regions of origin. The Baroque facade reconstruction by Italian architect Franco Stella, based on Andreas Schlüter's 17th-century design, has drawn criticism for reviving imperial German architecture. The forum partners with Berlin State Museums, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Kulturprojekte Berlin, and Berlin City Museum, offering free timed-ticket admission across 28,000 square meters of exhibition space.