| Palast Der Republik |
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The Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic) was a building in Berlin , on the bank of the River Spree , between Schlossplatz and Lustgarten , (both together called Marx-Engels-Platz from 1951 to 1994). It served mainly as the Parliament building for the German Democratic Republic (GDR), but its spaces were also used for cultural purposes, such as night clubs, Art Galleries and Restaurants . It was constructed in the 1970s in the prevailing style for East German buildings, with bronze mirrored windows. In 1976 the Volkskammer moved in. It was built on the site of the old Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace), which was damaged during World War II but finally demolished by the GDR authorities in 1950 , as they regarded it a symbol of Prussia n Imperialism . It was sometimes Nickname d ''Ballast der Republik'' ("Ballast of the Republic"), ''Erichs Lampenladen'' ("Erich's Lamp Shop", referring to East German leader Erich Honecker and the 1,001 lamps hanging in the foyer), or ''Palazzo Prozzo''. After German Reunification , in 1990 it was found to be Contaminated with Asbestos and dangerous. By 2003 , all the asbestos had been removed along with internal and external fittings, ready for demolition. In November 2003 , the German Parliament decided to demolish the building and leave the area as a green space until funding for the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss could be found. Demolition started on February 6, 2006 and is scheduled to last about 15 months. The demolition needs to be carried out as a careful and slow disassembly in order not to endanger neighbouring historical buildings such as the Berliner Dom . The cost of the demolition is estimated at €12,000,000. Funding for the planned reconstruction of the City Palace (the official estimated costs start at €400,000,000, although a much higher figure is suggested by some) has not been found yet. According to the former Professor Jan Brockmann of Humboldt University , which is close to the Palast der Republik, the castle played a two-sided role through the history. In 1447 the citizens of Berlin rebelled against the Kurfürst and his palace by flooding the area surrounding the building and, ironically, it has been proposed to flood the mines after the eventual demolition to stabilise the area. The shell of the building was opened for visitors in the summer of 2003, and a pressure group ''Temporary Palace Use'' group campaigned for temporary use of the building to be allowed for cultural events until its demolition. Beginning in spring 2004 the building was used for temporary events such as housing an exhibition of the Terracotta Army . Demolition started in February 2006, and is expected to continue until the Easter of 2007, according to a report on the ARD Taggesshau news. EXTERNAL LINKS
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