Enlarge image
Rebuilt city palace: an expression of rethinking or hypocrisy?
Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images
In the middle of Berlin there is a huge, unmistakable dilemma.
What is meant is the rebuilt Berlin City Palace, which should be ennobled by its nostalgic Prussian facades, even more by its content - and there by historical objects from other cultures, which should stand for German cosmopolitanism and world interest.
The fact that these works are in no small part brutally looted looted property has long been suppressed.
In the meantime, almost all those involved are campaigning for initial returns to their countries of origin, this also applies to the responsible politicians in the governing parties.
The coming months will show how seriously this attitude is taken - or whether the new sensitivity is only due to the election campaign and will evaporate at the end of September.
But let's start from the beginning: The building is a castle on the outside, an exhibition and event center called Humboldt Forum on the inside, the opening has so far only taken place digitally, also because of the pandemic, access to the courtyards has to be postponed again, and entry into the interior anyway.
Perhaps the lords of the castle are happy about the further delay.
Because for many reasons they are not ready to receive guests.
On Monday, the press was informed about the state of the new palace and also about the now vague considerations as to what should actually be shown in the long-established, but still empty showcases.
Originally, Berlin's wealth of treasures from non-European culture was supposed to become visible in them.
They were supposed to be supplied from the Berlin ethnological collections.
But then, in 2017, the art historian Bénédicte Savoy sparked what we see today as a downright historical discussion.
Thanks to their criticism, it was now questioned whether the acquisition history of the works should be kept secret, as well as whether looted artifacts from the former colonies really belonged in the Berlin Palace or in other Western museums.
Savoy complained that there was blood on such objects.
French President Emmanuel Macron was also touched by the soon-to-be international debate and promised Africa restitutions.
Savoy and the Senegalese scientist Felwine Sarr advised him.
And Berlin?
Just scoffed at the time.
An example: At the end of August 2017, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which is responsible for the ethnological collections, sent out an invitation to a press conference in which the debate was described as "the summer sluggish topic of 2017".
Only confessions instead of real decisions
But because of the summer slump, it is a task of the century.
That also became clear to the scoffers of that time.
In 2021, the same people describe returns as desirable, which shows how much rethinking is possible - or how much hypocrisy, because now the impression is often given that the return demands from the various countries have been taken seriously for a long time, just no time and no Had money to take care of.
A new book by the art historian Savoy, published a few days ago, shows that a lot of lies and trickery were mainly used in museums to fend off claims for restitution from Africa.
For example, an exhibition of the legendary Benin bronzes in the castle is no longer conceivable, Savoy told SPIEGEL a few days ago.
Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director of the Humboldt Forum, argues similarly this week.
But only now.
Dorgerloh, who was only appointed in 2018, clearly fears that his forum will continue to be damaged.
And: He himself cannot decide on a return, but at best ask the state and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation not to just practice making good-sounding confessions, but to make real decisions.
Suddenly copies are conceivable - originals are forbidden
Will he be heard?
In any case, suddenly a lot is possible that a few years ago would have been considered a real scandal, a violation of all museum regulations.
It is now also conceivable that the city palace will not only show originals.
With regard to the Benin bronzes in particular, it was reported that reproductions were being seriously considered.
Casts of some works were already made during the Nazi era, it remains to be seen whether they will get into the museum, but 3-D scans could also be made in the next few months.
Such reproductions would strangely fit well in a lock that is itself only a copy.
more on the subject
Art historian on colonial booty: "Some museum directors simply lied" An interview by Felix Bohr and Ulrike Knöfel
But there is more to the dilemma: you want a dialogue between cultures, you have been announcing it for years and you don't know how to create it among your own employees.
The Humboldt Forum Service GmbH - responsible for the visitor service, for example - has already dismissed seven people during their probationary period, one of the employees allegedly insulted another racist, another threatened with violence.
Some employees have quit voluntarily.
In addition, it says: The team is diverse and diversity is not always easy.
Conflicts would also take place among people with a migration background.
Again and again it sounds like the Humboldt Forum is above all a burden and one wonders why, although almost 20 years have been put into planning and building the architecture, everyone is now surprised and overwhelmed by what makes the forum so special should.
Content, encounters.
Can the castle still be saved?
Maybe if those responsible - especially those in politics - stand by the problems on the one hand and solve them on the other.
Returns should not be limited to just a few symbolic acts, as they are probably intended in the election year.
The Humboldt Forum has a reputation to gain or lose beyond 2021.
