Berlin builds new cultural centre in bid to set new parameters for the 21st century

Adjacent to cultural landmarks on the world famous Museum Island in the heart of Berlin lies a massive white building under construction. An iconic dome atop a rectangular structure that evokes the aesthetics of the Prussian era can be seen from afar. The so-called castle in the making has been drawing many curious eyes. Lovers of culture from all over the world are expected to visit once it opens in 2019.

Welcome to the Berliner Schloss, home of the Humboldt-Forum, a €600 million (HK$5.2 billion) project that is one of the biggest cultural endeavours currently under way in Europe.

With 160,000 square metres of gross floor space, the structure is set to become the centre of world culture and raise the international profile of Berlin. It will house more than half a million artefacts from outside Europe. Its proponents also hope it will bring the world together on a single stage for contemporary art and cultural activities.

"The Humboldt-Forum will not, however, be just a museum. It's not just an expansion of the Museum Island either. It is a museum space plus a place where other activities are held ... be they music, film, public debates and performances," says Professor Hermann Parzinger, president of Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and Humboldt-Forum Management Committee chairman.

"We don't see the HumboldtForum as an isolated district. It's closely connected with the Museum Island," says Parzinger, who spearheads the project that is close to many existing cultural landmarks, such as the National Library, the German Historical Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode Museum and the Komische Oper Berlin.

"The whole centre of Berlin will become a cultural district ... It will also bring economic value to Berlin," he said.