I think it was monolythic and ugly, too -- no need to rebuild THAT. It would be funnier if they'd rebuilt it in an earlier form...
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
In that sense I favour the reconstruction. Berlin has enough diversity in its architecture and the Schloss should provide a somewhat coherent frontier between the Alexanderplatz/Fernsehturm area and the old Prussian centre of Unter den Linden up to the Friedrichstraße and the Gendarmenmarkt.
But I care more about finishing the U5 than any of this.
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
To emphasize, I don't have a problem with Prussian-era architectural style per se, even if I am aware of the politico-cultural trench warfare behind the reconstruction. But this one building... just strikes me as ugly. Bad ratios, little detail, and it's one big block.
anachronism.
Well, it wasn't a serious proposal :-) But, if the architect is gifted enough, an anachronism can fit in -- see the Reichstag dome.
BTW, I remember, but couldn't find an on-line trace of, a study a few years ago saying that the palace would block air movements and car-polluted air would get stuck -- do you recall anything? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
BTW, apart from the dome, the palace on the B&W photo is start-of-18th-century. And it looks this Spartan because of austerity measures at the time of construction :-) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.