Martin-Gropius-Bau
The Martin- Gropius-Bau, the former Museum of Decorative Arts Berlin, is an exhibition building in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg, which houses large temporary exhibitions. The building is located in Niederkirchnerstrasse 7 It lies directly on the border with the district of Mitte and was located until 1990, directly at the Berlin Wall to West Berlin side.
The Berliner Festspiele operate the Martin- Gropius-Bau on behalf of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. The heads of seven institutions to advise the program:
- Berliner Festspiele in the KBB GmbH
- Federal Agency for Civic Education
- Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
- Stiftung Haus der Geschichte in Bonn
- House of World Cultures in the KBB GmbH
- Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Prussian Cultural Heritage
Responsible for the exhibitions are the respective organizer.
History and Architecture
The building was built from 1877 to 1881 by the architects Martin Gropius ( a great uncle of Walter Gropius ) and Heino forging in the style of the Italian Renaissance. A central part of the building is a large atrium. The spaces between the windows in the attic floor are decorated with mosaics and the coats of arms of German states. The sculptural work was done by Ludwig Brunow, Otto Geyer, Emil Hundrieser, Otto Lessing, Rudolf Siemering and Louis Sussmann - Hellborn. The floor plan is square with a side length of approximately 70 meters and a height of about 26 meters.
Designed as an arts and crafts museum housed the building after the First World War, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, as well as the East Asian Art Collection. Because of the great destruction of the Second World War was planned to demolish the ruins. The intervention of Walter Gropius stopped the project and eventually led to the building was made in 1966 under monument protection. The reconstruction started in 1978 under the direction of architect Winnetou Kampmann and Ute Weström. Even during the construction work took place in 1981, the dedication of this house with a Schinkel exhibition. Since the Berlin Wall ran right in front of the main entrance, access has been moved to the back.
Other structural measures with federal funds were made between 1998 and 2000, where the original entrance situation has been restored on the north side. In addition, the building was air-conditioned. The planning of the renovation was in the hands of the architects Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht Community and Volkhausen and Lubkoll.
Already in 1999 the house has been re-opened with an exhibition on the 50 - year history of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since then, architecture historical tours are offered in the house.
- Plans; Building elevations, exterior and interior
Former layout of the 1st floor
Detail of the facade, building corner
Facade details in the entrance area
Facade detail, jewelry Relief glassblower
Atrium in the center of the building, partial view
Atrium, detail 2
Exhibitions
As an important exhibitions that were on display in the building are:
From October 2005 to January 2006 was an exhibition entitled Rundlederwelten in terms instead of the soccer World Cup in 2006. In Franck Goddio Exhibition Egypt's Sunken Treasures, which ran from May 13 to September 4, 2006, were 450,000 visitors to the Martin -Gropius -Bau. Impressive was the presentation of two bronze horse tamer in the atrium on the occasion of the exhibition of power and friendship. Berlin - St. Petersburg 1800-1860 in 2008.
In the spring of 2009, the exhibition ran sixty years. Sixty works. Art from the Federal Republic of Germany. From October 2009 to 18 January 2010 was the photo exhibition of Hamburg's Star photographer Harald Schmitt - seconds, the story was. Photographs can be seen from the end of state socialism. The following exhibition until June 6, 2010 was Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum.
- In 2010 the Martin- Gropius-Bau et al the exhibitions Olafur Eliasson - downtown exterior,
- Frida Kahlo - Retrospective and
- Teotihuacan - Mexico's Mysterious Pyramid City instead.