Post/Socialist Palaces
Sat, 7 October – Sun, 8 October 2023
Concerts 16 €/8 €, readings 8 €/4 €. All other events are free of charge. |
English, German |
Humboldt Forum |
Belongs to: Blown Away: The Palace of the Republic |
Bucureşti, Київ, Praha, София, Warszawa
Admired, hated, ridiculed and missed–cultural and folk palaces played and still play an important role in Eastern Europe. They are and were state-controlled symbols of power and, at the same time, they offered a certain degree of freedom. As places of entertainment and politics in the capitals, they shaped the political and cultural self-image during the period of state socialism. How much utopia is still contained in these monumental buildings? With the Palace of the Republic, such a palace of culture also stood in Berlin–on the site of today’s Humboldt Forum. On this weekend, artists and researchers from Bucharest, Kyiv, Prague, Sofia and Warsaw will focus on the palaces of their cities. What role did these buildings play in the 1980s and 1990s, and what do theyrepresent today? One thing is certain: the way in which the architectural and cultural heritage of the palaces is dealt with is as diverse as the societies of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
Discover fascinating documentary films, and enjoy literature and video art created especially for this weekend. Listen to indie pop from Bulgaria and electro beats from the Ukraine, take part in round-table discussions and exciting debates.
The series “Palaces for the People. Palaces of Culture in Eastern Europe Before and After 1989” is curated by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.

A project funded by the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED Diktatur (The Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Eastern Germany)

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