Transform!

35 years ago, Berlin was in turmoil and the centre of upheaval at all levels. In the east of the city and throughout the GDR, people took to the streets, organised themselves, demonstrated and demanded democracy. All of this also took place around the Palace of the Republic, where the 40th anniversary of the GDR was celebrated on 7 October 1989. After the fall of the Wall, the symbolic building of the GDR became the meeting place of the tenth and first freely elected People’s Chamber (parliament) on March 18, 1990 for a short time and thus a place of living democracy. The closure of the palace in the same year led to a further transformation. The empty, slowly decaying shell of the palace came to symbolise the upheavals, disappointments and disillusionment of the unification process of the 1990s.

With the “Transform!” theme days, we look back on the months and years of transformation before and after 1989. In debates (Eine Stunde History / One Hour of History), readings, performances and with music, the Humboldt Forum will be a place of gathering, debate and exchange between the historic dates of October 3rd and 6th. The focus will be on concepts such as change, demand, overload & participation and the questions: What is the future of a united and yet still divided Germany?