The Berlin myth – perceptions of an industrial metropolis over time
The history of Berlin is a history of demolition and rebuilding, of destruction and partition. Just a few decades lay between the city’s industrialization and its various roles as capital of the Weimar Republic, capital of the Third Reich, Eldorado for subcultures, tourist magnet, and hotspot for artistic activities. With its tough sense of reality, Berlin has repeatedly subverted the grand claims of royal, feudal, and fascist theatricals, as Ulrich Eckhardt writes in his foreword. This catalogue, published by Verlag Ästhetik und Kommunikation with support from the nGbK, outlined the concept for an exhibition about changing perceptions of the city, three years before Berlin’s 750 years celebrations. The working group proposed “presenting images created by others and by Berlin itself, through which people have dealt with the city.” On the site of the former Anhalter Bahnhof railway station, the show would present elements and symbols that had gone together to create the image of an urban, industrial Berlin, looking back to the preindustrial image of the Prussian capital and looking forward to a form of urban planning fed by current hopes and perspectives.

Ed.: Ulrich Baehr