Topping-out ceremony for the Lindenkuppel of the Berlin State Library
Press release from 07/10/2013
Today, the construction companies working at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin's Unter den Linden site, together with the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, the Director General of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Barbara Schneider-Kempf, and the President of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, Rita Ruoff-Breuer, are celebrating the topping-out ceremony for the rebuilt dome above the Unter den Linden entrance portal. Uwe Scheibal, foreman from Schälerbau Berlin, delivered the topping-out speech. The original Lindenkuppel was destroyed by a bomb in April 1941.
Hermann Parzinger said: "This topping-out ceremony marks the public start of the second major construction phase of the restoration of the Unter den Linden library building. The new buildings have been in operation since March and a third of the old building has already been restored and modernised. In future, the old building will also fulfil the requirements of today's libraries with modern technical equipment. With the further renovation and modernisation of the mighty building, the library will also regain further reading rooms over the next few years. Architecturally, the restoration of the representative central access axis is of particular importance."
In the first construction phase, new buildings were erected and the northern part of the building was refurbished between 2002 and 2012 while the library continued to operate. The two new reading rooms have been in operation since March 2013. In the second construction phase, the southern part of the largest building complex in Berlin's historic centre will be restored to its original state as far as possible and converted into a modern library. As a result, the State Library will regain a further five reading rooms, prestigious entrance areas, domed staircases, extensive stacks, extensive office space and other areas. For the first time, an extensive exhibition area will be set up. The refurbishment of the old building is currently scheduled for completion in 2016.
Architect HG Merz planned both the reading rooms, which opened a few weeks ago, and the general restoration, modernisation and refurbishment of the State Library. The federal government is financing the entire construction project. The costs for the general refurbishment, modernisation and extension of the building amount to 406 million euros.
The Lindenkuppel
The rebuilding of the Lindenkuppel will close the last major war wound to the Staatsbibliothek Unter den Linden. The original dome was destroyed by a bomb in 1941 and was not rebuilt after the war. A striking element of Berlin's roofscape that was lost over seventy years ago is now returning and will also shape the silhouette of the 107 x 170 metre building on the boulevard Unter den Linden. The dome will reach a height of just over 35 metres. At 36 metres, the highest point of the building is the glass cube of the newly constructed General Reading Room in the centre of the building.
Functionally, the dome will be integrated into the library operations and set up as a stacks over two floors. This use also corresponds to its historical function. Around 100,000 volumes will be stored there. Like the other stacks, the interior of the cupola will be air-conditioned and connected to the book transport system, which is also being installed in this building for the first time.
The second construction phase - restoration of the central access axis, special reading rooms, library museum until probably 2016
The dome above the portal of the Staatsbibliothek Unter den Linden marks the entrance to the central access axis of the building. Court architect Ernst von Ihne, who designed the building, which was inaugurated in 1914, placed particular emphasis on this axis and composed it as a sequence of rooms that continuously increase in their representative effect. After the refurbishment, the path will once again lead from the main portal Unter den Linden with the Lindenhalle into the prestigious Brunnenhof, then into the entrance hall with the open staircase and an imposing barrel vault. From the adjoining vestibule, you reach the new buildings designed by HG Merz, where the open staircase leads to the General Reading Room. The Rara Reading Room (formerly the Humboldt University Reading Room), also newly built, is located on the same axis to the north. From the north, from Dorotheenstraße, the axis is defined by the rotunda with skylight dome. The two reading rooms with 265 modern workstations and the rotunda were already completed in the first construction phase. During the remaining construction period, the entrance to the State Library will be located at this northern entrance.
In the second construction phase, the library will regain five special reading rooms (maps, manuscripts, music, newspapers, children's and youth book collection) with 230 additional workstations in addition to modernised storage areas. The library's famous special collections will be able to be used there under the best possible conservation conditions. For the first time, the library will also be explicitly open to the general public: once all the building work is complete, there will be a library museum, an area for temporary exhibitions and a specially secured treasure chamber for the presentation of outstanding cultural heritage, as well as a library shop and a cafeteria.
The general refurbishment will eliminate the extensive damage to the building caused by bombing during the Second World War as well as later interventions that were not in keeping with the architecture and building. Where available, original fixtures and fittings will be used to furnish the building; all other objects and fixtures will be made of contemporary materials and follow modern designs.
The Berlin State Library
The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz is the largest universal academic library in the German-speaking world. Among the 25 million media and objects collected from all over the world, all periods and all languages are many of inestimable cultural and scientific value, such as the score of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the Mozart operas The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro and almost all the original passions and cantatas composed by Bach. The digital library includes images of unique works as well as extensive databases and electronic journals. The library's services are available to anyone over the age of 16. With the restoration of the Unter den Linden building, the distribution of the library's functions and services between its two large buildings - the other on Potsdamer Straße/Kulturforum - can be finalised. At the same time, a storage depot is being built in Friedrichshagen to house the library's constantly growing collections.
Further information can be found on the website of the Berlin State Library. Press photos are available for download on the website of the Berlin State Library or on the website of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning.