The PalaisPopulaire

Deutsche Bank has opened a new exhibition and event space on Unter den Linden in a seriously prime location next to the Staatsoper and opposite the Neue Wache. According to its creators, it is a ‘new and innovative concept intended to give as many people as possible access to art, culture and sport’. I went along to the PalaisPopulaire last week to find out the exact meaning of this bold statement.

First, some background history is needed. The PalaisPopulaire’s home is the former Prinzessinnenpalais, a rococo palace built at the beginning of the 18th Century and owned by the Hohenzollern dynasty until 1918. Designed by Prussia’s most renowned architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it was the residence of the daughters of Prussian King Frederick William III, three princesses, one of whom married Russian Czar, Nicholas I. After the fall of the German monarchy after World War I, it enjoyed a brief spell in the 1930s as the Schinkel Museum until it was badly damaged by the bombing in World War II.

Photo taken in 1881

After the bombing

The historic exterior of the palace was restored by the Bauhaus-trained GDR architect Richard Paulick in the 1960s, but he insisted on a modernist interior and after reunification in 1990 there were further historic renovations to the inside of the palace. Now, Deutsche Bank architects Kühn & Malvezzi have stripped its interior to the precast concrete of its 1960s design in contrast with the historical pastiche reconstruction of the Stadtschloss (City Palace), due to open at the end of 2019 as the Humboldt Forum.

Minimalist interior

During GDR days, the palace was known as the Opernpalais Unter den Linden. It housed a disco and a restaurant, both popular meeting places for East Berliners. After the Berlin Wall came down, the Operncafé became famous throughout Berlin for its huge selection of cakes and gateaux; the Queen of Sweden, Sophia Loren, Alain Delon and Placido Domigno were among star guests. On sunny summer days the outside terrace would be packed full, and in the evenings, the restaurant was frequented by audiences from the neighbouring Staatsoper. I had great affection for the place.

Photo from 2009

At the end 2011, the Operncafé had to close its doors because the rent had become too expensive. There was a great deal of consternation about what would become of the building. Berliners hoped it would be accessible to the public and continue to be part of the Unter den Linden café scene and it looks as if their wish has been granted. Deutsche Bank has renovated the historic exterior, completely transformed its interior to accommodate 750 square metres of exhibition and event space, and also included a good-sized café. The name PalaisPopulaire suggests that is a palace for the people – the fact that its name is in French entirely befits this area of Mitte and its historic French connections. Francophile Frederick the Great would be well pleased.

The neighbouring Staatsoper

After spending the afternoon at the PalaisPopulaire last week, I feel very positive about its impact on Berlin. The whole building has a light, bright feel with three generous floors of gallery space and a stunning spiral staircase. I am also confident that the café on the ground floor – and especially outside on the terrace in summer – will become quite a magnet for Berliners and for tourists alike. There may not be such a huge array of cakes as in the old days of the Operncafé, but the same confectioner is providing them and the dozen or so creations on offer were very tempting, including the specially-commissioned Prinzessin Luise Torte. The lunch and dinner menus and drinks list are equally imaginative, and the service was excellent, with efficient, cheerful staff. When the galleries close in the evening, the restaurant will remain open until 11pm.

Feature staircase

Luise’s Torte

Gift shop

The opening exhibition “The World on Paper” until 7th January is well worth a visit. It comprises 300 highlights and new discoveries from the Deutsche Bank Collection and shows the fascination that the medium of paper has exerted on artists since post-war Modernism, including famous names like Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter. There are various audio guides for adults and children with text, audio and video information on specific artworks and a . Below are a few photographs of exhibits that had personal appeal. This link will take you to a full description of the exhibition. https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/exhibitions/the-world-on-paper/

It’s important to stress that the PalaisPopulaire intends not only to mount art exhibitions, but also to showcase the Deutsche Bank’s activities in other cultural areas and in sport. There will be parkour workshops in and around the building and during exhibitions there will be music and DJ sets, with promenade concerts moving through the building. Athletes will discuss issues with actors and artists and the aim is to decidedly break away from disciplines and categories. On one floor of the current exhibition there is an installation that works with ‘Tiltbrush software’ which translates physical movements into digital brushstrokes. I tried it out for myself and experienced how athletes can create artwork that represents their own sport. It was nothing short of amazing.

The Tiltbrush technology

For further details of the PalaisPopulaire, including future events and exhibitions and how to download their App, just follow this link to their website. The PalaisPopulaire is open daily except Tuesdays and admission is free on Mondays. https://www.db-palaispopulaire.com/index_en.html