Humboldt Forum – Berlin Palace

You are now standing in front of the entrance to the new Humboldt Forum. Yet, the Baroque façade before you belongs to the former Berliner Schloss, in other words Berlin Palace. The first version of this palace was built in the 15th century for Elector Frederick II. Back then, the Holy Roman Empire, had seven prince-electors—the highest-ranking nobles—who had the exclusive right to vote for the emperor. Frederick II belonged to the powerful Hohenzollern dynasty, a ruling family dating back to the 11th century, which explains how he was able to build his own castle. Over the course of 900 years, the Hohenzollerns rose to power, reigning as German Emperors, Kings of Prussia and Romania, as well as prince-electors, counts, margraves, and burgraves, which were military titles that became aristocratic. I think by now you’ve understood how influential they used to be. Therefore, the Berlin Palace was their imperial residence, expanded and renovated multiple times until the 19th century. However, the Hohenzollerns’ decline began with the defeat of Germany and its allies after World War I. In 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate and fled to the Netherlands. With the fall of the dynasty, Germany became a republic : the Weimar Republic. The palace was then nationalized and repurposed as a museum and administrative center.