Gästebuch

January 3, 2009 The New York Times 620 8TH AVENUE New York, New York ATTENTION: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sirs: I refer to the article entitled \"Rebuilding a Palace May Become a Grand Blunder\" in the Arts section of the Times for January 1, 2009. I strongly disagree with the tone and content of this article. It seems to have been written strictly from the standpoint of the two groups who are fanatically opposed to the project (even after it was debated exhaustively for years and approved by the German Bundestag by over a two thirds majority) namely, a group of hard core East German communists and the disgruntled architects who have been denied the opportunity to build yet another out of place modern monument to their own egos. There are many things with which I disagree but I will limit myself to three points. First, contrary to the author\'s assertions, it is my understanding that current opinion polls show that 59% of all Berliners, both East and West, approve of the project. Indeed, the highest approval figures are found among the 18 to 30 year olds where it stands at 70%! Only 5% of city inhabitants regret the demolition of the so-called Palace of the Republic, a nondescript eyesore if ever there was one. Second, the Humboldt Forum concept has been highly praised and enthusiastically adopted because it will display Berlin\'s vast non-European cultural holdings, presently housed in decaying inadequate buildings in the suburb of Dahlem. This will provide a perfect counterpart to the five existing museums of western art and culture on Museum Island. Concurrently, the building will restore the historic appearance of the very heart of the city from which the whole urban complex grew. The article calls the Palace \"fake\". I wonder if the author would also denigrate the rebuilding of the old town in Warsaw by the Poles or the reconstruction of the famous campanile in St. Marks Square, Venice or the rebuilding of the monastery of Monte Casino, all of them totally destroyed? Third the article disparages Francesco Stella as \"little known\". In reality it is my understanding that he is well-known for historic restoration work and his design was unanimously approved by the 15 member architectural competition commission precisely because it provided a seamless melding of the historic palace facades with the new structural elements! I find it a disservice to American readers, who are unfamiliar with the history of the project, to publish an article which apparently gives only one side of a complex matter. I suggest that the author should have interviewed people like Dr. Hermann Parzinger, the President of the Foundation for Prussian Cultural Heritage and gotten some additional facts. Sincerely, PS: In the war of 1812, the British utterly destroyed the White House, yet we meticulously rebuilt it. Then during the Truman years, the entire interior, floors and all, was gutted and redone. Only the facades remained. Therefore, according to the logic of your article, our President now lives in a \"FAKE\" White House!