Berlin, Mitte, Schlossplatz, Neuer Marstall

The Neuer Marstall ( en, New Stables) is a

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

historic building in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

located on the Schloßplatz and the Spree River. Completed in 1901 and facing the former Royal Palace, the neo-Baroque "New Stables" once sheltered the Royal equerry, horses and carriages of

Imperial Germany The German Empire (), Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditar ...

.Berlin National Heritage list
retrieved 23-Feb-2012 The complex also included three enclosed courtyards, a riding school, and the Knights College. At the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, this was where revolutionaries hatched plans that brought down the

Hohenzollern dynasty The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...

during the German Revolution of 1918–1919. Severely damaged in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the building was partially repaired in the 1960s and used as an exhibition space for the Berlin Academy of Arts. After more renovations in 2005, the building became the home of the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music and the Berlin City Library. More restoration work has continued since 2007.

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarke ...

lists the Neuer Marstall at number 79 in their 815 "things to do" in Berlin.

History

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-11767-0001, Berlin, Marstall, Ruine, Dachstuhl

The Old Royal Stables (german: Alter Marstall) of the Prussian Kings were constructed in 1670 to a design by

Johann Gregor Memhardt Johann Gregor Memhardt or Memhard (1607 in Linz an der Donau – 1678 in Berlin) was a master builder, architect and politician. Life Memhardt emigrated from Linz to the Netherlands in 1622, where he probably learned the art of fortification. He ...

. As the role of equerry grew and the stables reached 300 horses, as well as state carriages and sleighs, the buildings became inadequate. These were incorporated into the expanded New Stables (german: Neuer Marstall) built between 1897 and 1901 according to Neo-Baroque designs by Wilhelmine architect

Ernst von Ihne Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (1975- ...

. The four-storey building was given a

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

façade: the lower two floors on a rusticated base and the upper two floors in a colossal ionic order. The main façade facing the

Berlin City Palace The Berlin Palace (german: Berliner Schloss), formally the Royal Palace (german: Königliches Schloss), on the Museum Island in the Mitte area of Berlin, was the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 to 1918. Expanded by order of ...

was divided by a central projection with pairs of columns and a crowning pediment. Rich sculptural decoration and the gable reliefs were by Otto Lessing (sculptor), including the "Horse Tamers" group on the Spree pediment.Markus Sebastian Braun (ed): ''Berlin – Guide to the Architecture'' (München: ECON Ullstein Publishing Group Ltd., 2001) , p. 81 During the November Revolution of 1918 the People's Navy Division (german: Volksmarinedivision) was stationed in the building, leading to the Christmas Crisis. On the establishment of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

the Neuer Marstell became the Berlin City Library and the old horse stables in the Spree wing were converted into a book depository.The New Stables Then and Now
nbsp;– Documentation of the Central and Regional Library Berlin retrieved 02-29-2012. After

the complex was mainly a ruin. It was partly repaired by the East Berlin government from 1950–54 and then further restored in 1961–65. The triangular gable and sculptural details on the Palace facade were replaced with an attic, resulting in a simplified appearance. The elaborate gable on the Spree side with the Horse Tamers sculpture group remained. During this period the building served as an exhibition space for the Akademie der Künste der DDR. In 1988, two bronze reliefs were installed in the large corner niches on the Palace Square facade on the 70th anniversary of the November Revolution.

Current use

After German reunification in 1990 and renovations in 2005, the building became home to the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music, one of Europe's most prestigious conservatories. More renovation work saw a cleaned and restored facade facing

Palace Square Palace Square ( rus, Дворцо́вая пло́щадь, r=Dvortsovaya Ploshchad, p=dvɐˈrtsovəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ), connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersb ...

(german: Schloßplatz). The

Berlin Senate The Senate of Berlin (german: Berliner Senat) is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to ten senators appoint ...

Department for Urban Development estimates that the Neuer Marstell will again achieve reasonable architectural appearance in relation to Palace Square after completion of more restoration and the reconstruction of the

.Press Release on Neuer Marstall facade renovations, 08 Nov 2007
Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development retrieved 02-29-2012.

Gallery

File:Berlin Kurfuerstenbruecke 1900.jpg, 1900 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-F0427-0201-001, Berlin, Marstall.jpg, 1967 File:2006-09-10 Marstall01.jpg, Detail of the Spree facade File:2006-09-10 Marstall03.jpg, Gable detail by Otto Lessing:

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

taming the horses.

References

External links

Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler
Official Website {{coord, 52, 31, 0.37, N, 13, 24, 13.26, E, region:DE-BE_type:landmark, display=title Stables Buildings and structures in Berlin Baroque Revival architecture Infrastructure completed in 1901 1901 establishments in Germany Prussian cultural sites