Overview

Post-war urban planners loathed the gloomy, densely populated inner-city ghettos - relics of 19th Century poverty - which were until recently prevalent in most major European cities. They dreamed of open spaces and expansive city centers. With this goal in mind, architects began work in 1960 to construct a modern art and cultural center in the heart of West Berlin. Scharoun's futuristic Philharmonie, Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie and the Gemäldegalerie were all erected as part of a 'Cultural Forum'. Later additions were the State Library, the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the Musical Instruments Museum.