Many legends surround the archaeological finds and remains of Schinkel’s Bauakademie. One of these legends is that most of the building components still exist, because the GDR leadership had planned in the 1950s to faithfully rebuild the building on another site in Berlin-Mitte after the demolition. In point of fact, multiple repositories of the archaeological finds and remains exist in both the eastern and western parts of the city as a result of the turmoil of Germany’s postwar history. Building remnants from dismantling, demolition and archaeological excavations are stored in part in archives and museums and in part in Berlin Monument Authority depots. It is likely that a considerable number of original parts are also in private hands, because building remnants of the Bauakademie were traded like trophies in the early 1960s. How many original architectural elements still exist is unknown.
A study will now document all the accessible remains of the historic Bauakademie. The sponsor of the study and its commissioning body is the Federal Bauakademie Foundation in cooperation with the Berlin Monument Authority. After the inventory has been made, all the finds and remains will be digitally documented for further use. The study will form a basis for the Competition think tank, in which the Federal Foundation is developing the criteria for the architectural design competition.
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