Overview
- The broadcasters will air Lutz Pehnert’s film in two cuts, with ARD showing a 45‑minute version late Monday at 23:50 and RBB running the full 90‑minute documentary Tuesday at 20:15.
- Interviewees include politician Gregor Gysi, singer Frank Schöbel and journalist Elke Bitterhof, who recall the building’s uses and the fights over its fate.
- The Palast opened on April 23, 1976 as Erich Honecker’s showcase, serving as East Berlin’s political and cultural hub with the Volkskammer, restaurants and major concerts.
- Authorities ordered the complex closed on September 19, 1990 because of heavy asbestos use reported at more than 700 tonnes, and parliament in 2002 backed demolition and a rebuilt Stadtschloss, with pieces now displayed in the Humboldt Forum.
- The film revisits a split over why it vanished, as some say politics erased a GDR landmark while former Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen and others call the asbestos risk decisive.