The Humboldt Forum in Berlin, the largest cultural development in Europe and the most ambitious in Germany this century, has announced its plans for opening to the public in 2021.

The Humboldt Forum, developed over the last decade on a key historic site at the heart of the city, occupying a floor area of 30,000 square metres, is conceived as a space that brings together the arts and sciences in a contemporary dialogue, the first of its kind in Europe. Inspired and informed by the spirit of Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt, perhaps Germany’s greatest thinkers on education, culture, science and nature, it will be home to four partners working together, each offering a unique experience to the visitor.

The partners are the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) responsible for Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin State Museums); Kulturprojekte Berlin (Cultural Projects Berlin); the Stadtmuseum Berlin (City Museum Berlin); and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Humboldt University), working with the building’s owner and operator, the Stiftung Humboldt Forum (Humboldt Forum Foundation).

Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director of the Humboldt Forum, said today: “We are delighted to be able to announce the plans for our inaugural year, together with our partner institutions, which will unfold progressively over the course of 2021. There will be exhibitions and events, guided tours and talks, dance and film as well as the simple opportunity to enjoy exploring the building and all that it offers. The focus of the programme will be on current socio-political topics right from the outset reflecting Humboldt Forum’s three core themes – the history and architecture of the site, the Humboldt brothers and colonialism and coloniality.”

Programme of the opening year:
The curtain will be raised on the completed building and a permanent exhibition on the history of the site on 17 December 2020, when visitors can discover the spectacular public spaces including the Schlüter Courtyard, the 35-metre-high atrium, and the Central Passage.

Have a Seat! An exhibition for children, an experiential exhibition for young children and their families, across the ground floor of the Humboldt Forum.
(3 January – 24 October 2021)
Presented by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum (Humboldt Forum Foundation)

After Nature, an interactive exhibition examining the complex interrelationships between environmental changes and social upheavals.  The exhibition is presented in the Humboldt Lab on the first floor, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s radical new space for public engagement with the sciences, a platform for dialogue in an increasingly complex world.
(Open from 7 January 2021)
Presented by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Humboldt University)

BERLIN GLOBAL, a state-of-the-art immersive exhibition on the first floor, which explores the city of Berlin and its connections with the world.
(Open from 16 January 2021)
Presented by Kulturprojekte Berlin (Cultural Projects Berlin) and the Stadtmuseum Berlin (City Museum Berlin)

Terrible Beauty. Elephant – Human - Ivory, the Humboldt Forum Foundation’s first major exhibition, which will be accompanied by a series of events and talks.
(13 May – 24 October 2021)
Presented by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum (Humboldt Forum Foundation)

The Ethnologisches Museum (Ethnological Museum) and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum), will feature over 20,000 exhibits from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas on the second and third floors of the Humboldt Forum.
(West Wing: Open from Late Summer 2021)
(East Wing: Open from Late 2021/Early 2022)
Presented by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin State Museums)
The Humboldt Forum will include cafes, shops and restaurants, as well as opening up a new public route through the city, attracting visitors to explore other key sites in the centre of the city such as Museum Island and contributing to the broader goals of a unified cultural quarter in Berlin.

Humboldt Forum
Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin, Germany
www.humboldtforum.org
#humboldtforum