The damage caused by Allied air raids and the Battle of Berlin was not fully cleared away until the early 1960s; in the process, the five-story northern section of the Europahaus—including the Dance Pavilion—was removed. The building, which was federal property, was designated by the Adenauer Cabinet for the “national preservation of East German culture” and entrusted as a headquarters to an organization representing displaced persons. Following the construction of the Berlin Wall, the building served as one of the first points of contact for refugees arriving from the GDR. In 1974, it was renamed the Deutschlandhaus—a name that remains displayed on its façade to this day.
The “Landsmannschaften” (regional associations) affiliated with the Federation of Expellees maintained their offices in the Deutschlandhaus until federal funding for the organization was discontinued at the end of 1999. The building was subsequently designated as the headquarters for the Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation, an institution established by the Federal Government.
Beginning in 2009, the Deutschlandhaus underwent renovation and expansion—based on a design by architects Bernhard and Stefan Marte from Vorarlberg, Austria—to serve as the Exhibition, Documentation, and Information Center for the Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation. The building wings facing Stresemannstraße and running along Anhalter Straße, featuring heritage-listed facades, were preserved; the remainder of the building was replaced by a contemporary museum structure.
The costs for this federally funded project are estimated at 30 million euros. In addition to a permanent exhibition spanning 1,200 square meters, a smaller area has been designated for temporary exhibitions. The Berlin regional chapter of the Federation of Expellees (Bund der Vertriebenen) is headquartered here. Until 1999, various other regional associations were also represented within the Deutschlandhaus. From 2000 onwards, new institutions took up residence there, such as the administrative office of the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
In early 2013, the dining establishments located on the ground floor were closed. On June 11, 2013—marking the commencement of construction—Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel was among the dignitaries in attendance. The inauguration of the Documentation Center was originally scheduled for 2018.
The renovation project was estimated to take three years. The building’s historicist-Expressionist façade—a designated heritage landmark adorned with red sandstone—was preserved; however, the original historical windows were not reconstructed. Inside, a light-filled, modern museum structure was created, featuring a foyer, exhibition halls, and gallery spaces. To accommodate this, the existing inner courtyard was enclosed. The exhibition aims to present “the causes, course, and consequences of ethnic cleansing” in 20th-century Europe. Following disputes regarding the center’s thematic focus—as well as several changes in the leadership of its Board of Trustees, which resulted in delays—the Documentation Center finally opened in the summer of 2021.
[caption id="attachment_23563" align="alignleft" width="590"] "Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product" by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, king of Bhutan. Slogan on a wall in Thimphu's School of Traditional Arts. Photo: Mario Biondi[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK E...
