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From the Round Table to the parliamentary chamber in the Palace of the Republic

Sturzlage, 2019 – Gestapelte Stühle

Sturzlage, 2019 – Gestapelte Stühle

© Gabi Dolff-Bonekämper, Sturzlage, 2019

In 1989/90, two locations in Berlin played a decisive role in setting the course for the democratic awakening: firstly, at the Central Round Table near Schönhausen Palace in Pankow. From December 1989 to March 1990, representatives of the citizens’ movements and political parties met there to discuss a new political beginning.  

Following the free People’s Chamber elections on 18 March 1990, the parliamentary chamber in the Palace of the Republic became the venue for debates. It was here that the GDR’s first democratically legitimised representative body convened, wrestled with its own path forward and decided to join the Federal Republic of Germany. The chamber disappeared when the Palace of the Republic was demolished. 

To mark Berlin Freedom Week 2026, we are turning our attention to these significant sites of the Peaceful Revolution through the ORTS event and the installation ‘Sturzlage’. 

Gabi Dolff-Bonekämper, one of the most prominent voices in Berlin’s culture of remembrance, traces the history and significance of these two places in her lecture. She asks why their story is so rarely told today and why the democratic potential of the Central Round Table and the Free People’s Chamber remains relevant. 

- Venue: Mechanische Arena

- Admission: free

- Language: German

- Wheelchair accessible

Running alongside the event, the installation “Sturzlage” will be on display in the foyer from 7–16 November 2026:

Sturzlage 

In 1989/90, crucial decisions shaping the democratic awakening were taken at the Central Round Table at Schönhausen Palace in Pankow. From December 1989 to March 1990, representatives of the citizens’ movements and political parties met there to discuss a new political beginning. This important phase of the peaceful revolution is scarcely visible to the public today. 

Whilst searching for physical traces of the Round Table, the creator of the installation, Gabi Dolff-Bonekämper, found the discarded chairs from the Round Table in a shed in Pankow; they had slid into a disorderly heap. The installation ‘Sturzlage’ is a reconstruction of the disorder discovered in 2018. To mark Berlin Freedom Week, the Humboldt Forum is presenting this striking installation, which has previously been exhibited in Bonn and Leipzig, amongst other places. 

- Dates: 7–16 November 2026 

- Admission: free

- Venue: Foyer

- Wheelchair accessible

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