designed by Peter Rockel for the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin in 1975, manufactured by Kombinat Leuchtenbau, GDR, chromium plated steel, hand-blown globular transparent glass shades, each length 170 cm. (DR)

A modular system that can be disassembled into its individual parts and variably mounted. Inspired by the ”Light System 2000” by the Kinkeldey.

Lit.: M. Holfelder, Palast der Republik. Aufstieg und Fall eines symbolischen Gebäudes, Berlin - P. Müller, “Dialektik der Elektrik”, in: AD, October 2008, Best of Germany, p. 268.

Provenance: Palace of the Republic, Berlin, GDR.

The Palace of the Republic was opened with a gala on 23 April 1976. Its supervising architect had been Heinz Graffunder. In late 1975, as many as 9,372 globular elements were assembled to form larger modules. For seventeen years, the building accommodated the Parliament of the German Democratic Republic and was above all used as a venue for cultural events. After the fall of the GDR in 1989, the building remained vacant as a “ruin of the reunification” and has meanwhile been dismantled in a period of three years. Today, most of the lamps are stored in Bonn. Parts of the building’s inventory, such as tableware and furniture, are marketed via retail stores in Berlin. Several modules are preserved in the collection of the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.