Berlin 31-12-2009
The so-called “Allied” Museum in Berlin which will celebrate its 50th anniversary soon and is already on the look-out for a new and larger location after outgrowing its premises.
The present museum building was opened in 1994 after all the occupying powers, namely the US, Britain, France and the USSR had left Berlin.
Getting circa 70,000 visitors per year, the Allied Museum has become a victim of mass tourism to Berlin and the recent 20th anniversary of the dismantling of the Berlin wall.
With a full-time staff of 6 people, and an annual budget of almost 1 ½ million Euros, the museums’ present facilities are limited and presently spread over two separate buildings.
Museum officials would like to move the museum to the recently closed Tempelhof airport.
However this is controversial and competing proposals for this huge vast empty space in the middle of one of Europe’s most important cities will mean changing the present plans – arrived at only after much infighting, disagreement and discord.
Some plans for the 1,000 acres site have also included the building of a complete film studio, and a centre for creative industries, equipped with 5,000 up-scale apartments and a park.
Recently the city of Berlin has agreed to a long-term lease of a major portion of the existing buildings of the old airport for the ‘Bread and Butter’ fashion trade fair which exhibits twice each year.
