Sometimes the future of a place is decided not with a big bang, but with an extension. At Alexanderplatz, for example: Here it was announced on Wednesday that the Galeria department store would be allowed to stay a little longer. The so-called user agreement will now continue until the end of March 2027. For the approximately 350 employees, this means: taking a deep breath. For the Central and State Library (ZLB) it means something else: more time for a big hit.
Because with the extension the idea of bringing the library to the Alex gains space. The ZLB’s move has been fantasized, calculated, rejected and rethought in Berlin for ages. The plan now: mixed use. A – possibly shrunken – department store under one roof with a large library.
“Both Galeria and we think that a department store and a library would go well together in this location,” says Milena Jovanović, ZLB press spokeswoman. “We would actually benefit from each other.” Between the escalator and the reading room, between the winter coat and world literature? “Well,” laughs Jovanović, “the whole thing would probably be a little more defined.”
The Galeries Lafayette on Friedrichstrasse was recently discussed as a new location
For ZLB it would be more than just a move. It would be the end of a permanent provisional arrangement. For years it has been spread across several locations: the house on Blücherplatz, the one on Breite Straße, and the outdoor magazine on Westhafen. The buildings are getting old, bursting at the seams.
The idea of relocating the ZLB is not new. Most recently, the Galeries Lafayette on Friedrichstrasse were under discussion. In the end the project failed, not least because of money.
How do you pay the rent?
And the financial hurdles have not simply disappeared at Alexanderplatz either. The question is: How do you pay the rent? How can such a project be managed sustainably? Negotiations are ongoing in the Senate. Sarah Wedl-Wilson, Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, is in charge. Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises, is also promoting the location. You can feel: This isn’t just about money. It is also about a decision on direction in a city in which non-commercial spaces for education, culture and exchange are becoming increasingly scarce.
Because Alexanderplatz is currently primarily disparate. Tourist magnet with television tower and world clock, transfer point, consumer mile – and for years a place where a lot of misery and crime has taken place. It’s a drafty place where most Berliners don’t like to stay.
A large library that integrates the space, an open living room for urban society: that could change Alex. But it is still a thing of the future. First of all, the Galeria stays a little longer. And the library only has more space for one thing: to continue fighting.