Neuer Marstall

Southeast of Schlossplatz, the 1901 neo-baroque Neuer Marstall (New Stables) by Ernst von Ihne once sheltered royal horses and carriages. In 1918, revolutionaries hatched their plans to bring about the end of the Hohenzollern monarchy here. One of the bronze reliefs on the northern façade shows Karl Liebknecht proclaiming (unsuccessfully) the German socialist republic from the balcony of the Berlin City Palace. The building is currently converted into the new home of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, a prestigious music academy. The Neuer Marstall is an extension of the 1670 Alter Marstall (Old Stables; also on Breite Strasse), which is Berlin’s oldest baroque building. It rubs shoulders with the Ribbeckhaus, the city’s only surviving Renaissance structure. Both are now home to public libraries.