The Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic) opened in 1976 as a meeting place for the East German people and an emblem of the future. The building's dazzling public lobby, surrounded by several tiers, was once the center of East Berlin's social life. Later, thousands of citizens demonstrated against the planned demolition and hoped the building would be protected against historical censorship, but alas, one day, twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, the Palace completely disappeared.—Anonymous