Karl Friedrich Schinkel and the burning of Moscow

The exhibition is dedicated to Schinkel’s oeuvre regarding the history of architecture and building aesthetics, as well as the entire Schinkel art universe, newly appraised and translated into descriptive arrangements of art works with special attention given to the transformation achievements of the early historism period. According to Schinkel, “History and Poetry” exceed pure function and material value and as a consequence elevate a piece of work to a work of art. Enlightenment, romanticist and classicist notions flash up in those two terms. Schinkel restaged the burning of the city of Moscow on 6 September 1812 and created a sophisticated optical diorama, which was enthusiastically received by the Berlin audience. The exhibition will open with a reconstruction of this impressive construction.