dpa
Berlin
The lobby of a Berlin hotel, where a famous large aquarium burst in December, spilling out vast quantities of water and fish, is expected to be cleared by the end of February, according to the building’s owner.
Almost all of the 500 acrylic fragments have been documented, mapped and temporarily stored on pallets in the covered arcade next to the hotel in recent weeks, Fabian Hellbusch, spokesman for the building owner, told dpa. The large pieces that were still in the lobby were currently being cut up and transported outside for temporary storage.
For several days now, broken pieces have been gradually being transported out of Berlin. “We are confident that we will have the Heiligegeistgasse [covered arcade] largely cleared by mid-March,” said Hellbusch.
With the opening of the passage, it would in principle also be possible to open the first shops that were not so badly affected, they said. “Our goal is to have individual shops partially open as soon as possible, depending on official approvals.”
The nearby East German Museum is also working towards the earliest possible date for reopening.
The removal of the fragments from the neighbourhood is logistically complex, the spokesperson said. The pieces would be taken by truck to a storage facility in the state of Brandenburg next to Berlin, where they would be further examined by experts and where the investigations into the cause would continue.
“For this purpose, the fragments will be put together in the warehouse according to the mapping carried out so that new or further conclusions about the cause of the accident can possibly be drawn from the overall picture.” On December 16, 2022, the 16-metre-high aquarium burst. The acrylic elements of the outer cylinder, which are several centimetres thick, collapsed into the lobby. About 1 million litres of water poured into the hotel lobby and onto the street, among other places. Two people were slightly injured. Almost all of the 1,500 fish in the tank died.
There was considerable damage, several shops in the DomAquarée shopping arcade where the hotel is located were affected. The area is in the heart of Berlin’s tourism district, next to the landmark TV tower, Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island and the Red City Hall.
