Tunnel vision
As Germany's rejuvenated capital city, Berlin has no shortage of grand plans. But such schemes are often derailed by one inescapable fact—the city-state is broke. The latest victim is a proposal for refurbishing Museum Island, a site of five excellent but dilapidated museums in central Berlin, including the popular Pergamon. David Chipperfield, a British architect, has designed a single entrance for the complex, allowing visitors to move around via a series of underground tunnels. The Foundation for Prussian Cultural Heritage, which oversees the site, insists that this scheme is necessary and has promised to raise private donations. But it seems the site's proximity to the Spree river may pose costly problems. Germany's federal government, which had previously promised €1 billion to the island, has balked at the predicted extra cost of €130m [The Economist].
