The chronicle
The history of the House of One began in 2011. This brief chronicle presents everything that has happened since then and how the idea and the project have developed over time: the project history of the House of One.
2011
In October, the association "Bet- und Lehrhaus Petriplatz e.V." is founded as the institutional sponsor of the project.
The founding members are the Jewish Community of Berlin, the Abraham Geiger College in Potsdam, the Forum for Intercultural Dialogue e.V. as the Muslim partner, the Protestant Church District of Berlin-Stadtmitte, the Protestant Parish of St. Marien-Friedrichswerder, and the State of Berlin.
In the House of One Charter, the signatories commit themselves to "strive for mutual understanding through forms of coexistence that promote peace, social justice, and the preservation of nature."
2012
ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION: The association launches an international architectural competition for the House of One. The jury includes renowned architects such as Hans Kollhoff and Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, as well as other experts like State Archaeologist Matthias Wemhoff, Orientalist Navid Kermani, and theologians such as Rauf Ceylan and Klaus von Stosch.
The winning design is submitted by the Berlin-based architecture firm Kuehn Malvezzi.
2013
MULTIRELIGIOUS PEACE PRAYER: In September 2013, Pastor Gregor Hohberg, Rabbi Tovia BenChorin, and Imam Kadir Sanci come together at the excavation site on Petriplatz for a multireligious peace prayer, united in the spirit of the association’s Charter.
From that point on, joint multireligious prayers and commemorations become an important part of the interfaith dialogue work of the House of One.
Social Participation
The House of One presents itself in various spheres of Berlin society. The discussion series "Religion and Tolerance", which takes place at venues such as the Deutsches Theater ("The House of Prayer and Learning – The Ring Parable Built in Stone") or the Berlin Police Headquarters ("Are Religions Fit for a Crime Story?"), highlights the many ways in which religions are intertwined with secular society.
2014
FOCUS ON DIALOGUE: In the autumn, a three-part event series titled "The God We Believe In – Jews, Christians, and Muslims" begins, aimed at fostering self-reflection and dialogue among the religions.
The discussions are supported with funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Monika Grütters.
CROWDFUNDING: The global crowdfunding campaign for the House of One is launched with a press conference at Petriplatz: anyone can become a co-builder of the House of One by purchasing a symbolic brick for 10 euros.
Actors Wolfgang Bahro and Adnan Maral are the first to take part.
2015
RABBI ANDREAS NACHAMA: Tovia BenChorin is called to serve as a rabbi for the Jewish community in St. Gallen. Rabbi Andreas Nachama succeeds him at the House of One.
INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING: Bishop Malkhaz is appointed as the first international project ambassador in Georgia. His Peace Academy brings together Christian, Muslim, and Yazidi children to foster friendships across religious boundaries.
EXHIBITION IN CHICAGO: The architects of the future House of One, the firm Kuehn Malvezzi, present the project and a model of the House of One at the Architecture Biennale in Chicago in the autumn of 2016.
2016
NATIONAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Federal Minister for Building Barbara Hendricks, together with the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, awards the House of One the title of "National Urban Development Project."
This distinction is accompanied by funding of 2.2 million euros.
THE HOUSE OF ONE FOUNDATION – HOUSE OF PRAYER AND LEARNING is established. It is a successor to the previous sponsor, "Bet- und Lehrhaus Petriplatz e.V.".
EXHIBITION IN PARIS
With a spatial installation of the House of One, the architecture firm Kuehn Malvezzi is invited to the cultural institution Le Centquatre in Paris starting in September. The floor plan, featuring a synagogue, church, and mosque arranged around a central gathering space, was depicted on the floor of one of the exhibition halls.
IDIZEM DIALOGUE AWARD
The Dialogue Award from the Intercultural Dialogue Center IDIZEM e.V. in Munich is presented to the House of One on November 3rd. The award recognizes the special commitment to intercultural dialogue. The award was graciously accepted by Barbara Witting, a member of the Foundation Council, and Imam Osman Örs, on behalf of all the friends of the House of One.
AMBASSADOR: NBA basketball player Enes Canter visits Berlin and advocates for the House of One.
2017
PAVILION IN WITTENBERG: At the "World Exhibition for the Reformation Anniversary" marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Nail of the Theses in Wittenberg, the House of One is also represented with a pavilion. We invite those interested to join Jewish, Christian, and Muslim celebrations, such as the breaking of the fast (see image), and provide information about our multireligious project in Berlin.
PARTNER PROJECT: Our partners in the Central African Republic, the Interreligious Peace Platform in Bangui founded by Aachen Peace Prize laureates Cardinal Nzapalainga and Imam Omar Kobine Layama, are officially appointed as project ambassadors of the House of One during their visit to Berlin.
Alongside Imam Kobine, the ambassadors include His Eminence Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga and Pastor Nicolas Guérékoyaméné-Gbango.
YOUNG HOUSE OF ONE: In the "Young House of One", the hands-on construction site for children at Petriplatz, kids can artistically express their own ideas about interreligious coexistence. This project is made possible thanks to the support of the "Alice – Museum for Children" at FEZ-Berlin, the architects from raumlabor.berlin, the landscape architects from Atelier Le Balto, and the office Kuehn Malvezzi.
2018
PAVILION IN BERLIN: The House of One receives a temporary home: The pavilion from Wittenberg is set up at Petriplatz and covered with transparent walls. Throughout the year, project presentations, discussion events, celebrations, and joint prayers will take place there.
10 MILLION EUROS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: The German Bundestag approves 10 million euros for the construction of the House of One.
Exploring Places of Worship Together, Seeking Conversations, Empathizing with Others, Getting to Know One Another – the education team of the House of One develops workshops for school classes, businesses, and adults. The demand is high.
EXHIBITIONS IN LONDON AND STOCKHOLM: The Victoria & Albert Museum in London acquires a three-dimensional model of the House of One for its collection. The foldable wooden replica is displayed in the exhibition "The Future Starts Now". The exhibition will be shown the following year at the ArkDes Museum in Stockholm.
EDUCATION TEAM: Exploring places of worship together, seeking conversations, empathizing with others – the education team of the House of One develops workshops for school classes, businesses, and adult groups. The demand is high.
STREETWORK@ONLINE: The foundation begins a collaboration with the social workers of streetwork@online to counteract the radicalization of young Muslims.
PARTICIPATION IN THE ISLAM CONFERENCE
The House of One is invited to the German Islam Conference, re-established by Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer.
2019
AWARD FOR RABBI ANDREAS NACHAMA: Rabbi Andreas Nachama is appointed chairman of the General Conference of Rabbis in Germany and, later in the year, is awarded the Mendelssohn Medal for his tireless commitment to interfaith understanding.
FUNDING FROM THE STATE OF BERLIN: The State of Berlin approves 10 million euros, just like the federal government did earlier. Together with the revenue from crowdfunding and other donations, a significant portion of the construction costs is already covered.
JOINT PEACE PRAYERS: Multireligious peace prayers following the bloody attacks in Sri Lanka and Christchurch, New Zealand, are meant to offer comfort and encouragement. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Basic Law or the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, people from various faiths and denominations gather for prayer and forms of joint remembrance at the invitation of the House of One.
EXCAVATIONS AT PETRIPLATZ: As part of archaeological excavations, excavation leader Claudia Melisch uncovers additional parts of the foundation of the old Petrikirche at the construction site.
LEASING OF THE PROPERTY: The Berlin Senate decides to grant the House of One a 99-year lease on the property at Petriplatz for a symbolic one euro.
FOUNDATION WORKS: As part of the foundation work, 71 reinforced concrete piles are driven into the construction site. The symbolic kickoff of the construction process is celebrated with representatives from the federal government and the State of Berlin.
2020
PRESENTATION OF THE SAMPLE FAÇADE: A sample façade of the brick wall of the House of One is erected at the construction site, and an exhibition is opened on the construction fence amid widespread media attention. The exhibition provides information about the work of the foundation and the concept of the three-religion project.
SCHOOL PROJECT "NATHAN CREATIVELY CONCEIVED": Due to the pandemic, the groundbreaking ceremony originally planned for April 14th, the anniversary of the premiere of Lessing’s "Nathan the Wise", is cancelled. In place of the ceremony, the nationwide school project "Nathan - Creatively Conceived" produces wonderfully creative works from students.
FOUNDING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, is the chairman of the newly established Board of Trustees, an advisory body of the House of One. In addition to former Federal President Christian Wulff, Central Council President Josef Schuster, and religious scholar Hamideh Mohagheghi, the 20-member body also includes Hetty Berg, Director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, Archbishop Heiner Koch, and religious scholar Mouhanad Khorchide.
MULTIRELIGIOUS HOUSES COME TOGETHER: The House of One establishes the "Conference of Multireligious Houses." The first – virtual – meeting is attended by projects from Bern, Hannover, Vienna, Wilhelmshaven, and Tbilisi/Georgia.
LIVING DEMOCRACY!: The House of One is supported as a model project within the framework of the federal program "Living Democracy!". The goal of the interfaith team is to counter antisemitic stereotypes among youth and young adults through innovative projects.
FUNDING FROM THE BUNDESTAG: The German Bundestag releases an additional 10 million euros for the House of One. The majority of the construction cost of 47 million euros is now covered. To raise the remaining 8 million euros, many more donors are needed to support the idea and work of the House of One.
LITURGY WORKING GROUP: In collaboration with the Institute for Liturgy Studies at the University of Leipzig, the House of One explores the question of what new spiritual-religious formats might look like, such as weddings for interfaith couples that neither mix traditions nor simply add them together.
2021
THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR THE HOUSE OF ONE IS LAID: On May 27, 2021, a ceremonial event is held in the presence of the founding communities, Governing Mayor Michael Müller, and Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble, marking the laying of the foundation stone for the House of One. Due to pandemic restrictions, the program and ceremony are streamed live on the website.
THE HOUSE OF ONE PODCAST: The House of One Podcast begins with the episode "331 - 3 Women, 3 Religions, 1 Topic," hosted by Rebecca Rogowski, Maike Schöfer, and Kübra Dalkilic. Together, the three women explore questions surrounding their religions and beliefs. The project is supported as part of the federal program "Living Democracy!" by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.
