Sunny Anniversary Full of Confidence
With a spring festival at Berlin’s Petriplatz on May 26, 2026, the House of One celebrated two milestones at once: five years after the laying of the foundation stone, hundreds of guests gathered to mark the occasion – and a successful donation-matching campaign raised more than 200,000 euros for construction and educational work.
Five years ago, the foundation stone was laid at Petriplatz for a project unlike any other in the world: a building in which a synagogue, church and mosque will stand side by side under one roof – connected by a shared space for dialogue and encounter. Many visitors have been following the project for years. The spring festival made clear just how strong the connection to the House of One has become.
More than 200,000 euros for construction and interfaith education
The highlight of the day was the presentation of a symbolic cheque by the Bethe Foundation and the HeLe Avus Foundation. The two foundations doubled the donations collected within just three months, amounting to 114,906.67 euros, and contributed an additional 87,813.80 euros. This brings the total now available to the House of One to 202,720.37 euros. Half of the funds will go toward the construction of the building, while the other half will support the foundation’s interfaith educational work.
“This fantastic success shows us that peaceful coexistence between different religions and social cohesion truly matter to many people – contrary to what the news often suggests,” said Rabbi Andreas Nachama.
The fundraising campaign “Team Spirit – Different Beliefs, Common Action” was initiated by the House of One together with the Berlin Recycling Volleys. Managing Director Kaweh Niroomand launched the campaign with a donation of 3,000 euros.
Simplified planning aims to keep construction costs stable
There has also been progress regarding the construction project itself. After building costs had risen significantly for a time, the foundation revised and simplified the plans last year. The goal remains to stay within the approximately 40 million euros approved jointly by the federal government and the state of Berlin.
The revised plans are expected to be coordinated with funding partners by mid-2026, followed by the final planning phase. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in early 2028, with completion planned for 2030.
Prayers for peace, history and music at Petriplatz
The celebration was opened by Rabbi Andreas Nachama, Pastor Marion Gardei and Imam Osman Örs with speeches and a shared prayer for peace.
Marion Gardei emphasized that the House of One is far more than just a building: “The Bible contains a beautiful image of a house made of living stones – and those stones are the people who voluntarily commit themselves to the House of One.”
Visitors also showed great interest in the guided tours led by archaeologist Claudia Melisch on the history of Petriplatz. Together with artist Andrea Wallgren, guests created peace messages on wooden panels, which were then attached to the construction fence – further expanding the House of One’s open-air peace library.
Musical accompaniment was provided by the student band of the Wilhelmstadtschulen Berlin-Spandau and the Dresden-based ensemble Coexister.
Among the guests were Petra Pau, Ephraim Gothe, as well as representatives of the Zentralkomitee der deutschen Katholiken, the Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin and the initiative Coexister.