After the famous large aquarium in a Berlin hotel burst, the lobby there is expected to be cleared by the end of February, according to the building owner. Almost all 500 acrylic fragments had been documented, mapped and temporarily stored on pallets in the Heiligengeistgasse in the past few weeks, said Fabian Hellbusch, spokesman for the building owner, at the request of the German Press Agency.

Large parts that are still in the lobby are currently being cut up and transported outside for interim storage.

For a few days, fragments have been gradually removed from Berlin. "We are confident that the Heiligengeistgasse will be largely cleared in mid-March," said Hellbusch. With the opening of the passage, the first openings of shops that were not so badly affected would also be possible, it said. "Our goal is for individual stores to be partially operational as soon as possible, depending on official approvals." The DDR Museum is also working towards the earliest possible date for the reopening.

Experts looking for the cause

The spokesman said that removing the fragments from the quarter was logistically complex. The parts would be taken by truck to a warehouse in Brandenburg, where they would be examined by experts and where investigations into the cause would continue.

"For this purpose, the fragments in the warehouse are put together according to the cartography carried out in such a way that the overall picture may allow new or further conclusions to be drawn about the cause of the accident."

On December 16, 2022, the 16 meter high aquarium burst. The outer cylinder's several centimeter thick acrylic elements collapsed into the lobby. About a million liters 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 building were affected.