Museum Island

Museum Island

　 Guide: At the southernmost tip of the island, adjacent to the Palace Bridge and Berlin Cathedral, stands the Altes Museum (Old Museum), with the Lustgarten garden stretching out in front of it. At the northern end are the Neues Museum (New Museum) and the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery). On the western side is the Pergamonmuseum (Pergamon Museum), and on the outermost side is the Bodemuseum (Bode Museum).

This group of museums, meticulously developed over a century, saw over 70% of its structures destroyed during World War II. After the war, with the division of East and West Berlin, the museum collections were dispersed across various locations in both parts of the city. The restoration of the museums and the return of most of the original collections to their rightful places is a long-term process. In 1999, this ensemble of museums was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Highlights: Five museums

The Altes Museum was built in 1830 and designed by Schinkel. Its circular hall, crowned with a grand dome, envelops the ancient art and sculpture collections in an enchanting atmosphere. The Neues Museum was constructed between 1843 and 1859, designed by F.A. Stüler. It was built to alleviate the overcrowding of collections in the Altes Museum and once housed exhibitions on human development history. The architecture itself reflects various historical periods in tandem with the exhibits. The bombings of World War II left the Neues Museum in ruins, and its reconstruction, designed by architect David Chipperfield, is expected to be completed by 2007. The Nationalgalerie, now known as the Alte Nationalgalerie, was built from 1867 to 1876, also by Stüler and completed by Johann Heinrich Strack. Initially conceived as a “temple for scholars,” it ultimately became a repository for 19th-century German paintings. The building features a grand, wide staircase and a bronze equestrian statue of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The entire structure was renovated in the 1950s and has undergone further restoration since 1997.

The Bode Museum, built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, is a Baroque-style edifice. Its robust dome and majestic entrance hall resemble a grand ship spanning the Spree River. At the time, Wilhelm von Bode, the museum director, designed each exhibition hall to reflect the style of its respective era. The restoration of this museum is set to be completed in 2005. Its painting collection can currently be viewed at the Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) in the Cultural Forum.

The youngest structure on the island is the Pergamonmuseum, completed in 1930, which houses the magnificent Altar of Zeus, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Roman-style Gate of Miletus. Introduction: Located at Unter den Linden / Am Kupfergraben 10178 Berlin (Mitte), the Museum Island complex is a unique cultural heritage site. The five museums on the island, though diverse in form, are harmoniously unified, flanked by the Spree River on both sides, which enhances their grandeur. Phone: +49-30/242 33 33 Website: www.smb.spk-berlin.de Transport: S-Bahn (light rail): S3, S5, S7, S9, S75 to Hackescher Markt or S1, S2, S25, S3, S5, S7, S9, S75 to Friedrichstraße station; U-Bahn (subway): U6 to Friedrichstraße station; Tram: lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 53, 58; Bus: lines 100, 147, 157, 257, 348 Entrance Fees / Opening Hours: Pergamonmuseum, Altes Museum, and Alte Nationalgalerie opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00–18:00; Tuesday, Thursday 10:00–22:00. The Bode Museum is closed until 2004, and the Neues Museum until 2008 due to renovation. Ticket: Combined ticket for all national museums: €6; 3-day ticket: €10

Berlin, Germany