9Museumsinsel (Museum’s Island)
Considering that Berlin has more than 140 museums, this area is just a tiny part of it. But, the consort of museums found on the Museum Island is a unique cultural inheritance which unites five important museum buildings into a heterogeneous but harmonic ensemble on the River Spree. The oldest museum complex in Berlin suffered more than 70 % destruction in the Second World War. The painstaking work of restoration is a long way from being completed. The island contains the following five edifices:
„Alte Museum,“ built in 1830. Its interior, particularly the domed rotunda, creates a wonderful atmosphere for the sculpture exhibited and the collection of ancient artworks.
„Neue Museum,“ built from 1843-1859, to relieve the Alte Museum. The interior design presents the history of humankind. It is decorated in historical styles which relate directly to the objects exhibited and the epochs they represent.
„Alte Nationalgalerie“, built from 1867-1976 as a ‚Temple of the Sciences‘. The building, with its large external staircase and bronze statue of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. on horseback, was rebuilt in the 1950s and has been undergoing expensive restoration since 1997.
„Bodemuseum,“ built end of 19th century. With its imposing dome and splendid entrance hall, the building seems to traverse the Spree like a ship. The interior contains several rooms, whose are individually created in a style appropriate to the epoch exhibited there.
„Pergamonmuseum,“ built in 1930, 100 years after the first edifice on this island. It contains the Roman gate from Milet, the Altar of Zeus from Pergamon, and the Processional Avenue and Gate of Ishtar from Babylon.
If you, however, would like to see more museums than these four alone, I recommend buying the „3-day Museumpass,“ which cost 12 EUR (reduced: 6 EUR). With it you can visit 70 of the 140 museums on three consecutive opening days.
