Visitors to Berlin shouldn’t miss Berlin’s Museum Island. Even though the museums contain thousands of years of history, the creation of the island filled with museums has a historical past too. Over 170 years ago, the concept of an island of museums had its beginning. The first museum, the Altes, was already in place at the location. By 1859, two museums were complete with the addition of the Neues Museum. The last three, completing the island of five museums, occurred over the next 71 years with the Alte Nationalgalerie (1876), the Bode Museum (opening in 1904 as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum) and finally, the Pergamon Museum (1930).
Visitors to Berlin shouldn’t miss Berlin’s Museum Island. Even though the museums contain thousands of years of history, the creation of the island filled with museums has a historical past too. Over 170 years ago, the concept of an island of museums had its beginning. The first museum, the Altes, was already in place at the location. By 1859, two museums were complete with the addition of the Neues Museum. The last three, completing the island of five museums, occurred over the next 71 years with the Alte Nationalgalerie (1876), the Bode Museum (opening in 1904 as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum) and finally, the Pergamon Museum (1930).
During WWII destroyed over 70 percent of the museums, but the restoration of Museum Island recently brought the area back to its original glory and coordinated the exhibitions for the benefit of the visitors. In 1999, the island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll find everything from ancient artifacts, including reconstructions of ancient buildings, to artwork in the museums, but the area also has other attractions that should be on anyone’s “must see” list, such as the Berlin Cathedral. To maximize your time in the area, renting apartments in Berlin can be beneficial.
The Alte Nationalgalerie—Old National Gallery–has one of the largest collections of paintings and sculpture from the 1800s. It offers the art lover some of the finest neoclassical, romantic and impressionistic works by artists such as Freidrich, Schinkel, Monet or Manet. Like many of the museums and landmarks in Germany, damage to the museum nearly destroyed this building. However, in 2001 after extensive renovations, the museum reopened.
The Altes Museum—the Old Museum—houses artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome today but held the royal family’s collection of art, originally. The name is appropriate since it is the oldest of the museums on the island. It looks like a Greek temple with large columns in front and statues, which is befitting for a museum with such a display. It’s gone through multiple restorations with more planned for the future.
For those whom love ancient Egyptian history and prehistory finds, the Neues Museum should be at the top of the list for sightseeing. Some of the special exhibits include a celebration of the 100th anniversary of finding the bust of Nefertiti with the exhibit showing artifacts from her time so the viewer can get a clearer picture of what life must have been like while she lived. There is also a display of early German and Russian cultural items.
You’ll marvel at the design of the Bode Museum and the story of its restoration. The intricate details of this marvellous building required painstaking refurbishment after the damage from WWII. It was worth the effort, since in 2006, the museum reopened with the building back to its magnificence. It houses a huge collection of coins, sculpture and some grand works of art.
The final museum housed on Museum Island is the Pergamon. Within this museum are buildings reconstructed with parts from Turkey and other areas of the world. These originally sized buildings are the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the Mashatta Facade and the Pergamon Alter. However, that’s not all held at the Pergamon. Three of the wings hold the Antiquity collection, the Islamic Art Museum and the Middle East Museum.
You can save a considerable amount by purchasing a Berlin WelcomeCard, which is a ticket for public transportation as well as providing discounts for various services and highlights of the area. A guide to the area also comes with the WelcomeCard. You can also purchase a Berlin WelcomeCard Museumsinsel that permits one free entry into the museums on Museum Island. You’ll find that staying close to the museums in Berlin apartments also can save valuable time lost in travel.
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