MUSEUM ISLAND

Berlin's Museum Island was designed to be "a sanctuary of art and science".It was granted a UNESCO National Heritage Site status in the year 1999

The five museums that comprise Berlin's famous Museum Island are located between the Spree River and the Kupfergraben.

The Museums
1. The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) re-opened in 2001. It owns one of the largest collections of 19th century sculpture and paintings in Germany. 

covered walkway infront of the National Museum

 

 

 

 

2. Altes Museum,
German display of French Impressionist pieces. the Old Museum (Altes Museum) now houses ancient Greek and Roman artifacts though it was originally built to display the treasures of the royal family. 

3. The Bode Museum reopened in 2006 after almost 10 years of renovation. The museum boasts a large collection of sculptures, one of the world's largest numismatic collections and a selection of paintings from the Gemäldegalerie.

 

 4. The Neues Museum reopened in 2009 and houses a collection of prehistoric, early history and Egyptian works of Art. It is connected to the Altes Museum via a walkway. The museum's most famous artifact is the bust of Queen Nefertiti.

 

 5.  Pergamon Museum, you'll find a collection of Greek and Babylonian antiquities including the impressive Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the enormous Pergamon Altar.

 

 Other important buildings on the island includes:

1. the Dom, Berlin's protestant Cathedral, built at the end of the 18th century as the counterpart of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

 2.Stadtschloss.. Right next to the cathedral , is a  19th century palace.

      In 1950, the building - which was considered a symbol of Prussian militarism - was demolished by the East Germans and in 1976 it was replaced by the Palast der Republik which, in turn, was also demolished, in 2006, after the reunification of Germany. In 2007 a project to rebuild the Stadtschloss was approved by the parliament.

the Museum Island- photo taken at the Fernsehturm Tower

3. the Marstall-adjacent to the old palace, is  the royal stables. The large baroque building is just a wing of the former complex that was built in 1669 by the Dutch architect Michael Matthias Smids. The building is now used as a library and archive.

German teens in their funky dresses and hair wigs

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