Home Destinations Europe Germany Berlin Sights Museumsinsel

Museumsinsel Review

Read our Berlin sights reviews. Or post your own.

Museumsinsel

Address: Entrance to Museumsinsel: Am Kupfergraben, Mitte, Berlin | Map It
Phone: 030/2661 -; 030/2090-5577
www.smb.museum

Museum Island

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: Mitte: Unter den Linden to Alexanderplatz

Write a review

Fodor's Review:

On the site of one of Berlin's two original settlements, this unique complex of four state museums, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an absolute must.

The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery, entrance on Bodestrasse) houses an outstanding collection of 18th-, 19th-, and early-20th-century paintings and sculptures. Works by Cézanne, Rodin, Degas, and one of Germany's most famous portrait artists, Max Liebermann, are part of the permanent exhibition. Its Galerie der Romantik (Gallery of Romanticism) collection has masterpieces from such 19th-century German painters as Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Caspar David Friedrich, the leading members of the German Romantic school. The Altes Museum (Old Museum), a red-marble, neoclassical building abutting the green Lustgarten, was Prussia's first building purpose-built to serve as a museum. Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it was completed in 1830. Until fall 2009, when the collection will relocate to the then completely restored Neues Museum, it serves as home to the Egyptian collection, which traces Egypt's history from 4000 BC and whose prize piece is the exquisite 3,300-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti. The permanent collection of the Altes Museum consists of everyday utensils from ancient Greece as well as vases and sculptures from the 6th to 4th centuries BC. Etruscan art is its highlight, and there are a few examples of Roman art. Antique sculptures, clay figurines, and bronze art of the Antikensammlung (Antiquities Collection) are also housed here; the other part of the collection is in the Pergamonmuseum. At the northern tip of Museum Island is the Bode-Museum, a somber-looking gray edifice graced with elegant columns. Reopened in 2006, it now presents the state museums' stunning collection of German and Italian sculptures since the Middle Ages, the Museum of Byzantine Art, and a huge coin collection. Even if you think you aren't interested in the ancient world, make an exception for the Pergamonmuseum (entrance on Am Kupfergraben), one of the world's greatest museums. The museum's name is derived from its principal display, the Pergamon Altar, a monumental Greek temple discovered in what is now Turkey and dating from 180 BC. The altar was shipped to Berlin in the late 19th century. Equally impressive are the gateway to the Roman town of Miletus and the Babylonian processional way. Art and culture buffs who want to enjoy as many Berlin museums as possible should consider the Three-Day pass for EUR 19, which allows unlimited access to all of Berlin's state museums. If you get tired of antiques and paintings, drop by any of the museums' cafés.

Cost: All Museum Island museums EUR 8, but may be higher during special exhibits.
Open: Pergamonmuseum Fri.-Wed. 10-6, Thurs. 10-10. Alte Nationalgalerie Tues., Wed., and Fri.-Sun. 10-6, Thurs. 10-10. Altes Museum Fri.-Wed. 10-6, Thurs. 10-10. Bode-Museum Fri.-Wed. 10-6, Thurs. 10-10
Metro: Hackescher Markt (S-bahn)

Find more sights in Berlin »