Berlin Museums and Galleries
 

My husband and I will be in Berlin in October for one week. I am looking at all the wonderful things to do in Berlin and now understand why people say you need 2 weeks. My question is what would you say are the top 5 museums or galleries? We want to see the sights and all the historical landmarks and do some shopping . We will take a day to go to Potsdam. There are so many amazing museums, we are have trouble picking which ones we want to see.

Nueu Natinalgalerie
Topography of Terror
Tour of the Bundestag
Berlinische Galerie
Bernauer. Strasse Memorial


are some of my favorites

Neue... Sorry

Hi Jane,

I can only tell you that we liked the Deutches historisches Museum on Unter den Linden very much. we had limited time so this was the only one we chose, along with the Einstein exhibition which was on then [about 5 years ago].

I can't help with Potsdam - we are going there for a day next week en route from Berlin to Leipzig. The hotel we are staying in has recommended we rent bikes for the day, but I'm not sure about that. We want to see the Sans Souci but I'm not sure about the rest.

I have nothing to contribute, but bookmarking in on the thread because I will have the same question next spring...

If you like antiquities than the Pergamon is unique.

I'm Probably one of the few that didn't like the Pergamon.

My favourites were the Germany History Museum (as someone mentioned above) and the Information Centre underneath the Jewish Memorial (near the Brandenburg Gate) - this was absolutely fantastic and free entry.

I loved the Neue Nationalgalerie in Tiergarten - not that much visited, set in a beautiful Mies van der Rohe building, displaying great collection of German modern art.
I was also blown away by the Stasimuseum - located in one of the original Stasi building in the middle of gray housing development, displaying object related to the control as well as some rooms kept in the same state as they were before.

You wanted five of Berlin's museums:

There are five just on Museum Island alone that are worth going to, with one additional that is "off" island:

1) Pergamum Museum - unbelievable Egyptian and other classical collections as well as reconstruction of major ancient sites such as the Gate of Miletus. There are also some items from Schliemann's digs at Troy,"Priam Treasure", which items were returned to the Germans by the Russians who had carted the entire Schliemann treasury to Leningrad after WWII, there are only a few returned items in the Pergamum. Three countries all claim this Treasure: Germany, Russia, and Turkey.

2) The Altes Museum which continues the Pergamum's antiquities collections

3) Neues Museum - which despite its name, actually has more Egyptian displays, including the famous Bust of Nefertiti

4) The Bode Museum - which houses the art of later centuries, such as the Byzantine

5) The Alte Nationalgalerie - contains European paintings

This last one is not on Museum Island:
6) The Gemaldegalerie - houses one of the greatest painting collections in Europe

Here's a list from wikipedia. You can click on each museum and get more specific information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ries_in_Berlin

At the Bebelplatz, which I recall as being on Unter den Linden near the Neue Nationalgalerie, has the memorial to the Nazi book burning. You could miss it, as it is simply a plexiglass (?) square sunk into the floor of the Bebelplatz. Under the plexiglass is a white room containing empty bookshelves.

Here's a link to a list that I have used in the past, a better list, which has the most important museums in Berlin as well as a short description of each. There are also other types of museums:decorative arts, etc. that I'm not that much interested in. Also if you are interested in modern art, Berlin has several locations with modern art exhibits.

http://www.smb.museum/smb/home/index.php

Canadian Jane, when you visit Sanssouci, don’t miss the nearby CECILIENHOF estate where Churchill, Stalin, and Truman settled the partition of Germany at the Potsdam Conference in August, 1945. Originally, Cecilia Court Palace was built in the Tudor style from 1914 to 1917 for Crown Prince William and his wife Cecilie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin as the last construction of a castle of the Hohenzollern dynasty. Fascinating place. When we visited, the Sanssouci Palace itself was off-limits, but the grounds were lovely.

Jane,
It depends on your interest....I spent only an hour in Pergamon to see the highlights because
my interest is recent history and Modern art.
Also, there are various exhibits at museums and galleries all the time.

I have been to Berlin 3 times and still have not made it to Potsdam.
Berlin is not a beautiful city (in a Old Europe way) but it has so much history and art
I find it fascinating.

Enjoy your stay.

P.S.
If you wish to tour the Bundestag and see the famous Cupola, you have to write to them and get a permission... security is very tight. The tour is excellent and free.
Another option to see the Cupola is to make a reservation at the restaurant.
( usually booked days ahead)