Berlin Museum Island

Berlin Museum Island

Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the middle of the Spree River in central Berlin, holding five major museums in 19th and early 20th-century buildings. No other square kilometre of real estate in Germany contains a comparable concentration of ancient world artefacts. The combination of Prussian imperial ambition and the 19th-century passion for collecting antiquities produced something genuinely extraordinary, and the buildings themselves are as interesting as much of the content.

One important note: the Pergamon Museum, the island’s most visited attraction, has been under partial renovation since 2014 and the Pergamon Altar hall is currently closed. The renovation is expected to continue through the late 2020s. The rest of the museum remains open but the headline exhibit is not accessible. Plan accordingly.

The Five Museums

Pergamon Museum: the most visited. Even with the altar hall closed, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon is here – the brilliant blue-glazed brick gateway built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 575 BCE, reconstructed at full scale in the museum’s hall. The market gate of Miletus, Roman antiquities, and the collection of Islamic art are all also on the Pergamon site. The altar hall is closed; the rest is very much open.

Neues Museum: the bust of Nefertiti, the most famous ancient Egyptian artwork outside Egypt. Created around 1345 BCE, probably in the workshop of sculptor Thutmose, it was found in 1912 during German excavations at Amarna. The Egyptian government has repeatedly requested its return; Germany has not agreed. The controversy predates most living people involved in it and will likely outlast them. The bust is displayed in a room designed around it and is genuinely extraordinary in person.

Altes Museum: classical antiquities on the island’s public square. The rotunda modelled on the Pantheon is worth the visit alone.

Alte Nationalgalerie: 19th-century European art including German Romantics, French Impressionists, and a particularly good Schinkel collection.

Bode Museum: at the island’s northern tip, Byzantine and early Christian art, coins, and sculpture from medieval through Baroque. Less crowded than the others.

Practicalities

A combined day ticket covers all five museums (around €22) and is the sensible option if you are spending a serious day on the island. Individual museum tickets cost less if you’re only going to one. The Pergamon Museum ticket should be discounted to reflect the closed altar hall; check the current pricing at smb.museum before purchasing. Wednesday evenings after 18:00 are free at some Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation museums – check current arrangements.

Nearby

The Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) sits directly opposite the Altes Museum on the Lustgarten – a neo-Baroque building from 1905 with a dome you can climb for views of the island and the city. The Lustgarten itself is a pleasant public square between the cathedral and the Altes Museum.

The Hackescher Markt neighbourhood immediately east of the island has Berlin’s best concentration of independent cafes, bars, and restaurants without being overtly touristy. Monsieur Vuong on Alte Schönhauser Strasse for Vietnamese food, and any number of cafe options on the Hackesche Höfe courtyards.