10 Berlin Museums Not to Miss

Berlin is home to more than 170 museums and galleries… Yes, 170!…  and many of them contain some of the most important art collections known to the world.  In order to see the finest collections in the best museums in Berlin, with exhibitions that range from contemporary art to historical artifacts, here are 10 museums that should be on your list when looking to spend a few cultural days in the German capital.

Museums in Museum Island (Museumsinsel)

Museum Island is home to five world-class museums.  These are in a unique ensemble of historic buildings, all built under different Prussian kings.  Today is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Here you’ll find:

Old Museum (Altes Museum)

The Altes Museum, built between 1823 and 1830 after the design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, is one of the most important works in the architecture of Classicism.  Its dignified architecture is the perfect setting for its ancient Etruscan pottery, as well as Greco-Roman statues, bronze tools, jewelry, and wood and stone sarcophagi.

Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum)

This museum was built during the 19th century to house the archeological treasures discovered by archeologists like Heinrich Schliemann.  The Pergamon Museum is named for the Turkish city from which the 2300-year old Altar of Zeus was taken. Here you’ll find artifacts that date back more than 3000 years. This museum is world famous for its monumental reconstruction of archaeological building ensembles such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, and the Ishtar Gate.  The Processional Way of Babylon and the Mshatta Façade are also ensembles to be blown away.

New Museum (Neues Museum)

This museum has historic artifacts housed within a historic building.  It was built between 1843 and 1855, then closed at the beginning of World War II in 1939, when it was heavily damaged during the bombing of Berlin. The museum officially reopened in October 2009.  Exhibits include the Egyptian, Greek and Roman history, as well as Early History collections, as it did before the war. The artifacts it houses include the iconic bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.  The partly destroyed interior of the Neues Museum ranks among the last remaining examples of interior museum layout of this period in Germany.

Museums at the Culture Forum  (Tiergarten-Kulturforum)

Located close to the Potsdamer Platz at the eastern end of the Tiergarten, this art museum complex has museums like:

Old Masters Paintings (Gemäldegalerie)

When it comes to art, the Gemaeldegalerie can be considered as one of Germany’s finest museums.  It holds one of the world’s finest collections of European art from the 13th to the 18th century. Among the almost 3000 paintings you’ll find masterpieces by Dürer, Bruegel, Raffael, Tizian, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Rubens.

New National Gallery (Neue Nationalgalerie)

Berlin’s New National Gallery at Potsdamer Platz is dedicated to international art from the 20th century. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the unique glass-and-steel structure that houses this fascinating museum, which is nicknamed “the temple of light and glass”.  Its work spectrum ranges from Classical Modern down to Art of the 1960s and 70s. Among those included are artists like Pablo Picasso, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Yves Klein, among others.

Museums Throughout the City

There are many great museums that are not State Museums or that are not part of museum complex.  Among the best are:

Topography of Terror (Topographie Des Terrors)

Topography of Terror is an outdoor museum located on the site where once stood buildings in which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, the principal instruments of repression during the Nazi era.  With honesty, this museum is not for the faint of heart, but it’s one of the few places in Berlin where you get the crude appreciation of Berlin’s history during WWII. The museum explores both the rise of the Nazi party and its war atrocities. Right at the edge of the museum is a 200 m (656 foot) section of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Wall Documentation Center (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer)

The Berlin Wall Memorial is the central memorial site of German division, located in the middle of the capital. The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and is thus able to convey an impression of how the border fortifications developed until the end of the 1980s. This museum makes the history of Germany’s division easy to comprehend through its audio visuals, interactive information, and preservation of the wall – a viewing platform gives you a peek of what faced those attempting to escape by crossing the wall.

Jewish Museum Berlin (Jüdisches Museum Berlin)

This museum chronicles the Jewish history and culture in Germany from the Middle Ages to present-day. While the extensive exhibition is great, the greatest impression and strongest poetic message is delivered through it’s building – designed by Daniel Libeskind.  It leaves a lasting impression on its visitors, making them feel completely disoriented, an expression of what Jewish people experienced throughout history and the war. The architecture is defined by a zigzag design –made of a broken Star of David– underground tunnels, irregularly shaped windows, and voids that stretch the full height of the building.

Bauhaus Archives – Museum of Design (Bauhaus Archiv)

This is the home to the world’s largest Bauhaus collection, offering an in-depth introduction to the German avant-garde school and its impact on design, art, and architecture around the world. The museum is housed in a building designed by the founder of the Bauhaus School, Walter Gropius, and displays an incredible collection crafted by Bauhaus teachers and students, from ceramics, furniture, and sculpture, to weaving, printing, and bookbinding.

Museum for Contemporary Art (Hamburger Bahnhof)

Set in a former train station from 1874 (Located in “no man’s land” between East and West Berlin), this museum is dedicated to contemporary art from the second half of the 20th century onwards. Painting, sculptures, graphics, photography, video, and installation by international artists like Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Joseph Beuys, Jeff Koons, and Pipilotti Rist are on display.

This post was made possible by the generosity of Seville apartments.  If you are thinking of booking a Seville accommodation you should check them out for their great rates.  Our sponsor has provided a link for you to learn about cheap accommodation in Seville.